Project: Azerbaijan/Country

The Republic of Azerbaijan
Flag of Azerbaijan

Contents

Location

The Republic of Azerbaijan is a transcontinental country located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and West Asia. Part of the South Caucasus region, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south.

See Also: Geography of Azerbaijan

Administrative Divisions

Azerbaijan is administratively divided into 69 districts (rayon) and 11 cities (şəhər). The districts are further divided into municipalities (bələdiyyə). Additionally, the districts of Azerbaijan are grouped into 14 Economic Regions (İqtisadi Rayon).

See Also: Administrative Divisions of Azerbaijan

Baku is Azerbaijan's capital and largest city. Other significant cities include Sumgait, Ganja, Lankaran, Mingachevir, and Shaki.

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is a landlocked exclave of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It covers an area of 5,502.75 km² (2,124.62 sq mi) and has a population of approximately a half million people. The region is bordered by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the southwest, and Turkey to the northwest. It is the sole autonomous republic of Azerbaijan, governed by its own elected legislature. The capital and largest city of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is Nakhchivan. The official language is Azerbaijani.

History

Human habitation in Azerbaijan dates back to prehistoric times. The Azykh Cave in Khojavend District is the site of one of Eurasia’s oldest archaic-human habitations, with remnants of pre-Acheulean culture at least 700,000 years old found in the lowest layers of the cave.

The first advanced civilization in Azerbaijan is believed to have been the Caucasian Albania, which emerged in the region after the death of Alexander the Great and the collapse of his empire in the East in 323 BC. This state existed in the north of Azerbaijan starting from the fourth century BC.

During the Early Middle Ages, the region came under the influence of the Sasanian Empire (224 - 651) and later the Khazar Khaganate (c. 650 - 969). The Islamic conquest occurred between 633 and 654. The High Middle Ages saw the rule of several empires, including the Seljuk Empire (1037-1194), Khwarazmian Empire (1077-1231), Mongol Empire (1206-1368), and Timurid Empire (1370-1507).

In 1501, the Safavids, who were of Turkicized Iranian descent, established the greatest Iranian empire since the Islamic conquest of Persia. During this period, Azerbaijan was incorporated into the Safavid state and played a crucial role in the political and economic life of the empire.

The Ottoman Empire took control of Azerbaijan during two distinct periods. The first period was between 1578 and 1603, and then again during the second Ottoman conquest of 1724 until the end of World War I in 1918. During this time, the Ottoman Empire followed a more decentralized control over Azerbaijan, co-opting members of local nobility as well as tribal leaders into its administration. The empire farmed out the sources of revenue to its own military as well as local ayan (landowners) who submitted to Ottoman rule and followed the Persian tax registers in assessing taxes.

After a series of wars between the Russian Empire and Iran, the treaties of Golestān (1813) and Turkmenchay (1828) established a new border between the two empires. Russia acquired Baku, Shirvan, Ganja, Nakhichevan, and Yerevan. Henceforth, the Azerbaijani Turks of Caucasia were separated from the majority of their linguistic and religious compatriots, whose homes remained on Iranian territory. It was during this era, in 1879, that the Nobel brothers set up an oil-production company, marking the beginning of the oil boom in Azerbaijan.

Towards the end of the First World War, Azerbaijan gained independence for a short period and declared itself an independent republic. Then, in 1920, the nation was incorporated into the Soviet Union for a period of seven decades.

Azerbaijan declared its sovereignty in 1989 and received independence in 1991.

Historical Timeline

  • 1578 The Ottoman Empire takes control of Azerbaijan to 1603
  • 1724 The Ottoman Empire again takes control of Azerbaijan to 1918.
  • 1828 East Azerbaijan is claimed by the Russian Empire
  • 1879 Azerbaijan's oil boom begins
  • 1920 Azerbaijan is incorporated into the Soviet Union
  • 1989 Azerbaijan declared its sovereignty
  • 1991 Azerbaijan received its independence

See also: History of Azerbaijan


Ethnicities:

Azerbaijanis are the largest ethnic group in Azerbaijan, making up about 91.6% of the population. The largest minority group in Azerbaijan are the Lezgins, who make up about 2% of the population. Other minority groups include Russians, Armenians, Talyshs, and smaller groups such as Avars, Georgians, Jews, Kurds, Tats, Tatars, Tsakhurs Turks, Udis, and Ukrainians.

See Also: Azerbaijanis

Languages:

Azerbaijani, a Turkic language, is the official language of Azerbaijan and is spoken by the majority of its population. Russian is also widely spoken in Azerbaijan and plays a significant role as a language of education and communication. English is spoken by much younger generation. Additionally, several minority languages exist in the country, including Avar, Lezgian, Talysh, and Tat.

See also: Azerbaijani Language

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Religions:

Islam is the most common religion in Azerbaijan, with about 93% of the total population adhering to one of the two principal forms of Islam- Sunni and Shia. Shia Islam is the leading religious belief with 80% of the country’s population adhering to the faith, making it the second largest Shia population in the world. Sunni Islam is the second leading religious belief in Azerbaijan with a following of 13% of the total population. Orthodox Christianity is the third largest religious belief in Azerbaijan, with a following of a total of 3% of the population.

See Also: Religion in Azerbaijan

See Also: Demographics of Azerbiajan


Azerbaijani Naming Conventions

A typical Azerbaijani name consists of an ad (name), an ata adı (patronymic), and a soyad (surname), following Russian/Soviet-influenced naming customs.

Azerbaijani given names include names with Turkic, Germanic, Slavic, Persian, Arabic, and Caucasian origin. Names are mostly gender-specific; however, new female names could be invented by adding "a" to a male name (for example, the male name Ilham could easily be converted into a female name Ilhama). Azeri names are limited by law to one given name per child.

The use of surnames in Azerbaijan started in the 1900s with the Russian Empire; thus, Azerbaijani surnames are highly influenced by Russian naming customs. Most Azerbaijani surnames end with suffixes -ov/-ova, -yev/-yeva meaning "belonging to". For example, if brothers Ali, Hasan, and Huseyn were children of the same father, their children would be surnamed respectively Aliyev, Hasanov and Huseynov. Children automatically inherit their parents’ surname upon registration; however, children may change their surname suffixes after age of 10 by their own will. Full name change is only accepted after turning 18.

Besides the name and surname, patronymics are also in use, but mostly in legal documents, not in daily use. For example, while Ilham Aliyev is known by his name and surname, his full name is Ilham Haydar oghlu Aliyev (oghlu means son). Likewise, for women the patronymic form qızı (meaning daughter) is used, as in Sakina Abbas qızı Aliyeva.

See Also: Azerbaijani Names



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