OFFICIAL NAME: Azerbaijan Republic
CAPITAL CITY: Baku
POPULATION: 7,960,000 (Source: COUNTRYaah)
AREA: 82,600 km²
OFFICIAL LANGUAGE (S): Azerbaijani, Russian, Armenian
RELIGION: Muslims 93%, Russian Orthodox 3%, Armenian Christians 2%, others 2%
COIN: manat
CURRENCY CODE: AZM
ENGLISH NAME: Azerbaijan
INDEPENDENCE: 1991
POPULATION COMPOSITION: Azerbaijanis 89%, Dagestanians 3%, Russians 3%, Armenians 2%, others 2%
GDP PER residents: 3617 $ (2003)
LIFE EXPECTANCY: men 70 years, women 75 years (2007)
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, HDI: 0.736
INDEX OF LIVING CONDITIONS, POSITION: 99
NATIONALITY MARK FOR CARS: AZ
INTERNET DOMAIN NAME: .az
Azerbaijan is a a former Soviet republic, independent republic in 1991. Azerbaijan is south of the Caucasus and SW of the Caspian Sea and includes two autonomous areas: The enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which lies within Azerbaijan, and eksklaven Nakhchivan, located between Armenia and Iran and Turkey. In the early 1990’s, the country has been embroiled in bloody strife, partly internally, partly with the Soviet Army and with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, which found a temporary solution with a ceasefire in 1994.
- AbbreviationFinder.org: Find two-letter abbreviation for each independent country and territory, such as AZ which stands for Azerbaijan.
The historic region of Azerbaijan continues south of the border with Iran; see Azarbaidjan. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the country has sought contact with Turkey (linguistic community) and in part also with Iran due to the large Azerbaijani minority there. The result has been a renewal of the historic competition between the two countries for influence in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan – religion
Almost four-fifths of Azerbaijan’s population are Muslims; about three-quarters of these belong to the Shia Muslim sect, while the rest are Sunni Muslims. The Armenian minority makes up approximately 8% of the total population and belong to the Armenian Church under the Patriarchate of Ethymadzin (see also the Armenian Church). Additional approximately 8% of the population are Russians and Ukrainians, who for the most part belong to the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The Mosaic faith is also represented in several places. Check youremailverifier for Azerbaijan social condition facts.
Azerbaijan – Constitution
The Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan is from 1995. The executive power lies with a president who is elected by direct election for a five-year term. The President heads the Government, and he appoints the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister with the approval of the National Assembly. Legislative power lies with the National Assembly, Milli Mejlis, with 125 members elected by direct election for five years in single-member constituencies. In a referendum in March 2009, incumbent President Ilhám Aliyev, by an overwhelming majority, was allowed to sit for more than two terms of five years, in effect for life.
Azerbaijan – literature
With the invasions of the Arabs and Persians in Azerbaijan, a highly developed poetry arose in Arabic and Persian. The collection of stories in Turkish from the 1000’s, which is attributed to the legendary Dede Korkut, instead became a model for a national poetry in the Azerbaijani-Turkish language. The poets rebelled against feudal power in the 1100’s. Nizami wrote world literature with his humanistic poetry in Persian, and the legendary poet Makhsati described the conditions of women. Opposition to the Mongol horde in the late 1300’s. spawned khurufismen, a mysterious religious and political movement, which also fought against Islamic fundamentalism. Imadeddin Nesimi (1370-1417), the creator of the first Azerbaijani-Turkish divan, was executed for his participation in it.
From the 1500’s. the oral poetry received a new flourishing, conveyed by folk singers, the so-called ashuger, a tradition that has been preserved throughout the Soviet era up to our time. Contributing to a popular spread of literature was also Mehmed Füzuli (1498-1556), a role model for many generations of poets. He wrote in both Arabic and Persian, but especially in the Arabic-Turkish dialect, which he turned into a literary language. In the 1700’s. and 1800-t., especially after the incorporation of northern present-day Azerbaijan into Russia, critical realism made its breakthrough. Mirza Fath Ali Akhondzade (1812-78, in Russian Akhundov), founder of Azerbaijani Theater, influenced comedy poetry in Iran. From 1906, the author and playwright Mämmädgulzada (1869-1932) published the satirical magazine Molla Nasreddin, which spread revolutionary ideas. After its incorporation into the USSR, a socialist Azerbaijani Soviet literature developed.
