2007 Edition

Administrative divisions

59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika)

autonomous republic

Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi

cities

Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari

rayons

Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu, Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu, Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu, Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu, Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu, Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu, Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu, Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu, Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab Rayonu

Age structure

0-14 years: 25.8% (male 1,046,501/female 1,011,492) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,573,134/female 2,706,275) 65 years and over: 7.8% (male 246,556/female 377,661) (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products

cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats

Airports

36 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m

1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 4

total

27

under 914 m

2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total

9 914 to 1,523 m: 2

under 914 m

7 (2006)

Area

land

86,100 sq km

note

includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991

total

86,600 sq km

water

500 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly smaller than Maine

Background

Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and must support some 528,000 internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the promise of widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources remains largely unfulfilled. Geography Azerbaijan

Birth rate

20.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Budget

expenditures

$5.804 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)

revenues

$6.008 billion

Capital

daylight saving time

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

geographic coordinates

40 23 N, 49 51 E

name

Baku (Baki, Baky)

time difference

UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Climate

dry, semiarid steppe

Coastline

0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km est.)

Constitution

adopted 12 November 1995

Consulate(s) general

Los Angeles

Country name

conventional long form

Republic of Azerbaijan

conventional short form

Azerbaijan

former

Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

local long form

Azarbaycan Respublikasi

local short form

Azarbaycan

Currency (code)

Azerbaijani manat (AZM)

Currency code

AZM

Current account balance

$2.737 billion (2006 est.)

Death rate

9.75 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Debt - external

$2.483 billion (2006 est.)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission

Ambassador Anne E. DERSE

embassy

83 Azadliyg Prospecti, Baku AZ1007

mailing address

American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050 Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050

telephone

[994] (12) 4980-335 through 337

Diplomatic representation in the US

chancery

2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

chief of mission

Ambassador Hafiv Mir Jalal PASHAYEV

telephone

[1] (202) 337-3500

Disputes - international

Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratify Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters; bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas

Distribution of family income - Gini index

36.5 (2001)

Economic aid - recipient

ODA, $140 million (2000 est.)

Economy - overview

Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production declined through 1997, but has registered an increase every year since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil companies began pumping 1 million barrels a day from a large offshore field in early 2006, through a $4 billion pipeline it built from Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Economists estimate that by 2010 revenues from this project will double the country's current GDP. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are slowly being replaced. Several other obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic

progress

the need for stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector, the continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the pervasive corruption. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil wealth.

Electricity - consumption

20.57 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports

510 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports

2.15 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production

20.35 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel

89.7%

hydro

10.3%

nuclear

0%

other

0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point

Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m

lowest point

Caspian Sea -28 m

Environment - current issues

local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT as a pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton

Environment - international agreements

party to

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified

none of the selected agreements

Ethnic groups

Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9% (1999 census)

note

almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region

Exchange rates

Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 0.89131 (2006), 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004), 4,910.73 (2003), 4,860.82 (2002)

note

on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000 old manats equal to 1 new manat

Executive branch

cabinet

Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly

chief of state

President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003)

election results

Ilham ALIYEV elected president; percent of vote - Ilham ALIYEV 76.8%, Isa GAMBAR 14%

elections

president elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008); prime minister and first deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly

head of government

Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas ABBASOV (since 10 November 2003)

Exports

$12.51 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities

oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs

Exports - partners

Italy 30.3%, France 9.4%, Russia 6.6%, Turkey 6.3%, Turkmenistan 6.3%, Georgia 4.8%, Israel 4.5%, Croatia 4.1% (2005)

FAX

[1] (202) 337-5911

[994] (12) 4656-671

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications Azerbaijan

Flag description

three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band Economy Azerbaijan

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture

14.1%

industry

45.7%

services

40.2% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP)

$7,300 (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

32.5% (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate)

$14.05 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (purchasing power parity)

$58.1 billion (2006 est.)

Geographic coordinates

40 30 N, 47 30 E

Geography - note

both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked People Azerbaijan

Government type

republic

Heliports

1 (2006)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

less than 0.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

1,400 (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%

27.8% (1995)

lowest 10%

2.8%

IDPs

580,000-690,000 (conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2006)

Illicit drugs

limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

Imports

$5.176 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals

Imports - partners

Russia 17%, UK 9.1%, Singapore 9.1%, Turkey 7.4%, Germany 6.1%, Turkmenistan 5.8%, Ukraine 5.4%, China 4.1% (2005)

Independence

30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Industrial production growth rate

50% (2006 est.)

Industries

petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles

Infant mortality rate

female

76.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

male

81.08 deaths/1,000 live births

total

79 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8% (2006 est.)

International organization participation

AsDB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Internet country code

.az

Internet hosts

880 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

2 (2000)

Internet users

678,800 (2005) Transportation Azerbaijan

Investment (gross fixed)

44.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Irrigated land

14,550 sq km (2003)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Labor force

5.191 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture

41%

industry

7%

services

52% (2001)

Land boundaries

border countries

Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km

total

2,013 km

Land use

arable land

20.62%

other

76.77% (2005)

permanent crops

2.61%

Languages

Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.)

Legal system

based on civil law system

Legislative branch

unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

election results

percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Yeni 58, Azadliq coalition 8, CSP 2, YES 2, Motherland 2, other parties with single seats 7, independents 42, undetermined 4

elections

last held 6 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2010)

Life expectancy at birth

female

68.13 years (2006 est.)

male

59.78 years

total population

63.85 years

Literacy

definition

age 15 and over can read and write

female

98.2% (2003 est.) Government Azerbaijan

male

99.5%

total population

98.8%

Location

Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range

Manpower available for military service

females age 18-49

2,033,186 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

1,961,973

Manpower fit for military service

females age 18-49

1,676,408 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

1,314,955

Manpower reaching military service age annually

females age 18-49

78,067 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49

82,358

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Median age

female

29.2 years (2006 est.)

male

26.3 years

total

27.7 years

Merchant marine

by type

cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 43, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 3

registered in other countries

4 (Georgia 2, Malta 2) (2006)

total

84 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,395 GRT/436,666 DWT

Military branches

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$121 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

2.6% (FY99) Transnational Issues Azerbaijan

Military service age and obligation

men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006)

National holiday

Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918)

Nationality

adjective

Azerbaijani, Azeri

noun

Azerbaijani(s), Azeri(s)

Natural gas - consumption

9.94 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports

0 cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports

4.93 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production

5.01 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves

849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Natural hazards

droughts

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina

Net migration rate

-4.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Oil - consumption

120,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports

NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - production

477,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - proved reserves

589 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Pipelines

gas 3,190 km; oil 2,436 km (2006)

Political parties and leaders

Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform" faction; Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" faction]; Civic Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic Union Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA [Ramiz AHMADOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Party for Azerbaijan or DPA [Rasul QULIYEV, chairman]; Justice Party [Ilyas ISMAILOV]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA]; Motherland Party; Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Yeni Azerbaijan Party; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar MAMMADLI, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP [Araz ALIZADE]

note

opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties

Political pressure groups and leaders

Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces (UPAF); Karabakh Liberation Organization

Population

7,961,619 (July 2006 est.)

Population below poverty line

49% (2002 est.)

Population growth rate

0.66% (2006 est.)

Ports and terminals

Baku (Baki) Military Azerbaijan

Public debt

10.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios

175,000 (1997)

Railways

broad gauge

2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2005)

total

2,957 km

Refugees and internally displaced persons

refugees (country of origin)

2,800 (Russia)

Religions

Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)

note

religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

$1.8 billion (2006 est.)

Roadways

paved

29,210 km

total

59,141 km

unpaved

29,931 km (2004)

Sex ratio

at birth

1.05 male(s)/female

total population

0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

under 15 years

1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Telephone system

domestic

the majority of telephones are in Baku and other industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivan

general assessment

inadequate; requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 14 main lines per 100 persons is low (2002)

international

country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2 (2005)

Telephones - main lines in use

1,091,400 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular

2.242 million (2005)

Television broadcast stations

2 (1997)

Televisions

170,000 (1997)

Terrain

large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Total fertility rate

2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Unemployment rate

1.2% official rate (2006 est.)