Azerbaijan

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Azerbaijan

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Azärbaycan Respublikasi/Republic of Azerbaijan Area 86,600 sq km/33,436 sq mi Capital Baku Language Azeri (official), Russian Religion Shiite Muslim 68%, Sunni Muslim 27%, Russian Orthodox 3%, Armenian Orthodox 2% Time difference GMT +4 Major holidays 1 January, 8 March, 28 May, 9, 18 October, 17 November, 31 December


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Gäncä, Sumqayit, Nakhichevan, Xankändi, Mingechaur Physical features Caspian Sea with rich oil reserves; the country ranges from semidesert to the Caucasus Mountains Airports five international airports which also provide domestic services; total passengers carried: 684,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 2,122 km/1,319 mi; total passenger journeys: 4.7 million (2003) Roads total road network: 27,016 km/16,787 mi, of which 47% paved (2003 est); passenger cars: 57 per 1,000 people (2003 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Ilham Aliyev from 2003 Head of government Artur Rasizade from 2003 Political system authoritarian nationalist Political executive unlimited presidency Administrative divisions 64 administrative districts, one autonomous republic (Nakhichevan), and an autonomous oblast (Nagorno-Karabakh) Political parties Popular Front of Azerbaijan (FPA), democratic nationalist; New Azerbaijan, ex-communist; Communist Party of Azerbaijan (banned 1991–93); Muslim Democratic Party (Musavat), Islamic, pro-Turkic unity Death penalty abolished in 1998 Armed forces 66,700; plus 300,000 reserves (2006 est) Conscription military service is for 17 months Defence spend (% GDP) 2.1 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 3.2 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 0.9 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency manat (replaced Russian rouble in 1993) GDP (US$) 12.6 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 25.6 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 10.4 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 4,890 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 8.7% (2006 est) Unemployment 1.2% (2005 est) Labour force 39.3% agriculture, 12.1% industry, 48.6% services (2005) Foreign debt (US$) 2.1 billion (2005 est) Major trading partners Italy, Russia, Turkey, Germany, Georgia, UK, Indonesia, Turkmenistan, China Resources petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, aluminium, copper, barytes, cobalt, precious metals, limestone, salt Industries petroleum extraction and refining, chemicals, petrochemicals, construction, machinery, food processing, textiles, timber Exports refined petroleum products, machinery, food products, textiles, chemicals, metals, transport equipment. Principal market: Italy 30.3% (2005) Imports machinery and equipment, industrial raw materials, processed food. Principal source: Russia 17.1% (2005) Arable land 20.6% (2006 est) Agricultural products grain, grapes and other fruit, vegetables, cotton, silk, tobacco; livestock rearing (cattle, sheep, and goats); fisheries (about 10 tonnes of caviar are produced annually); silkworm breeding


POPULATION

Population 8,471,200 (2006 est) Population growth rate 0.8% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 98 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 50 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 26%, 15–59 65%, 60+ 9% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 83% of Azeri descent, 6% Russian, 6% Armenian Life expectancy 64 (men); 71 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 90 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 11 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 35.4 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 8.3 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <100 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 95 (urban); 59 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 13 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 26.7 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 25 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 331 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 2.3 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 8.1 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

4th century BC Established as an independent state for the first time by Atrophates, a vassal of Alexander III of Macedon. 7th century AD Spread of Islam. 11th century Immigration by Oghuz Seljuk peoples, from the steppes to the northeast. 13th–14th centuries Incorporated within Mongol Empire; the Mongol ruler Tamerlane had his capital at Samarkand. 16th century Baku besieged and incorporated within Ottoman Empire, before falling under Persian dominance. 1805 Khanates (chieftaincies), including Karabakh and Shirvan, which had won independence from Persia, gradually became Russian protectorates, being confirmed by the Treaty of Gulistan, which concluded the 1804–13 First Russo-Iranian War. 1828 Under the Treaty of Turkmenchai, which concluded the Second Russo-Iranian War begun in 1826, Persia was granted control over southern and Russia over northern Azerbaijan. late 19th century Petroleum industry developed, resulting in large influx of Slav immigrants to Baku. 1917–18 Member of anti-Bolshevik Transcaucasian Federation. 1918 Became an independent republic. 1920 Occupied by Red Army and subsequently forcibly secularized. 1922–36 Became part of the Transcaucasian Federal Republic with Georgia and Armenia. early 1930s Peasant uprisings against agricultural collectivization and Stalinist purges of the local Communist Party. 1936 Became a constituent republic of the USSR. late 1980s Growth in nationalist sentiment, taking advantage of glasnost initiative of reformist Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. 1988 Riots followed request of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian-peopled enclave within Azerbaijan, for transfer to Armenia. 1989 Nagorno-Karabakh placed under direct rule from Moscow; civil war broke out with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh. 1990 Soviet troops dispatched to Baku to restore order amid calls for secession from USSR. 1991 Independence declared after collapse of anti-Gorbachev coup in Moscow, which had been supported by Azeri communist leadership. Azerbaijan joined new Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS); Nagorno-Karabakh declared independence. 1992 Azerbaijan joined United Nations (UN). 1993 Nagorno-Karabakh overtaken by Armenian forces. 1995 Attempted coup foiled. Market-centred economic reform programme introduced. 1997 Border fighting with Armenia. Oil extraction from Caspian Sea began, operated by consortium of 11 international oil companies. 1998 New pro-government grouping, Democratic Azerbaijan, formed. Heidar Aliyev re-elected president in disputed poll. Nagorno-Karabakh peace plan rejected. 2000 Heidar Aliyev re-elected; foreign observers denounced election as deeply flawed. 2001 Azerbaijan admitted to Council of Europe. Agreement signed with Russia on political, economic, and military cooperation. 2003 President Geidar Aliyev died; son Ilham Aliyev took over presidency following elections marred by violence. 2005 Police forcibly broke up opposition rally in capital. In parliamentary elections, described as undemocratic by international observers, ruling New Azerbaijan Party won large majority. Police violence used to disperse opposition protesters demanding rerun. 2006 Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan pipeline formally opened after Caspian oil began running through it. 2007 Dispute over energy prices; state oil company stopped pumping oil to Russia. Former security service chief Bako Sahakyan elected president of Nagorny Karabakh.


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