Nakhichevan (region)

Autonomous region of Azerbaijan, an enclave within the neighbouring state of Armenia, located on the Iranian frontier and separated from the rest of Azerbaijan by a narrow strip of Armenian territory; area 5,500 sq km/2,124 sq mi; population (1997 est) 333,200. The capital is Nakhichevan, and Paragachay is another city in the enclave. The region is extremely arid, a mountainous country with large salt deposits. With irrigation, agriculture produces cotton, tobacco, grain, and market garden produce, and in the drier areas sheep farming is significant. Minerals are produced, including salt, molybdenum, and lead, while industries include cotton ginning, silk spinning, fruit canning, meat packing, and tobacco products.

History
The area now covered by the republic was in Persian hands from the 13th to 19th centuries. It was annexed by Russia in 1828, and the republic was formed as an autonomous administrative unit of the USSR in 1924. In 1990, it unilaterally declared its independence from the moribund USSR, and was thereafter the scene of inter-ethnic violence between Azeris and Armenians. Many Azeris fled to Azerbaijan, and in January 1990 frontier posts and border fences with Iran were destroyed. In May 1992, Armenian forces made

advances in the region, but Azeri forces soon regained control.