Azerbaijan

Geography

Economics

Demographics

Military

Politics

Located within the Caucasus, Azerbaijan is known as a mountainous state which covers approximately 60% of its total landmass. The flat areas of Azerbaijan mainly consist of arid land. In total, Azerbaijan borders five states. To the northwest it borders Georgia. To the north, it borders Russia. It is surrounded by the Caspian Sea among its eastern flank and borders Iran to the south. To its east, it has a small border with Turkey through its exclave, Nakhichevan, and has a larger border with Armenia.

Known for being one of the central gateways between Asia and Europe, Azerbaijan has seen many conflicts throughout its history. From the Islamic conquests of the Arabs, Turks, Khazars and Persians, as well as being a Soviet Socialist Republic for nearly 7 decades, Azerbaijan obtained its independence in 1991. Since its independence, Azerbaijan has had a territorial dispute with Armenia over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh which has erupted into armed conflict multiple times over the last few decades.

Azerbaijan has a total surface land area of 87,000 km² or 33,500 mi.². This makes Azerbaijan the 112th largest state, slightly larger than Austria is slightly smaller than Serbia.

Surface

Surface (in square kilometers)

Surface (in square miles)

Its total water surface area is around 500 km² or 191 mi.² which ranks it as the 117th largest state in terms of water surface area.

Surface (water)

Water Surface (in square kilometers)

Water Surface (in square miles)

Share of water (%)

About one third of all water replenishment within Azerbaijan comes from the Azerbaijani mountains and flows downstream towards the Caspian Sea. The remaining water is provided mainly by the Kura River that originate from Georgia and flows downwards towards Azerbaijan. In total, water covers around 0.13% of its total surface area.

Due to its location, Azerbaijan experiences two different types of climate depending on the altitude. Summers can be quite warm and dry in the low-lying areas while simultaneously being cool and rainy in the mountainous area. On average, the Azerbaijani temperature is around 12.47°C or 54.45°F. This ranks Azerbaijan as the 142nd warmest state in the world.

Temperature

During the summer months, Azerbaijan has an average high temperature of 17.2°C or 62.96°F.

Average temperature (in Celcius)

Average temperature (in Farenheit)

Average high temperature (in Celcius)

Average high temperature (in Farenheit)

Its lowest average temperature is around 6.9°C or 44.42°F and occurs mainly in the months from October to March.

Average low temperature (in Celcius)

Average low temperature (in Farenheit)

Rainfall

Due to its fluctuation in elevation, rainfall differs drastically between its geographical area. However, on average Azerbaijan experiences 48.2 cm or 18.9 inches of rainfall per year. The amount of rainfall that is needed to sustain arable land, is insufficient. Therefore, Azerbaijan uses irrigation systems throughout its territory.

Average rainfall (mm)

Average rainfall (inch)

Distance to other capitals (kilometers)

Distance to other capitals (miles)

Proximity

The Azerbaijani capital, Baku, is a home to approximately 1.2 million citizens and is located on the border with the Caspian Sea. The capital that is closest located to Baku is Tbilisi, Georgia and the capital that is furthest removed from Baku is Wellington New Zealand.

The main source of income for the Azerbaijani economy is petroleum -related products. Its main export commodity is gas which is transported through several pipelines that lead to Europe. Even though the Azerbaijani government aims to diversify its economy, it is hindered by corruption that takes place within the Azerbaijani government. Ever since the fall of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan has turned its economy from a state planned economy to a market economy. The focus of the Azerbaijani economy has also been shifting from trade with former Soviet Socialist republics to with trade with Turkey and members of the European Union. At present, Russia is still the largest import partner with Turkey being the second largest import partner. The Azerbaijani exports mainly goes to Italy which this responsible for more than 25% Azerbaijan’s total exports.

Economic organizations

Gross Domestic Product (US$)

Gross Domestic Product per capita

Amount of memberships (economic organizations)

Absolute earnings for every 1$

Relative earnings

GDP in PPP per capita (in US$)

GDP in PPP per capita

Gross Domestic product (in million US$)

GDP per capita (in US$)

In total, Azerbaijan is a member of 14 international economic organizations which ranks it as the 54th most economically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
Black Sea Trade and Development Bank
International Monetary Fund
Islamic Development Bank
World Bank Group
World Customs Organization
World Trade Organization
Economic Cooperation Organization

GUAM Organization for Democracy and Economic Development
Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation
TRACECA Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia
Energy Charter Treaty
International Renewable Energy Agency
Group of 77

The gross domestic product of Azerbaijan is around US$44 billion which ranks it as the 91st state in terms of highest GDP.

The GDP per capita is around US$4.400. This ranks the Azerbaijani citizens as the 108th most wealthy citizens in the world.

The figure below displays the average amount that inhabitant of other states earn for every 1$ that an average Azerbaijani citizen makes.

The GDP per surface area is around US$512,000 per square kilometer or US$1.3 million per square mile. This gives Azerbaijan the 91st highest rank in terms of surface GDP.

Surface GDP

GDP per square kilometer (in US$)

GDP per square mile(in US$)

Relative GDP in PPP

The purchase power parity per capita amounts to approximately US$15,600 which puts its citizens as the 84th wealthiest in terms of purchasing power.

The relative Gross Domestic Product in Purchasing Power Parity compares the purchasing power of the Dominican Republic with the rest of the world.

The graph on the left displays the purchasing power parity of the rest of the world in relation to the purchasing power of 1$ in the Dominican Republic.

Azerbaijan is a highly mono ethnical society with around 92% of its citizens being native Azeris. The Azeri people can find their roots stemming from several empires that have conquered the territory or consist of states that are close to its border. Examples of this are the Ottoman Empire, the Seljuq Empire as well as Iranian roots. The remaining other large ethnic groups are Russians and Armenians with each representing around 1.5 % of the population. It is estimated that just above half of the total Azerbaijani population of 10 million people live in urban areas.

Population

Population density

Azerbaijan has a population density of around 115 people per square kilometer or just under 300 people per square mile, which ranks Azerbaijan is the 71st most densely populated state in the world.

Emigration

In recent decades, emigration has been fairly low. However, during the collapse of the Soviet Union many people have emigrated from Azerbaijan due to economic instability. In total, around 11.5% of the total population live outside the Azerbaijani border which corresponds to around 1.2 million people. This ranks Azerbaijan as the 59th state with the highest emigration in the world and represents around 0.5% of total global emigration.

Immigration

In recent years, Azerbaijan has seen an increase in its share of immigration. These people mainly come from neighboring states from the north such as Russia Georgia as well as refugees from Armenia. In total, Azerbaijan is home to 250,000 immigrants which represents around 2.5% the total population or 0.01% of total global immigration.

Literacy

Literacy in Azerbaijan is one of the highest in the region. As a result of investments by the Soviet Union in education, virtually all Azerbaijanis were literate under communist rule. At present, with a share of 99.46% of the population above 15 years old able to read, it is still very high with a global rank as the eighth most literate state in the world

Health

Healthcare is free for Azerbaijani citizens and is fully funded by the Ministry of health care with the more sophisticated healthcare centralizing in the capital, Baku. On average, the life expectancy is 73.35 years with women averaging around 75.87 years and man averaging around 70.76 years. This ranks Azerbaijan is the 117th healthiest state in the world.

Population density (in km2)

Population density (in mi2)

Religion

Azerbaijan ranks as the 167th most multi religious state in the world. Azerbaijan provides freedom of religion to all of its citizens. In practice, these freedoms are restrained when they enter the political or public sphere. There have been some reports of mosques that have been closed as well as the denial of registration of minority religions within Azerbaijan. As a result of this, religious intolerance towards these minority religions are not protected by the state.

With around 3% of the total Azerbaijani population adhering to the Christian faith, Christianity is seen as a minority religion. Its Christian history started with the spread of Christianity from the Middle East to the Caucasus by one of the disciples of Jesus Christ who probably has been executed on Azerbaijani territory at that time. The share of Christians increased during the resettlement policies of czarist Russia when many Orthodox Christians settled in the region.

Christianity (share of the total population)

Islam (share of the total population)

Islam is the main religion representing around 96.9% of the total Azerbaijani population. This ranks Azerbaijan as the 16th most Islamic states in the world. The spread of Islam came with the expansion of the Seljuk and Ottoman empires. At present, it is estimated that around 80% adhere to the Shia faith and 20% to the Sunni faith.

In recent years, the Azerbaijani economy has attracted a labor force from East and Southeast Asia. It is estimated that around 0.04% of the population, represented by this workforce, adheres to the Buddhist faith.

Buddhism (share of the total population)

Hinduism arrived in Azerbaijan through its connection with the silk Road. This has led to the introduction of Hinduism as well as places of worship for traders that were traveling along the road. This number has been declining and by the turn of the 19th century virtually all Hindus had returned to the Indian subcontinent. At present, Hinduism is only represented by the Indian labor force that represents around 0.03% of the total Azerbaijani population.

Hinduism (share of the total population)

Judaism (share of the total population)

One of the first recorded Jewish settlements was in Baku around the seventh century. Azerbaijan has also seen an influx of Jews that fled Europe during the second world war. Since then, Judaism flourished and expanded throughout Azerbaijan but remained mainly centralized in the capital. At present, Judaism is represented by around 0.06% of the total Azerbaijani population.

Other religions (share of the total population)

Other religions in Azerbaijan are mainly represented by Zoroastrianism, which represents around 0.07% of the total Azerbaijani population. Around the time that Christianity spread it to the Caucasus, Zoroastrianism was also on the rise. At present, many historical sites within Azerbaijan stem from the Zoroastrian religion such as the fire Temple located in Baku.

Non-religious (share of the total population)

As mentioned earlier, Islam is mainly seen as a way of life instead of a religion. More than half of the population sees religion as playing a small role within their lives. It is estimated that around 0.03% formally call themselves atheists.

Military spending (in % of GDP)

Military spending

At present, it is estimated that around 4.5% of its total GDP or US$1.8 billion is being spent on the modernization of the Azerbaijani military. A large share of this investment has been in drones that are being delivered by Turkey and have been put to use in the Azerbaijani Armenian border clashes.

The Armed Forces of Azerbaijan consists of a ground force an air force and a Navy. The Azerbaijani military wasn't dissolved after the communist takeover in 1920, but came into being after declaring independence after the fall of the Soviet Union. After the decay of Soviet equipment, Azerbaijan has started to invest in its military.

Military membership

Azerbaijan is a member of four international military organizations this ranks Azerbaijan as the 99th most militarily interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations:

Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
International Atomic Energy Agency
Non-Aligned Movement

Military membership

International wars

In total, Azerbaijan has partaken in seven international wars. These are:

World War I 1914-1918
Iran crisis 1945-1946
First Nagorno-Karabakh War 1988-1994
Armenian-Azerbaijani border conflict 1994-present
Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes 1016-1016
Armenian–Azerbaijani clashes 1018-1018
Second Nagorno-Karabakh war 1010-1010

Number of international wars fought

Military spending (in US$ million)

Membership (international political organizations)

In total, Azerbaijan is a member of 10 international political organizations which ranks it the 129th most politically interconnected state in the world. It is a member of the following organizations

Member states of the United Nations
International Labour Organization
the Council of Europe
Commonwealth of Independent States
Turkic Council
International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property
Organization of Islamic Cooperation
International Organization of Turkic Culture
Interpol
World Organization for Animal Health

Political Membership

Democracy/dictatorship rating

In contrast to other former Soviet republics, Azerbaijan still remains relatively dictatorial after the fall of the Soviet Union. This is mainly due to corruption within the government as well as the centralization of power to the Azerbaijani president. At present, Azerbaijan is ranked as the 161st most democratic state in the world.

Democracy/Dictatorship

The Azerbaijani politics is represented by a semi-presidential republic where the President is head of state and the Prime Minister is head of government.