Azerbaijan - Misplaced Pages

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The Azerbaijan Republic in the Caucasus on the Caspian Sea shares borders with Russia in the north, Georgia, Armenia, in the west and Iran in the south. The Naxcivan exclave borders on Armenia, Iran, and Turkey.

Azerbaycan Respublikasi

Flag of Azerbaijan	coat of arms
(In Detail)	(Full size)

National motto:

Official language

Azeri

Capital

Baku

Capital's coordinates

40° 22' N, 49° 53' E

Area
- Total
- % water

Ranked 111th
86,600 km²
Negligible

Population

- Total (2003 E)

- Density

Ranked 89th

7'830'764
90/km²

Independence
&nbsp

(From Soviet Union)
30 August 1991

Currency

Manat (AZM)

Time zone

UTC +5 (DST +6)

National anthem

Internet TLD

.AZ

Calling Code

994

A nation in the Caucasus of Turkic Muslims, it has been an independent republic since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a cease-fire, in place since 1994, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost almost 20% of its territory and must support some 750,000 refugees as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous and the promise of wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources remains largely unfulfilled. Critics of the government of Azerbaijan consider it to be a Kleptocracy.

History

Main article: History of Azerbaijan

Historically, Azerbaijan included parts of what are now Iran, and the term is still used locally to describe those regions. Politically, this area is now divided into the Iranian provinces of West Azarbaijan (Azarbayjan-e Gharbi) and East Azerbaijan (Azarbayjan-e Sharqi).