Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Country

Native name

Azərbaycan Respublikası

Capital

Baku

Largest city

Baku

Official languages

Azerbaijani

Demonym

Azerbaijani

Legislature

Milli Majlis

Currency

Manat(AZN)

Calling code

+994

Website

Official website

Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a country in the South Caucasus on the western shore of the Caspian Sea. It borders Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west and Iran to the south. The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, an exclave of Azerbaijan separated from the country's main territory by Armenia, also shares a short border with Turkey. Azerbaijan has a territory of about 86,600 square kilometres.

The capital and largest city is Baku, a major port and economic centre on the Caspian coast. The official language is Azerbaijani, an Oghuz Turkic language. The State Statistical Committee reported a population of 10,273,450 on 1 July 2026.

Azerbaijan's constitution defines the state as a democratic, law-governed, secular and unitary republic. Executive power is vested in the president, while legislative authority belongs to the 125-member Milli Majlis. Ilham Aliyev is the president and Ali Asadov is the prime minister.

The modern Azerbaijani state traces an important part of its political history to the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic, established in 1918. Its independence ended with the arrival of the Soviet Red Army in April 1920, after which Azerbaijan became part of the Soviet system. State independence was restored in 1991 as the Soviet Union dissolved.

Oil and natural gas have played a major role in Azerbaijan's economic development since the nineteenth century. The country remains an important energy producer and exporter, while government and international economic institutions have increasingly emphasized development outside the hydrocarbon sector.

Name

The name Azerbaijan has a history that predates the modern republic. Historically, the closely related name Azarbaijan was used for a region in northwestern Iran. Encyclopaedia Iranica records that the name was adopted for the newly proclaimed Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan in 1918, whose territory lay north of the Aras River.

The official Azerbaijani name of the country is Azərbaycan Respublikası, meaning the Republic of Azerbaijan.

Geography

Azerbaijan lies in the southeastern part of the Caucasus region and has a coastline along the western Caspian Sea. Its landscape includes the Greater Caucasus in the north, the Lesser Caucasus in the west and southwest, the Talysh Mountains in the southeast and the broad Kura–Aras lowland through the central part of the country.

The country's highest point is Bazardüzü, on the border with Russia, at 4,466 metres above sea level. The Kura is the principal river system, while the Aras forms or follows parts of Azerbaijan's southern and southwestern boundaries. Much of the Caspian coastal lowland lies below global sea level.

Azerbaijan's climate varies considerably because of differences in elevation, mountain barriers, proximity to the Caspian Sea and the movement of different air masses. Dry and semi-desert conditions occur in parts of the Kura–Aras lowland and the Absheron Peninsula, while more humid subtropical conditions occur around Lankaran and the Talysh region. Mountain areas have temperate, alpine and cold conditions at increasing elevations.

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic lies southwest of Azerbaijan's main territory. It is separated from the rest of the country by Armenian territory and borders Armenia, Iran and Turkey.

History

Ancient and medieval periods

Human settlement in the territory of modern Azerbaijan reaches far into prehistory, as demonstrated by archaeological sites and the rock engravings of Gobustan. In antiquity and the early medieval period, much of what is now Azerbaijan was associated with Caucasian Albania, while the name Arran became widely used for parts of the eastern South Caucasus during the Islamic period.

After the Arab conquests, the region became connected to successive Islamic states and local dynasties. The Shirvanshahs established one of the longest-lasting dynastic traditions in the eastern Caucasus. Their rule, in different forms and under changing larger powers, survived for centuries. Fifteenth-century Shirvan experienced a period of relative prosperity during which important buildings were constructed in Shamakhi and Baku.

From the eleventh century onward, migrations and political expansion by Oghuz Turkic groups contributed to the increasing Turkicization of the region. This process continued through the Seljuk and later periods, and Azerbaijani developed as an Oghuz Turkic language.

Beginning in the sixteenth century, much of the area came under Safavid rule. Shirvan was incorporated more directly into the Safavid state in 1538, although Ottoman and Safavid control shifted during later conflicts.

Russian rule and the oil era

By the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, several khanates existed in the region. Following wars between the Russian Empire and Qajar Iran, territories north of the Aras came under Russian control through the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813 and the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828.

Baku underwent major economic and demographic change as commercial oil production expanded in the nineteenth century. Industrial development of the Balakhani–Sabunchu–Ramana oil region accelerated in the 1870s, drawing local and international investment. The Nobel Brothers and other foreign and local businesses became major participants in the industry. According to Azerbaijan's Ministry of Energy, oil production reached about 11 million tonnes in 1901, representing more than half of world production at the time.

The expansion of the oil economy helped transform Baku into one of the major industrial cities of the Russian Empire and attracted workers, entrepreneurs and communities from across the Caucasus and beyond.

Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and Soviet period

Following the collapse of the Russian Empire, Azerbaijani political leaders proclaimed the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in May 1918. The republic established state institutions and pursued diplomatic recognition. Allied powers granted it de facto recognition in January 1920.

The republic lasted for less than two years. The Red Army entered Azerbaijan in April 1920, ending its independence. Azerbaijan subsequently became a Soviet republic and, after a period within the Transcaucasian federation, one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union.

Oil production remained strategically important during the Soviet period. Baku was one of the Soviet Union's major petroleum centres, particularly before and during the Second World War. Offshore development later expanded in the Caspian Sea, including at Neft Daşları, or Oil Rocks.

Restoration of independence

Political instability increased across the Soviet Union in the late 1980s, while tensions between Armenians and Azerbaijanis over Nagorno-Karabakh developed into armed conflict. Azerbaijan declared the restoration of its state independence on 30 August 1991, and the Constitutional Act on State Independence was adopted on 18 October 1991. A referendum held on 29 December 1991 confirmed independence.

The United States recognized Azerbaijan on 25 December 1991, and Azerbaijan joined the United Nations on 2 March 1992.

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

The modern Nagorno-Karabakh conflict escalated in 1988, during the final years of the Soviet Union, and developed into full-scale warfare after independence. By the 1994 ceasefire, Armenian forces and local Armenian forces controlled Nagorno-Karabakh and several surrounding Azerbaijani districts. The conflict created large-scale displacement among both Azerbaijanis and Armenians. A 1996 report by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees stated that more than one million people had been forced to flee during the conflict and associated population movements.

Large-scale fighting resumed in September 2020. A trilateral statement signed by Azerbaijan, Armenia and Russia took effect on 10 November 2020. It stopped the fighting at the parties' then-current positions, provided for the return of Aghdam, Kalbajar and Lachin districts to Azerbaijan, and deployed Russian peacekeepers along the contact line and the Lachin corridor.

Hostilities again escalated in September 2023. Following the fighting, Azerbaijan established control over the remaining parts of Nagorno-Karabakh. More than 100,000 people fled from Karabakh to Armenia in approximately one week, according to UNHCR.

Azerbaijan and Armenia continued negotiations on normalization after the conflict. On 8 August 2025, the foreign ministers of the two countries initialled the agreed text of an Agreement on the Establishment of Peace and Inter-State Relations during a meeting in Washington, D.C. The Azerbaijani and Armenian leaders also signed a joint political declaration. As of August 2026, official statements continued to describe the peace agreement as an initialled text while the two governments pursued further normalization, border, trade and connectivity measures.

Government and politics

Azerbaijan's constitution describes the country as a democratic, law-governed, secular and unitary republic and establishes a separation of legislative, executive and judicial powers. Executive power is vested in the president.

The president is elected by universal, direct and equal suffrage for a seven-year term. Ilham Aliyev, who first became president in 2003, won the early presidential election held on 7 February 2024. Official results gave him 92.12 percent of the vote.

The prime minister is appointed by the president with the consent of the Milli Majlis under the constitutional process. Ali Asadov was reappointed prime minister on 16 February 2024.

The Milli Majlis is Azerbaijan's unicameral parliament and has 125 members. Parliamentary convocations normally serve five-year terms. The seventh convocation was formed following the election of 1 September 2024, with representatives of 11 political parties; the New Azerbaijan Party holds the majority of parliamentary seats.

International assessments of Azerbaijan's electoral environment differ from official descriptions. The OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights, in its final reports on the 2024 presidential and parliamentary elections, said the votes were held in a restrictive political environment with limited political alternatives and identified concerns about compliance with international electoral standards.

Administrative divisions

Azerbaijan is divided into districts, cities and other local administrative units. The State Statistical Committee's 2025 yearbook listed one autonomous republic, 64 districts and 79 cities.

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic has its own autonomous governmental institutions within the constitutional system of Azerbaijan. Its legislature is the Ali Majlis.

Baku has a special role as the national capital and is by far the country's largest urban centre.

Foreign relations

Azerbaijan became a member of the United Nations on 2 March 1992. It also participates in the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and became the 43rd member state of the Council of Europe on 25 January 2001.

Foreign policy has been influenced by Azerbaijan's geographic position between Russia, Iran, Turkey, the Caspian region and the wider European and Asian markets. Energy exports and transport corridors have also become important parts of its external economic relationships.

Relations with Armenia have been heavily shaped by the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Since the end of the major military phase of the conflict, the two governments have pursued negotiations over interstate relations, border delimitation, transport connections and trade. The draft peace agreement was initialled in August 2025, and normalization discussions continued in 2026.

Baku hosted the COP29 United Nations climate conference from 11 to 22 November 2024.

Economy

Azerbaijan has an energy-based economy with substantial oil and natural-gas production. The development of the Caspian petroleum industry has shaped the country's economy for more than a century, while modern offshore fields and pipeline networks connect Azerbaijan with Georgia, Turkey and European markets.

The Azeri–Chirag–Gunashli oil complex and the Shah Deniz natural-gas field are among the major offshore energy projects. The Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline carries crude oil toward the Mediterranean, while the Southern Gas Corridor links Azerbaijani gas production with markets in Turkey and Europe.

According to the World Bank, Azerbaijan's gross domestic product was approximately US$75.94 billion in 2025, with GDP per capita of about US$7,411. Real GDP growth for that year was reported at 1.4 percent.

The International Monetary Fund expected economic growth of roughly 2.1 percent in 2026, with non-oil activity growing faster than the hydrocarbon sector. The IMF has identified diversification as an important long-term issue because of declining oil production and the economy's exposure to hydrocarbon conditions.

Agriculture remains significant in many rural areas, while construction, transport, tourism, telecommunications, finance, manufacturing and other services contribute to the non-oil economy. The national currency is the Azerbaijani manat, abbreviated AZN.

Demographics

Azerbaijan's population reached 10,273,450 on 1 July 2026, according to the State Statistical Committee. The population is concentrated particularly around Baku and the Absheron Peninsula, as well as in other urban and agricultural regions.

According to Azerbaijan's 2019 population census, ethnic Azerbaijanis accounted for 94.8 percent of the population. The census also recorded Lezgins, Talysh, Russians, Avars and a number of other ethnic communities.

Languages

Azerbaijani is the official language. It belongs to the Oghuz branch of the Turkic language family and is closely related to Turkish and other Oghuz languages. The constitution also guarantees the free use and development of other languages spoken by the population.

Russian continues to be used by part of the population, particularly in Baku and some urban settings. Minority communities also maintain languages including Lezgin, Talysh, Avar and others.

Religion

Azerbaijan is constitutionally secular, and religion is formally separated from the state. Islam is the country's largest religion. Azerbaijani government data cited in the U.S. Department of State's 2023 International Religious Freedom report estimated that 96 percent of the population was Muslim, with both Shia and Sunni communities represented. The remainder included Russian Orthodox and other Christian groups, Jewish communities, Baha'is, other religions and people reporting no religious affiliation.

Education and health

Education in Azerbaijan includes primary, general secondary, vocational and higher education. The constitution establishes a secular character for the state education system and provides citizens with a right to education.

Azerbaijan has a high level of adult literacy. Its higher-education system includes institutions in Baku and other major cities, with Baku State University among the country's oldest major universities.

Health indicators improved substantially over the long term, although outcomes vary by region and socioeconomic conditions. World Bank data placed life expectancy at birth at about 75 years in 2024.

Culture

Azerbaijani culture developed through interaction among Turkic, Caucasian, Iranian, Islamic, Russian and other regional traditions. Azerbaijani is the main language of literature, media and public life, while the country's artistic traditions include music, poetry, carpet weaving, metalwork, ceramics and architectural decoration.

Mugham is one of Azerbaijan's best-known traditional musical forms and is based partly on structured improvisation. UNESCO has included Azerbaijani Mugham on its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

Carpet weaving also has a long-established place in Azerbaijani material culture. Different regions developed recognizable patterns, weaving methods and colour traditions. UNESCO inscribed the traditional art of Azerbaijani carpet weaving on its intangible heritage list in 2010.

Azerbaijani cuisine includes breads, rice dishes, soups, kebabs, stuffed vegetables, herbs, dairy products and regional sweets. Tea has an important place in hospitality and social life.

World Heritage

As of 2026, Azerbaijan had five properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are the Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower, the Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape, the Historic Centre of Sheki with the Khan's Palace, the transnational Hyrcanian Forests property and the Cultural Landscape of Khinalig People and the “Köç Yolu” Transhumance Route.

See also

• Baku
• South Caucasus
• Caspian Sea
• Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic
• Azerbaijani language

External links

• Official Azerbaijan state portal
• Official website of the President of Azerbaijan
• State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan
• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan