A country’s formal title is the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası). Azerbaijan occurs as lay state, & has been the member of the Council of Europe since 2001. The majority of the people come Shia Muslim and of Western Turkic descent, known as Azerbaijanis, or just Azeris. A united states is formally an emerging democracy, however using hard authoritarian rule.

Etymology

There are many hypotheses on a origins of the title "Azerbaijan." A usual theory is that these are from either "Atropatan." Atropat was the satrap at the time of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty, and gained independence fallowing Alexander the Great destroyed the Achaemenids. A vicinity was referred to as Media Atropatia or Atropatene at the time.

There are as well guide opinions that a term occurs as cold-shoulder Turkification of Azarbaijan, successively an Arabicized version of the original Persian title Azarpayagan, processed higher of azar+payag+an (azar=fire; payag=base; an=postfix of location); that it traditionally means "the land of eternal flames" or even "the land of fire." Occasionally Azeri historiographer besides contend that a title is mass produced higher of quaternary Azerbaijani components: az+er+bay+can, which means "the land of the brave Az people" or even "an elevated place for the wealthy and exalted."

Historically, a territory of the present-contemporary Azerbaijan Republic has been known as Arran, named fallowing Arran, the legendary founder of Caucasian Albania. Notwithstanding, a accurate location identified by this title has shifted somewhat on top instance, presently on to a lowland Karabakh plains placed between the Kura and Araks rivers.

A few opponents of the title Azerbaijan assert that these are anachronous to let it run around a historical context prior to 1918, because, it say, the term was number one introduced per national clerisy around early 20th century and later was endorsed per Bolsheviks, using intention of claiming a northern province of Persia. To substantiate this claim it state that till early 20th century the population of present-contemporary Azerbaijan experienced there are no clear ethnic identification & referred to themselves primarily when "Muslims."

History
Independent article: History of Azerbaijan

Historically Azerbaijan has been occupied by the kind of peoples, including Armenians, Persians, Romans, Arabs, Turks, Mongols, Greek Empire, British and Russians.

A diamond state to emerge in the territory of present-contemporary Republic of Azerbaijan was Mannae in the 9th century BC, lasting until 616 BC when it was overthrown per Medes. A satrapies of Atropatene & Caucasian Albania were established in the 4th century BC & included a approximate territories of present-contemporary Azerbaijan and southern area of Dagestan.

Islam spread in Azerbaijan charted a Arab conquests in the 7th–8th centuries. In the 11th century, the Seljuk Turks became a dominant click inside Azerbaijan & placed the ethnic foundation of contemporary Azerbaijanis. In the 13–14th centuries, the united states had Mongol-Tatar invasions.

Azerbaijan was section of the Safavid state in 15th–18th centuries. It as well underwent the brief period of feudalistic fragmentation in the mid-18th to early Nineteenth centuries, & consisted of independent khanates. Charted them wars between a Qajar dynasty of Persia and the Russian Empire, Azerbaijan was acquired by Russia through the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813, and a Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828.

Fallowing a collapse of the Russian Empire when you took World War I, Azerbaijan declared independence and established a Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. This number one Muslim republic in the globe lasted merely ii years, from either 1918 to 1920, before a Soviet Red Army invaded Azerbaijan. Subsequently, Azerbaijan became a portion of the Soviet Union.

Azerbaijan re-established its independence upon a collapse of the Soviet Union within 1991. Despite the cease-fire in place since 1994, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict using Armenia over the preponderantly ethnic Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan has misplaced 16% of its territory including Karabakh, & must trend lines a bit of 800,000 refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict.

Politics
Independent article: Politics of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan occurs as presidential republic. A head of state and head of government are separate from a united states's law-legislating person. A population elect a president for a 5-season term of professional. A president appoints altogether cabinet-level government administrators. a fifty-member national assembly makes the united states's laws. A humans of Azerbaijan elect a National Assembly. Azerbaijan has universal suffrage above the age of 18.

Fallowing a presidential elections of October 15, 2003, an official release of the Central Election Committee (CEC) gave Isa Gambar -Leader of the Largest Opposition Bloc, Bizim Azerbaycan ("Our Azerbaijan")- 14% percentage of a electorate, & the 2nd place within election. Nonetheless, a OSCE, the Council of Europe, Human Rights Watch & other international organizations, besides when local independent political and NGOs voiced concern about ascertained vote rigging & the super blemished counting run.

Many independent (each local & international) organizations that got been researching & monitoring a election directly or even indirectly declared Isa Gambar winner in the 15 October election.

Human Rights Watch commented on these elections: "Human Rights Watch research found that the government has heavily intervened in the campaigning process in favor of Prime Minister Ilham Aliev, son of current President Heidar Aliev. The government has stacked the Central Election Commission and local election commission with its supporters, and banned local non-governmental organizations from monitoring the vote. As the elections draw nearer, government officials have openly sided with the campaign of Ilham Aliev, constantly obstructing opposition rallies and attempting to limit public participation in opposition events. In some cases, local officials have closed all the roads into town during opposition rallies, or have extended working and school hours - on one occasion, even declaring a Sunday work day - to prevent participation in opposition rallies." (source: [http://www.hrw.org/backgrounder/eca/azerbaijan/index.htm HTML format])

OSCE's final report (source: [http://www.osce.org/documents/html/pdftohtml/1151_en.pdf.html HTML format] or [http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2003/11/1151_en.pdf PDF format])

Subdivisions
Independent article: Subdivisions of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is divided into: 59 raions (rayonlar; rayon – singular), 11 cities (şəhərlər; şəhər – singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika);

Geography
Independent article: Geography of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has an arid climate, except in the southeast near Gilan. Temperatures diverge by year. In the south-east lowland, temperatures average 6°C (43°F) in the wintertime & 26°C (80°F) in the summertime — though every day maxima usually email 32°C (89°F). In the northern & american mountain ranges, temperatures average 12°C (55°F) in the summertime & –9°C (20°F) in the wintertime.

Annual rain on top virtually all of the united states varies from either 200 to 400 millimeter (8 to 16 inches) & is usually moo in the northeast. In a far southeast, nevertheless, the climate is tremendously dampish & annual rain may be when high when 1300 millimetre (51 inches). For virtually all of a united states, a wettest periods come inside spring & fall, by owning summers existence the driest.

Economy
Independent article: Economy of Azerbaijan

A economy is largely according to industry. Industries include machine manufacture, petroleum and other mining, petroleum refining, textile production, and chemical processing. Agriculture accounts for one-third of Azerbaijan’s economy. Virtually all of the nation’s farms come irrigated. In the lowlands, farmers develop such crops when cotton, fruit, grain, tea, tobacco, and numerous types of vegetables. Silkworms are raised for the production of natural silk for the clothing industry. Azerbaijan’s herders raise cattle, sheep and goats near a chain. Seafood and fish are caught in the nearby Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan has the extremely dynamic economy, principally because of oil, & has the GDP rate of growth of as much as 11% a year.

Demographics
Independent article: Demographics of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has people of about 7,911,974 (July 2005 est), 90.6% of whom come ethnic Azerbaijani, (also known as Azeris; 1999 census figures). Azeris besides form just about 24% of the people of Iran, predominating in the northern regions of the country. Virtually all of Armenia's Azeri minority use at times left since independence & a Nagorno-Karabakh war. A 2nd big ethnic class action come Russians, who nowadays form about Single.8% of the people Russians, virtually all getting emigrated since independence. A Talysh, an Iranian people, predominant in a southern-southmost regions of a united states in the Talysh mountains & through the border into Iran. A few humans argue that a total of Talysh is more than officially recorded, when numbers of of the children come counted when Azerbaijanis. Many 'Dagestani' peoples survive around a border using Dagestan. A independent peoples come a Lezgis, Avar and the Tsakhur. Little groups include a Budukh, Udi, Kryts and Khinalug/Ketsh around a village of Xinaliq. About a town of Quba in a north survive the Tats, also referred to as a Mountain Jews, who come besides to become noticed around Dagestan. Numbers of Tats stand emigrated to Israel in recent years, though this trend has slowed and potentially reversed extra recently. A country’s big Armenian people mostly fled to Armenia and to other countries by using a beginning of the Armenian-Azeri conflict across Nagorno-Karabakh. In the cycle of the equivalent period, Azerbaijan likewise received a big inflow of Azerbaijanis fleeing Armenia & late Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent provinces occupied by the Armenians. About entirely of Azerbaijan's Amrenians at present sleep in Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan besides contains many little groups, like Kurds, Georgians, Tatars and Ukrainaians.

Virtually all Azerbaijanis, or even Azeris, come Shia Muslim. More religions or philosophical beliefs that come followed by several in a united states are the Sunni and Sufi sects of Islam, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Russian Orthodox Church, and various laic beliefs (numbers of of which are then leftover from either a Soviet era of less tolerance for spirituality). A Tat humans about Quba follow Judaism.

Culture
Independent article: Culture of Azerbaijan

A official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani, a member of the Oguz subdivision of the Turkic language family, & is spoken by all about 95% of the republic’s people, besides when about the third of the people of Iran. Its nighest relatives come Turkish and Turkmen. Following of the language policy of the Soviet Union, Russian is also unremarkably spoken as a 2nd language among a urbane. Music of Azerbaijan Islam in Azerbaijan Azerbaijani literature

Miscellaneous topics
Communications in Azerbaijan Transportation in Azerbaijan Military of Azerbaijan Foreign relations of Azerbaijan Public holidays in Azerbaijan List of Azerbaijanis Nagorno-Karabakh