Azerbaijan
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This article is about the country in Eurasia. For other uses, see Azerbaijan (disambiguation).

Republic of Azerbaijan
Azərbaycan Respublikası

Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: Azərbaycan Marşı
(English: March of Azerbaijan)

Location of Azerbaijan (green)
on the European continent (dark grey) — [Legend]
Capital
(and largest city) Baku
40°22′N 49°53′E
Official languages Azerbaijani
Demonym Azerbaijani
Government Presidential republic
- President Ilham Aliyev
- Prime Minister Artur Rasizade
Formation and independence
- Azerbaijan Democratic Republic established
May 28, 1918
- Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
April 28, 1920
- Independence
from the Soviet Union
Declared
Completed


August 30, 1990
October 18, 1991
Area
- Total 86,600 km2 (113th)
33,436 sq mi
- Water (%) 1.6%
Population
- 2009 estimate 8,832,000[1] (91st)
- 1999 census 7,953,438[2]
- Density 102/km2 (104th)
264.1/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2008 estimate
- Total $74.856 billion[3] (71st)
- Per capita $8,634[3] (70th)
GDP (nominal) 2008 estimate
- Total $46.378 billion[3] (72nd)
- Per capita $5,349[3] (74th)
Gini (2006) 36.5 (58th)
HDI (2007) ▲ 0.787 (medium) (86th)
Currency Manat (AZN)
Time zone (UTC+4)
- Summer (DST) (UTC+5)
Drives on the right
Internet TLD .az
Calling code 994
Azerbaijan (pronounced /ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒɑːn/ ( listen); Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan), formally the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası), is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia,[4] it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south. The exclave of Nakhichevan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, while having a short borderline with Turkey to the northwest. The Nagorno-Karabakh region in the southwest of Azerbaijan proper declared itself independent from Azerbaijan in 1991, but it is not recognized by any nation and considered a legal part of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan, a nation with a majority Turkic[5][6] and Shi‘ite Muslim[7] population, is a secular and unitary republic with an ancient and historic cultural heritage. Azerbaijan was the first successful attempt to establish a democratic and secular republic in the Muslim world.[8][9] Azerbaijan is one of the founder members of GUAM and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, and joined the Commonwealth of Independent States in September 1993.[10] A Special Envoy of the European Commission is present in the country, which is also a member of the United Nations, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program.