Azerbaijan is a country in Asia, known for ancient fire temples and Caucasus Mountains. It has a population of 10.4 million, making it the 94th largest country in the world. Its capital is Baku. Azerbaijan has a oil-based economy with growing non-oil sectors.
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Azerbaijan is a transcontinental country located between Western Asia and Eastern Europe. Azerbaijan is bordered by Russia, Georgia, Iran, Armenia and the Caspian Sea.
At the 2009 census, the ethnic composition of Azerbaijan was more than 91% Azerbaijanis, 2% Lezgians, 1.3% Armenians (with nearly all living in the breakaway region of Nagorno-Karabakh), 1.3% Russian, 1.2% Talysh, 0.5% Avars, 0.4% Turks, 0.3% Tatars, 0.3% Tats and 0.25% Ukrainians.
About 95% of the population is Muslim. 85% of Muslims in Azerbaijan are Shia Muslims while 15% are Sunni Muslims. Azerbaijan has the second highest Shia population percentage behind Iran. Azerbaijan is a secular state that provides religious freedom. A Gallup poll conducted seven years ago found that just 21% of Azerbaijanis consider religion an important aspect of their lives, which makes it one of the least religious countries on earth.
Azerbaijan has been undergoing significant restructuring of their government since the 2018 election of President Ilham Aliyev for a fourth term amidst rumors of electoral fraud. A new prime minister has been nominated and several key political figures have been replaced with the hopes of education, tax, and economic reform. The oil industry dominates the economy and has been expanding since these changes have been implemented, but this is likely to be temporary. Other major sectors of Azerbaijan’s economy include agriculture, manufacturing and financial, business, telecommunications, and tourism services.
Azerbaijan declared its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, before the dissolution of the USSR. A huge oil boom in the country led to international investment, and by the start of the 20th century, the country was supplying half of the world’s oil. During the collapse of the Soviet Union, the large Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh attempted to secede from Azerbaijan, leading to war and the Armenians taking control of the region. A ceasefire was signed in 1994, with nearly 1/7 of the country’s territory still occupied and 800,000 refugees scattered. During the 1990s, many Armenians and Russians left the region. In 1970, there were about 484,000 Armenians and 510,000 Russians in Azerbaijan.
