Background:
Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population
- was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its
independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite
a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with
Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely
Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and
must support some 528,000 internally displaced persons as a result
of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the promise of
widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources
remains largely unfulfilled.
Geography Azerbaijan
Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and
Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range
Geographic coordinates:
40 30 N, 47 30 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 86,600 sq km
land: 86,100 sq km
water: 500 sq km
note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the
Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by
Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
total: 2,013 km
border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia
(with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran
(with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan
exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800
km est.)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)