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Azerbaijan
The
oil-rich Republic of Azerbaijan is located on the western
coast of the Caspian Sea between 30°-47° east longitude and
30°-40° north latitude. Azerbaijan borders Russia on the
north, Iran on the south, Armenia on the west, and Georgia
on the northwest. It also shares an 11 Km long border with
Turkey, in the geographically separated autonomous province
of Nakhichevan.
The
Azerbaijanis combine in themselves a Turkic strain dating
from the Oguz Seljuq migrations of the 11th century with
mixtures of older inhabitants, including Iranians and others
who had lived in Trans-Caucasia since ancient times. In
Nakhichevan, virtually all the inhabitants are Azerbaijanis,
whereas around three-fourths of the people in
Nagorno-Karabakh are Armenians. Russians make up the
largest minority in Azerbaijan (about 6 percent). As a
result of the Armenian aggression 20% of the territory of
Azerbaijan has been seized and more than one million
Azerbaijani people forcibly displaced from their homeland
and become refugees.
Republic of Azerbaijan became independent on 30 August
1991. The President is the Head of State and is elected by
direct election for a five year term. Last election was
held in 1998. The President appoints the Prime Minister
and the Council of Ministers. Mr. Heidar Aliev is the
current President. Azerbaijan has a unicameral legislature
(National Assembly) called Milli Mejlis. Out of the 125
members of Milli Mejlis, 100 are elected from single-member
constituencies and 25 by a party list. The legal system of
country is based on civil law system. The highest judicial
body is the Supreme Court.
Azerbaijan is the most industrially developed country than
the other Trans-Caucasian states. It resembles the Central
Asian states in its majority Muslim population, high
structural current unemployment, and comparatively low
standard of living. However, the emphasis on heavy industry
has considerably expanded two traditional
industries--petroleum and natural gas--but engineering,
light industry, and food production are also of growing
importance. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of
the ex-Soviet republics in making the transition from a
command to a market economy, but its considerable energy
resources brighten its long-term prospects. It has recently
embarked on significant progress on economic reform, but
some old economic ties and structures have yet to be
replaced.
Azerbaijan's agriculture developed considerably in the later
part of the 20th century. Almost half of the country's
total area is suitable for agriculture, and some two-fifths
of this is under cultivation. Azerbaijani fisheries are of
particular importance because of the sturgeon in the Caspian
Sea.
Exports: Total value:
6372.2 million US $ (2006)
Major Items:
oil and gas, oilfield equipment, machinery, mineral
products, base metals, chemicals, textile, cotton,
vegetables, foodstuffs, electrical equipment
Imports: Total value:
5267.6 million US $ (2006)
Major Items: machinery and equipment, food products,
beverages, spirits and vinegar, tobacco, base metal,
vegetables, musical instruments, electrical & medical
equipment, mineral products,
alive animals,
plastic, rubbers, chemicals and textiles.
At
the beginning of the 20th century, Azerbaijan was the
world's leading petroleum producer, and it was also the
birthplace of the oil-refining industry. In 1901, for
example, Azerbaijan produced 11.4 million tons of oil, more
than the United States, and accounted for more than half of
world production. As the 20th century progressed, however,
Azerbaijan's role in oil production decreased as the
industry developed in other regions of the U.S.S.R. and
elsewhere in the world.
Azerbaijan has other natural resources, including natural
gas, iodo-bromide waters, lead, zinc, iron, and copper
ores, nephtheline cyanides utilized in the production of
aluminum, common salt, and a great variety of building
materials, including marble and limestone.
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