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Azerbaijan |
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| Background: |
Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population -
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 800,000 refugees and 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. |
| 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
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
water: 500 sq km
land: 86,100
sq km |
| 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) |
| Climate: |
dry, semiarid steppe |
| Terrain: |
large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below
sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi
(Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron
Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea |
| Elevation
extremes: |
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point:
Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m |
| Natural
resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina |
| Land
use: |
arable land: 19.31%
permanent crops: 3.04%
other: 77.65% (1998 est.) |
| Irrigated
land: |
14,550 sq km (1998 est.) |
| Natural
hazards: |
droughts |
| Environment
- current issues: |
local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula)
(including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically
most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water
pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT
as a pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of
cotton |
| Environment
- international agreements: |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements |
| Geography
- note: |
both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked
|
| Population: |
7,830,764 (July 2003 est.) |
| Age
structure: |
0-14 years: 27.7% (male 1,101,320; female 1,064,214)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 2,468,772; female 2,601,312)
65
years and over: 7.6% (male 236,683; female 358,463) (2003 est.)
|
| Median
age: |
total: 27.1 years
male: 25.7 years
female:
28.6 years (2002) |
| Population
growth rate: |
0.44% (2003 est.) |
| Birth
rate: |
19.28 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Death
rate: |
9.68 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Net
migration rate: |
-5.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Sex
ratio: |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female
total population:
0.95 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Infant
mortality rate: |
total: 82.41 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
80.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 84.4 deaths/1,000
live births |
| Life
expectancy at birth: |
total population: 63.16 years
male: 58.95 years
female: 67.58 years (2003 est.) |
| Total
fertility rate: |
2.34 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Azerbaijani(s)
adjective: Azerbaijani
|
| Ethnic
groups: |
Azeri 90%, Dagestani 3.2%, Russian 2.5%, Armenian 2%, other 2.3% (1998
est.)
note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist
Nagorno-Karabakh region |
| Religions: |
Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8%
(1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal
in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much
lower |
| Languages: |
Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.)
|
| Literacy: |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total
population: 97%
male: 99%
female: 96% (1989
est.)
|
| Economy
- overview: |
Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production declined
through 1997 but has registered an increase every year since. Negotiation
of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with foreign firms, which
have thus far committed $60 billion to long-term oilfield development,
should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development.
Oil production under the first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International
Operating Company, began in November 1997. Azerbaijan shares all the
formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the transition
from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources
brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making
progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are
slowly being replaced. One obstacle to economic progress is the need
for stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector. A second
obstacle is the continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh
region. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining
in importance while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of
Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location
of new pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its
oil wealth. |
| GDP: |
purchasing power parity - $27 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- real growth rate: |
6.1% (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- per capita: |
purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2002 est.) |
| GDP
- composition by sector: |
agriculture:
20%
industry: 33%
services: 47% (2001 est.)
|
| Population
below poverty line: |
49% (2002 est.) |
| Household
income or consumption by percentage share: |
lowest 10%:
2.8%
highest 10%: 27.8% (1995) |
| Distribution
of family income - Gini index: |
36 (1995) |
| Inflation
rate (consumer prices): |
2.6% (2002 est.) |
| Labor
force: |
3.7 million (2001) |
| Labor
force - by occupation: |
agriculture and forestry 41%, industry 7%, services 52% (2001) |
| Unemployment
rate: |
16% (official rate is 1.1% for 2002) (2001 est.) |
| Budget: |
revenues:
$786 million
expenditures: $807 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (2001) |
| Industries: |
petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel,
iron ore, cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles |
| Industrial
production growth rate: |
6% (2002 est.) |
| Agriculture
- products: |
cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle,
pigs, sheep, goats |
| Exports: |
$2 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
| Exports
- commodities: |
oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs |
| Exports
- partners: |
Italy 57.2%, Israel 7.1%, Georgia 4.5%, Russia 3.4%, Turkey 2.9% (2001)
|
| Imports: |
$1.8 billion f.o.b. (2002) |
| Imports
- commodities: |
machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals
|
| Imports
- partners: |
US 16.1%, Russia 10.7%, Turkey 10.4%, Kazakhstan 7.0%, Germany 5.1%
(2001) |
| Debt
- external: |
$1.4 billion (2002) |
| Economic
aid - recipient: |
ODA, $140 million (2000 est.) |
| Currency: |
Azerbaijani manat (AZM) |
| Currency
code: |
AZM |
| Exchange
rates: |
Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 4,860.82 (2002), 4,656.58 (2001),
4,474.15 (2000), 4,120.17 (1999), 3,869 (1998) |
| Fiscal
year: |
calendar year
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This page was last updated on 1 August, 2003
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