Fascinating Azerbaijan Facts Revealed: A Country Bounded By Caspian Sea

Azerbaijan, known officially as the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a country in eastern Transcaucasia.

It is located in the southern Caucasus Mountains, bordering Russia to the north, the Caspian Sea to the east, Armenia to the west, Georgia to the northwest, and Iran to the south. This country is known for being the birthplace of crude oil, spectacular mountain ranges, mud volcanoes, and having the biggest national flag.

We are going to look into more facts about Azerbaijan ahead. Most of the country's wealth comes from its natural resources, such as oil and other energy exports. Considerably an upper-middle-income nation, the country has a GDP of $15,000 and benefits from high economic development and high literacy.

With an area of 33,436 sq mi (86,600 sq km), this country is home to more than 10 million people. You will find more Azerbaijanis in Iran than in Azerbaijan itself. This is because Azerbaijan was part of Iran before it got separated from it. These people are called 'Azeri'.

Wars during the Soviet Union's dominance in this area contributed to the separation, as it was only when it collapsed that they got to be independent of Soviet rule. Today, Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan and Azerbaijanian is its official language.

After reading the fun facts about Azerbaijan and its resources of crude oil and natural gas, also check out the Alabama state symbol and Cuba government facts.

History And Culture Of Azerbaijan

The flag of Azerbaijan contains a red flame in its center, which is also their emblem, so Azerbaijan is known as the land of fire. But it has that name because of the eternal flames that are spread across the country.

While Greek mythology says that Prometheus went to the Caucasus mountains after stealing fire from the Gods, a more scientific explanation would be the huge reserves of oil and gas in Azerbaijan.

Over the centuries, the land of fire has been a victim of political instability, its peace being disturbed by several different nations of the world that were different in culture and religion. Some countries that have attacked Azerbaijan include Russia, Turkey, Armenia, and even the Christian Kingdom of Caucasian Albania.

The Arabs arrived in the country in the 7th century, when the expansion of Islam was taking place in the Middle East. That invasion lasted well into the 8th and 9th centuries, and it was a crucial moment in the establishment of Islam in that country during that time.

Invasion by the Turks also played a huge role in the language and customs of Azerbaijan. Today, you will even find traces of literature and architecture around there that go back to the 13th century, and it is now considered a crucial part of their national heritage.

The Shirvan Shah dynasty built a palace in Baku (now the capital city) which marked Azeri history from the mid-9th to the 16th century. Yet in the 18th century, Azerbaijan did not have control over its country or destiny and was constantly invaded by neighboring countries in eastern Europe and Central Asia.

During the 19th century, countries such as Iran, the Ottoman Empire, and Russia started to take an interest in the Azerbaijan region.

Consequently, Russia ended up invading the country. To end the conflict with Iran, a treaty was agreed upon in 1828, which divided the country into two parts between Iran and Russia. The discovery of rich oil fields in Baku was the cause of this. It not only attracted Russians, but also Armenians, and some foreigners from the west.

Most of the oil companies belonged to Armenians, and many Azeri rural inhabitants who had come there to work ended up joining the socialist movement led by the Armenians. This did not mark the end of conflicts between the two groups.

There were many conflicts between the Armenian and Azeri workers since the Azeris were less skilled than the Armenians, and, as a consequence, they were also underpaid. This led to many workers' strikes, which called for international solidarity. Though the movement had both Azeri and Armenian workers, conflicts happened between the two groups during the years 1905–1918 in Azerbaijan.

When the collapsing Russian empire could no longer bear any power, the revolutionary atmosphere gave hope to the development of national movements. So, the Azerbaijan Republic gained its independence on May 28, 1918.

But the Red Army again invaded Baku and remained in power until November 1991, when the land of fire again became independent and established its first constitution in 1995.

The culture of Azerbaijan draws influences from different aspects of various cultures, such as European, Islamic, Russian, Iranian cultures, and many other such cultures. The people here are known to be well-mannered and more reserved.

One of the most famous sites in Azerbaijan is the Burning Mountain, which is a natural fire burning on a hillside along the Caspian Sea. Bazardyuzyu is the highest peak at 14,652 ft (4,465.93 m) along the western shore.

Capital Of Azerbaijan And Its Significance

Baku, also known as Azerbaijani Baku, is the largest city and also the capital of Azerbaijan. The current prime minister is Ali Asadov. The strait, shielded by the islands of the Baku Archipelago, provides the best harbor in the Caspian, while the Abşeron Peninsula gives security from fierce northerly breezes. People follow the Islamic faith.

The name Baku is potentially derived from the Persian word Kube, meaning 'passed up mountain winds'. Baku gets its significance from its oil industry and its regulatory capacities.

The cornerstone of Baku's economy is its oil reserves. Baku has been known for its oil reserves since ancient times.

By the 15th century, oil for lights was obtained from surface wells. The present-day business activities leading to the exploitation of oil resources started in 1872. At the start of the 20th century, the Baku oil field in Azerbaijan was the biggest on the planet.

By the late 20th century, a significant part of the effectively extractable resources had been depleted; the boring oil wells had to reach far underground and outward across the Abşeron Peninsula and into the seabed.

After Azerbaijan became free, organizations from around the world contracted to investigate other possible worthwhile locations and develop them, and so, new oil extraction facilities were set up.

Numerous derricks remain in the inlet confronting Azerbaijan. The greater part of the subordinate municipalities are penetrating focuses of oil companies, connected by an organization of pipelines to the neighborhood treatment facilities and handling plants.

Baku oil is channeled to Batumi on the Black Sea or sent by a big hauler across the Caspian and up the Volga River.

Other than oil handling, Baku is a huge community for the development of tools needed for the oil business. Other industries sustaining Baku are metalworking, shipbuilding and fixing parts of ships, the assembling of electrical apparatus, the development of synthetic compounds and development materials, and food handling, which additionally add to the economy.

Nakhichevan is a self-declared autonomous region in the region that is under the aegis of Azerbaijan.

Is Azerbaijan in Asia or Europe?

The mainlands of Asia and Europe lie near one another with no authoritative limits, and this has prompted a few nations to be cross-continental. The two mainlands have been, on occasion, considered one and named Eurasia.

Eurasia involves roughly 36.2% of the Earth's surface region, which is 21.24 million sq mi (55 million sq km) and a populace of around 5 billion.

The nation lies between the two mainlands of Asia and Europe. Azerbaijan's complete region size is 33,204.79 sq mi (86,600 sq km), with around 2,687.27 sq mi (6,959 sq km) lying in Europe.

Hence, a much larger proportion of Azerbaijani land is on the Asian mainland. The landscape of the nation is profoundly rocky as it lies in the Caucasus ranges.

The country's population was assessed at 9.76 million in 2016. The nation has 78 urban communities, with Baku being the biggest city and the capital. Azerbaijan is one of the six autonomous Turkic-speaking nations.

The official language of the nation is Azerbaijani, with Russian and Armenian additionally spoken by a more modest percentage of the population. The nation experiences nine out of the 11 existing types of environments.

Despite a small part of the nation lying in Europe, Azerbaijan has solid links with Europe and has joined a few European associations as well. Azerbaijan didn't have good relations with Europe during its time as a member of the Soviet Union.

The nation acquired autonomy from the Soviet Union in August 1991 and then embarked on forging its own alliances in Europe.

In 1992, Azerbaijan joined the United Nations and was associated with different nations, generally Europe. The EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Co-operation Agreement were endorsed in 1996, formalizing the connection between the nation and the European Union.

The nation is a functioning member of the Council of Europe, which it joined on January 25, 2001. In 2004, the nation joined the European Neighborhood Policy, which aims to unite the nations in the East and South of the European Union region in Europe.

The nations in the organization could be permitted to join the European Union later on. The European National Policy plans to include Azerbaijan in the plan. This is to be achieved by investing in the country's economy as well as partnering with Azerbaijan for oil extraction from Azerbaijan's regions of the Caspian Sea.

On September 1, 2014, the EU and Azerbaijan agreed to an arrangement making it simple for Azerbaijan residents to head out to the states that are part of the European Union.

Language And Clothes Of Azerbaijan

The national garments of Azerbaijan offer an insight into the way of life of individuals who lived through several difficult periods that marked the country's history. As clothes are a significant marker of a country's culture, it is important to look at the traditional clothes of the Azerbaijani people.

Clothes, especially, mirror the country's peculiarities and ethnic attributes of human beings. Clothes play a fantastic role in answering questions concerning the subject of ethnology; they assist in settling the issues of cultural-ancient members of the society and their mutual effect on the people.

The records of people's creation, ethnographic and inventive features find their resonance in the garments. This peculiarity is found in garments of various styles and their decorations, needlework, and weaving.

During archaeological digs within the territory of Azerbaijan, archaeologists discovered a bronze needle and an ax that mentioned the start of the bronze age (third millennium B.C). Those findings show that the historic Azerbaijanis could sew for themselves.

The result of archaeological excavations in Baku town close to the Shirvanshakh palace mausoleum (15th century) palace was that precious watered silk and skill garments were discovered. High quantities of raw materials available to make cloth within the territory of Azerbaijan created an appropriate situation for the manufacturing of silk and woolen cloth.

The most widely spoken language in Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani. The language is spoken by 92.5% of the population of the country. Most of the people in Azerbaijan are multilingual, meaning that along with Azerbaijani, they can also speak one or more local languages, such as Tat, Avar, Russian, Talysh, Armenian, or some others.

Being a member of the Turkic family, Azerbaijani is closely associated with the Turkish language. Azerbaijani also serves as the official language of the government. Outside Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani is spoken in South Russia and Northern Iran, but there are some evident influences of local cultures and customs on the language, giving it a distinct character.

As a matter of fact, the total number of Azerbaijani speakers in Iran is greater than that in Azerbaijan. The language has been discouraged in Iran for decades. In Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani serves as the number one language of training and is used broadly in administration, media channels, and in the day-to-day lifestyles of the residents of the country.

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