Interesting Facts About Azerbaijan

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Azerbaijan is located in the Caucasus region of Eurasia.

Azerbaijan gets its name from Atropates, a Persian nobleman.
Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region.
Its geographic coordinates are 38 42N, 44 51E.
It covers an area of 33,436 square miles and has an estimated population of
9,165,000.
6. Azerbaijani Manat is the official currency of Azerbaijan
7. Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan.
8. Azerbaijani is the official language of Azerbaijan.
9. Azerbaijan is a secular state as stated in the constitution of the country.
10.It is predominantly a Muslim state. 85% of the population is Shia Muslim,
while 15% of the population is Sunni Muslim.
11.The country has the second highest Shia population in the world.
12.Literacy rate of Azerbaijan is 99.5%.
13.Azerbaijan is a presidential republic.
14.The government of the nation is divided into three branches: executive,
legislative, and judicial.
15.The National Day or the Republic Day of Azerbaijan is celebrated on May 28.
On this day in 1918
16.Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was founded on May 28, 1918.
17.The economy of Azerbaijan is an oil based economy.
18.40 percent of the country is covered by mountains.
19.All rivers in the country drain into the Caspian Sea.
20.There are 8,350 rivers in Azerbaijan.
21.Azerbaijan is the first country with a majority of Muslim residents to perform
operas and plays. They are also the first Muslim centric country to have
theaters.
22.Azerbaijan is a founding member of many organizations including but not
limited to the Commonwealth of Independent States and GUAM.
23.Due to the fact that Azerbaijan has such a unique climate (it includes 9 of the
11 climate zone classifications) there is a wide variety of biodiversity.
24.Natural gas and oil make up roughly two thirds of Azerbaijans economy.
25.Black tea is the official beverage of Azerbaijan.
26.Azerbaijan population growth rate: 1.017%
27.Azerbaijan highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m
28.Azerbaijan lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
29.About 21% of Azerbaijan's land is arable.
30.Kura River is the Longest River in Azerbaijan
31.Azerbaijan birth rate is 17 births/1,000 population
32.Azerbaijan infant mortality rate is 29 deaths/1,000 live births
33.Azerbaijan fertility rate is 1.92 children born/woman
34.Azerbaijan ethnic groups: Azeri - 90.6% ; Dagestani - 2.2% ; Russian - 1.8%
;Armenian - 1.5% ; other - 3.9%.
35.The official name of Azerbaijan is the Republic of Azerbaijan.
36.The official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani. The Azerbaijani language is
spoken by about 95% of the population. The Azerbaijani language is divided

into two varieties: North Azerbaijani and South Azerbaijani, and a large
number of dialects. Apart from Azerbaijani 13 other languages are spoken
natively in the country. English and Russian are major languages of education
and communication in Azerbaijan.
37.Majority of the population in Azerbaijan comprises of Azerbaijanis (90.6%).
Other ethnic groups constitute Dagestanis (2.2%), Russians (1.8%),
Armenians (1.5%), Taylish (1%), and Turks (0.6%).
38.The currency of Azerbaijan is Manat.
39.The capital of Azerbaijan is Baku.
40.Azerbaijan follows the system of Presidential Republic.
41.Azerbaijan is the largest and most populous country in the South Caucasus
region.
42.Azerbaijan became part of the USSR at the end of 1922. It declared
independence from the Soviet Union on August 30, 1991.
43.Nagorno-Karabakh, officially a part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, is under
Armenian occupation since the end of the Nagorno-Karabakh War (1994),
along with 7 other districts in Azerbaijan's southwest.
44.Azerbaijan is a co-founder of GUAM and the Organization for the Prohibition of
Chemical Weapons.
45.Azerbaijan has been a member of the Commonwealth of Independent States,
since September 1993.
46.Azerbaijan has a Permanent Mission to the European Union and also hosts a
Special Envoy of the European Commission.
47.Azerbaijan is a member of the United Nations, OSCE, Council of Europe, and
the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program.
48.Bazarduzu Dagi (4,485 m) is the highest point in Azerbaijan.
49.The Azykh cave of Azerbaijan is believed to be one of the earliest known
caves inhabited by man.
50.Gobustan Nature Park is adorned with thousands of rock paintings, giving a
glimpse into life of the areas early inhabitants.
51.Azerbaijan is believed to be the birthplace of the founder of Zoroastrianism.
52.Azerbaijan was initially a Christian country, which was converted to Islam in
the early eighth century.
53.Sheki, Nakhchivan and Ganja are amongst the oldest centers of trade in
Azerbaijan.
54.Baku used to serve as one of the important commercial centers on the Silk
Road, from Europe to China.
55.The first oil well world was drilled near Baku, somewhere around the end-19th
century.
56.In 1924 the USSR created the Autonomous Province of Nagorno-Karabakh,
mainly comprising of Armenian population, within Azerbaijan.
57.The thirteenth world chess champion - Garry Kasparov was born in Baku.
58.Soup, often made with meat and sheep fat, is considered to be a staple of
Azerbaijani cuisine.
59.The people of Azerbaijan love to drink tea.
60.On January 1st 2012, Azerbaijan was selected to be the non-permanent
member of the United Nations Security Council.
61.Three of the oldest centers of trade of Azerbaijan are Sheki, Nakhchivan, and
Ganja.

62.16% of Azerbaijans territory is under the Armenian forces in NagornoKarabakh.

63.The first known fireplace and construction in human history, which is dated
back from 700,000 to 500,000 years ago, was discovered in Azikh Cave, the
largest cave in Azerbaijan.
64.Azerbaijan is known as The Land of Fires, other than just being a cool name
this is due to the area being a key oil region.
65.The national animal of Azerbaijan is the Karabakh Horse. Heres a whole gang
of them.
66.A traditional music style in Azerbaijan is Ashugs, this is improvised an
accompanied by a stringed instrument called a Kobuz.
67.Novruz is the oldest national holiday in Azerbaijan.
68.During the II World war, 90 % of planes of the USSR refueled by the Baku oil.
69.Azerbaijan borders Russia , Iran , Georgia and Armenia with an eastern
coastline on the Caspian Sea.
70.Baku hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in 2012 after local band Ell/Nikki
won in 2011.
71.Northern Azerbaijan was known as Caucasian Albania in ancient times.
72.There are about 9.4 million people that live in Azerbaijan.
73.It became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991.
74.The capital and largest city is Baku with over 2 million people
75.The currency used is the Azerbaijani Manat, AZN.
76.There are many historical and ancient sites in Azerbaijan, including the Azykh
cave believed to be one of the earliest caves by man, and thousands of rock
paintings in the Gobustan Nature Park.
77.The highest point in Azerbaijan is Bazarduzu Dagi at 4,485 metres.
78.There are about 1.6 million people or tourists that visit Azerbaijan every year.
79.Like most cultures in the area, Azeris like warm and friendly greetings.
80.omen hug and kiss each other once on the left cheek. Azeri women do not
generally shake hands among themselves, although many will shake hands
with a foreigner.
81.The first co-ed school in Azerbaijan was founded by Hamida Javanshir in 1908
82.The Azykh cave of Azerbaijan is believed to be one of the earliest known
caves inhabited by man.
83.In terms of total area, Algeria is the 11th largest country in the world.
84.The Romans took control of Algeria in 200BC.
85.The French invaded Algeria in 1830. The invasion was extremely violent and
almost one third of the Algerian population were killed. Algeria did not
achieve independence from France until 1962.
86.Algeria has very hot days, even in winter. However, the nights can be very
cold.
87.There are many ergs (sand dunes) in Algeria.
88.All people over the age of 18 have the right to vote.
89.The president is the commander-in-chief of the military.
90.Fossils fuels are the major export of Algeria.
91.Algeria grows large amounts of olives, tobacco, wheat, barley, oats and citrus
fruits.
92.70% of the population live in the northern coastal regions of the country.
93.30% of the population is under the age of 15.

94.70% of lawyers and 60% of judges are women. 60% of university students are
women. In many families, women are contributing more to the household
income than men.
95.Arabic, spoken by 80% of the population, is the national language of Algeria.
96.Athletics, handball and football (soccer) are the most popular sports in
Algeria.