Wikijunior Europe: Azerbaijan

A reviewed version of this page, approved on 6 March 2018, was based off this revision.

Azerbaijan is a medium-sized country in the South Caucasus region of Europe. Until 1991, Azerbaijan was a part of the Soviet Union (USSR). The capital city is Baku and the country shares borders with Russia, Georgia, Armenia, Iran and Turkey. The country is a member of the Council of Europe, but it is not a member of the European Union. Azerbaijan uses the Azerbaijani Manat as its currency.

Azerbaijan's History

The area of present-day Azerbaijan was settled beginning in about the 8th century BC by the Medes, an ancient Aryan tribe. It became part of the Persian Empire in the 6th century BC. Between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD, the Romans conquered the area of present-day Azerbaijan. Christianity began to spread there in the 3rd century. In 1920 the Azerbaijani were taken over by the Soviet Union or the USSR. In 1991 Azerbaijan became independent from the Soviet Union. After becoming independent, Azerbaijan and Armenia fought as war called the Nagorno-Karabakh War which killed more than 30,000 people on both sides. Since the 1990s Azerbaijan has become more prosperous, mostly because of large amounts of oil.

Soviet Union — The Soviet Union was a communist country which included 15 modern-day countries including Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Ukraine and many others

Azerbaijan's Geography

Azerbaijan covers an area of about 86,600 km² (about 33,400 sq mi). Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea to the east, Georgia and Russia to the north, Iran to the south, and Armenia to the south-west and west. The capital of Azerbaijan is the ancient city of Baku, which has the largest and best harbour on the Caspian Sea.

Azerbaijan is located in both Europe and Asia. The highest mountain in the country is Bazardüzü which is 4466 metres above sea level. Another interesting feature of Azerbaijan are the mud volcanoes - half of all mud volcanoes in the world are situated in Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's People

The population of Azerbaijan is just under 10 million. Azerbaijani, Russian, Lezgin,and Talysh are the languages that are spoken by the people who live in the country. The national language is Azerbaijani or Azeri and almost 93 percent of the population speak it. Azerbaijani language is very similar to Turkish language.

People from Azerbaijan are called Azerbaijani or Azeris; Talyshs and Lezgins the largest minority groups in Azerbaijan, followed by Armenians if the break-away Nagorno Karabakh region considered. The majority of people in the country are considered Muslim but there are also small numbers of Russian Orthodox Christians. However, Azerbaijan is one of the most secular countries in Europe.

Education is required for the first eight years, but some children continue their education.

Azerbaijan's Sights

Azerbaijan has two UNESCO World Heritage Sites: The Walled City of Baku (and Shirvanshahs' Palace and the Maiden Tower) all in the capital, Baku and Gobustan Rock Art - a site full of ancient art from 4,000 to 40,000 years ago.

Tourism was extremely popular during the 1980s but because of wars in the 1990s tourists went elsewhere. Tourism has only recently become important again in Azerbaijan. Religious, spa and health care tourism is becoming more and more popular every year. Castles, national parks, two Heritage Sites, skiing in the winter and swimming in the summer are activities that tourists can do while visiting Azerbaijan.