GEOGRAPHY
Azerbaijan lies west of the Caspian Sea, covering 33,774 square miles. It has
a population of approximately 7.8 million. This state, a little larger than Maine,
separates Russia in the north, from Iran in the south. Azerbaijan is also bordered
by Georgia to the northwest, and by Armenia to the west. The eastern part of
the country, which lies alongside the Caspian Sea, is semitropical, while an
arid coastal plain stretches to the north. Both the greater and lesser Caucasus
mountain ranges extend into the northern and western reaches of Azerbaijan. The
climate features hot summers and mild winters.
Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan,
has a population of 2.5 million and was the fifth-largest city of the former
Soviet Union. This picturesque capital stands on a peninsula that juts into
the Caspian Sea. Other major cities in Azerbaijan are Ganja, with 400,000 inhabitants,
and Sumgayit, home to 235,000. Approximately 400,000 Azeribaijanis live in
the United States, and 15 million live in Iran.
The oil industry—one of
the oldest in the world—plays an increasingly important role in Azerbaijan’s
economy. The republic holds claim to huge oil reserves in the Caspian Sea,
and it provides oil, gasoline, kerosene, and other petroleum products to much
of the former Soviet Union. With approximately three million acres under cultivation,
however, its economy also has an agricultural base. Many people live in the
Kura River valley, a region that produces cotton, wheat, rice, fruit, tobacco,
and mulberry trees, which provide food for silkworms. Livestock and fishing
are also important industries in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan, and its neighbor Armenia,
have troubled relations, due mainly to the struggle for Nagorno-Karabakh—the
Armenian-dominated enclave inside Azerbaijan. "Cultural Handbook for the East European and Eurasian States" American Councils for International Eduction: ACTR/ACCELS, ed. Lisa A. Choate and Dan E. Davidson
http://www.americancouncils.org/pdfs/cultural_handbook_03.pdf |
