Country and Culture

Geography and Climate

Azerbaijan is approximately the size of Maine. Despite its small size, Azerbaijan contains significant ecological diversity, with nine distinct climatic zones. Its highest mountain in the Caucasus range is perennially snow-covered Mount Bazarduzu (14,645 feet), while the Caspian littoral is below sea level.

Dense hardwood forests cover the lower slopes of the mountains, while the center of the country is largely flat and sparsely vegetated. The lowlands near the border with Iran are home to a cornucopia of lush fruit orchards.

With the exception of its high Caucasus areas, Azerbaijan's climate is milder and less rainy than that of its neighbors, Armenia and Georgia. Winter temperatures rarely fall below 40 degrees Fahrenheit in Baku, and summer temperatures range from the 70s to over 100 degrees. Volunteers in rural areas must be prepared for extremes, however, as schools often are not heated, electricity and gas are spotty, and air conditioning is a rarity even in the capital.

The Absheron Peninsula, where Baku is located, and the adjacent Caspian coast contain substantial deposits of natural gas and oil. Exploitation of these resources without attention to environmental protection has resulted in serious onshore and offshore oil and air pollution, which the government is only beginning to address.

Economy

Upon gaining its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan lost its major export markets. Its petrochemical and agricultural sectors atrophied and only now is it returning to the level of economic activity present fifteen years ago.

The economy relies on the country's oil and natural gas resources. With its huge Caspian Sea oil reserves, Azerbaijan has great potential for economic development. Construction, exploration, and production contracts with foreign oil firms benefit Azerbaijan in the form of new jobs, foreign capital, and high revenues.

In 1999, a pipeline opened that carries oil through Georgia to a port on the Black Sea, giving Azerbaijan direct access to Europe. A second pipeline from Azerbaijan via Georgia reached the Mediterranean Sea in Turkey in mid-2005 and delivered its first oil in mid-2006. By cooperative agreements between Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, oil from Kazakhstan will also travel through this pipeline. A parallel natural gas pipeline is planned to take huge natural gas reserves from the Caspian Sea to Europe and beyond. As a result, estimates for oil and gas revenues to Azerbaijan exceed $40 billion in the next decade. The governmental challenge will be to prevent this windfall from distorting inflation and thwarting economic development in other regions and sectors of the economy.

In agriculture, the most important cash crops are cotton and tobacco, which provide employment in rural areas. Azerbaijan also exports fruits, vegetables, nuts, and saffron. Production is not very efficient, but reform programs are underway to improve output and raise revenues.

Culture

Almost 90 percent of the current population is ethnic Azeri. Russian, Tatar, Talysh, Georgian, Ukrainian, Armenian, Lezghian, Kurdish, and other minorities also live in Azerbaijan.

More than 2 million people live in Baku, the capital. Although it is a cosmopolitan city with many grand buildings and mosques, half a million internal refugees continue to live in camps or other temporary settlements, representing a major social and economic problem. The city is a contrast of wealth and poverty, even as it absorbs newfound riches from oil and natural gas in the form of a current building boom of high-rise residential buildings. Regional centers and villages offer even more stark contrasts to the capital, both economically and culturally.

Azerbaijani belongs to the Oghuz Seljuk group of Turkic languages and is similar to modern Turkish. During the Soviet era, Russian and Azerbaijani were both official languages, though Russian was dominant for government purposes. Today, Azerbaijani is dominant for all purposes.

Azerbaijan has traditionally been an Islamic nation and Shiites are the dominant sect. Religious observance weakened during the Soviet era, however, and two generations grew up with little knowledge of Islam, so Azerbaijan is more secular than many of its neighbors. Today, people may practice their religion freely, praying at home and attending mosques. Those of other faiths also openly practice their religion. As in many other countries, both religious and cultural practices tend to be more orthodox in rural areas than in larger cities and the capital.

Last updated Sep 27 2008