Country Profile: Azerbaijan

Last reviewed: 14 April 2008

Country information

Area: 86,600 sq km
Population: 8.5 million (2006)
Capital City: Baku (population: 2.0 million)
People: Predominantly Turkic Azeri, Russian (8%), Armenian (6% mostly fled as a result of the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh)
Languages: Azeri 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6%
Religion(s): Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8%
Currency: Manat
Major political parties: New Azerbaijan Party, Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Popular Front Party (Reformists), Musavat, Liberal Party and Azerbaijan National Independence Party.
Government: Republic
Head of State: President Ilham Aliev
Prime Minister/Premier: Artur Rasizade
Foreign Minister: Elmar Mamadyarov
Membership of international groupings/organisations: BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)