FACTS ABOUT AZERBAIJAN

AMAZING FACTS ABOUT AZERBAIJAN

1.                 The official name of Azerbaijan is the “Republic of Azerbaijan”.

2.                 Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan.

3.                 The total population of Azerbaijan is 9,872,765.

4.                 The natives of Azerbaijan are called Azerbaijani.

5.                 The Manat (AZN) is official currency of Azerbaijan.

6.                 Azerbaijan shares a border with Georgia, Russia, Iran, Armenia and Turkey.

7.                 Azerbaijan is the first democratic state in the Islam-oriented countries. It is also the first Muslim country to have theater plays and operas.

8.                 Azerbaijan is an ancient country with rich history and culture.

9.                 Azerbaijan has a literacy rate of 99.8%.

10.            Azerbaijan is also known as “the Land of Fire”.

11.            Azer means “fire”. The people living in Azerbaijan before thousands of years from today worshipped the fire as they considered it as their god. The word ‘Azer’ has two parts – ‘az’ and ‘er’.

12.            Azerbaijan–the name of the country–is also considered to have originated from the name of an ancient Turkish tribe, who lived in those territories.

13.            Azerbaijan briefly became independent between 1918 and 1920; however, it was once again incorporated into the Soviet Union for the next seventy years.

14.            Before the establishment of Soviet power in Azerbaijan, there were 2,000 mosques in the country. However, most of these mosques were closed in the 1930s.

15.            Corruption is widespread in the country and is one of its major problems.

16.            The government is also accused of authoritarianism as it amended the presidential term limit from 5 years to 7 years in 2016.

17.            The country got hold of its independence on August 30^th, 1991.

18.            The country has a majority-Turkic and majority-Shia Muslim population.

19.            Humans have inhabited Azerbaijan since the Paleolithic age (also called Old Stone Age, ancient cultural stage, or level, of human development, characterized by the use of rudimentary chipped stone tools – definition by Encyclopedia Britannica.)

20.            The country has produced many scientists (Kerim Kerimov, Seyid Yahya Bakuvi), musicians, thinkers, poets, philosophers (Adil Asadov, Zumrud Gulu-zade), thinkers and architects.

21.            Azerbaijan stands on the 113^th spot on the list of the world countries by area. Also, in the area, Australia is 89 times, and Guatemala (a Central American country) is 1.25 times larger than Azerbaijan.

22.            Azerbaijan is on the 92^nd spot among the list of the countries with the highest population. China’s population is 139 times that of Azerbaijan (2016 statistics).

23.            Azerbaijan is the home of two of the world class chess players – Garry Kasparov and Teymur Rajabov. Garry was born in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku and was undisputed world champion between 1985 and 1993.

24.            The Kura River Valley in Azerbaijan is its major agricultural zone.

25.            Mountains cover 60% area of the country and the remaining is covered by plains and lowlands.

26.            Bazarduzu is the highest peak of the country at 4466 meters.

27.            Azerbaijan is located at the intersection of the temperate and subtropical climate zones.

28.            Azerbaijan is also called as “the museum of mineral waters.” Istisu (hot water spring), Sirab, and Badamly are famed mineral waters. The country has more than 1000 unlimited mineral water resources.

29.            A land of many rivers: Azerbaijan also has an abundance of small and large rivers accounting to more than 8400 in total. However, only 24 of these rivers are more than 100 kilometers long.

30.            Baku is the largest port on the Caspian Sea. Baku is expected to be 5,500 years old.

31.            Baku is also interpreted as “windy city” or “city on a hill”.

32.            Baku is also home to the world’s first offshore oil platform – Oil Rocks.

33.            Azerbaijan maintains diplomatic relations with 158 countries. And it is also a member of the United Nations, IMF, and NATO.

34.            The first university in the East also lies in Baku, Azerbaijan.

35.            Hospitality in Azerbaijan is not just important but a valuable characteristic of the national culture. Food and shelter will be offered to the guest even at the expense of the host’s needs.

36.            Cotton and silk from Azerbaijan are known all over the world since ages.

37.            Azerbaijan is 400 kilometers from north to south and 500 kilometers from east to west.

38.            The longest river is Kura measuring 1,515 kilometers in length.

39.            At its extreme, temperatures in Azerbaijan can reach a maximum of 46 °C, and in winters can get harsh at -33 °C. These temperatures were observed in Julfa and Ordubad.

40.            Tea takes a special place in Azerbaijan’s customs and traditions. It is part of almost all social occasions and is served in countless trimmings. Jam, mint, rosewater, lemon are often used to give that extra rich flavor to the tea.

41.            The horse is the national animal of Azerbaijan, and the Karabakh horse (rare and beautiful) is especially known for its agility, endurance, and intelligence.

42.            As of 2016, Azerbaijan produced a whopping 842,000 barrels of crude oil per day. With 10,250,000 barrels of crude oil produced in 2015, Russia tops the list of the nations producing the highest number of barrels of crude oil per day. The United States is at the number three spot. See the full list here.

43.            According to a source, Azerbaijan exported wine worth $3.5 million in 2016.

44.            Azerbaijan’s national currency (Manat) resembles the Euro in color, font, and size.

45.            Novruz (March 20-24) is the oldest national holiday of Azerbaijan.

46.            The Republic of Azerbaijan has the second highest percentage of Shia Muslim population (Shia – 85%, Sunni – 15%) in the world after Iran.

47.            Azerbaijan has two cultural UNESCO World Heritage sites.

48.            Music is an integral part of the lives of the local people. Mugham is one such folk musical composition from Azerbaijan.

49.            Azerbaijan is also famous for its age old carpets that are in great demand throughout the world. Mostly women are involved in weaving these carpets that represent the country’s artistic sensibilities and ability to bring together various symbols and shapes with natural colors.

50.            Azerbaijanis make rich art decorative pieces from wood, silk, metal, and ceramic. These art pieces adorn the museums all over the world.

51.            The country also has a carpet museum in Baku. The museum which opened in 2014 has an appearance like that of a giant rolled-up rug.

52.            They have a crochet contest – Seven Beauties tournament. The winner of the contest is the one who knits the best pair in the given time.

53.            Baku is a city of skyscrapers and appeals to international audiences.

54.            Azerbaijani, the national language of Azerbaijan, is spoken by the 20 million Azerbaijanis living in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

55.            A man-made waterway flows through Baku between shops, restaurants and other places of entertainment.

56.            Russian is the second most spoken language in Azerbaijan after Azeri. English is not widely spoken.

57.            Azerbaijan is among the top 50 countries in the world with the highest level of carbon dioxide emissions. China tops the list with the United States at the second position.

58.            World’s biggest KFC is in Baku, Azerbaijan. KFC has more than 18,875 franchises in 118 countries. The fast food chain was founded in 1930.

59.            Oil reserves in Azerbaijan are expected to be worth trillions of dollars.

60.            A 1,100-mile oil pipeline from Baku (Azerbaijan’s capital) to Ceyhan (southern Turkey) was built between 2002 and 2006.

61.            Azerbaijan is home to the largest concentration of mud volcanoes. They have in fact four hundred of these of a thousand mud volcanoes that are known to exist in the world.

62.            As opposed to usual volcanoes that spew lava, mud volcanoes can be very cold, just near freezing.

63.            In 2001, Azerbaijan experienced eruption of a mud volcano which was almost 300 m tall (height of explosion) and spewed lots of mud surrounded by dense, black smoke; which was visible from 15 km away.

64.            Azerbaijan is also home of the two largest mud volcanoes in the world – Boyuk Khanizadagh and Turaghai.

65.            Mud volcanoes are also known as “sedimentary volcanoes”. They can have a maximum diameter of around 10 kilometers and a maximum height of 700 meter.

66.            The country also boasts the world’s only miniature book museum. The museum also has a miniature copy of the Holy Quran from the 17th century. It was opened in 2002 by Zarifa Salahova.

67.            A house in Azerbaijan is made entirely out of thousands of glass bottles.

68.            Azerbaijan has a 10 m long wall of fire that is expected to be burning since 1950. Azerbaijan has enormous gas reserves, which is supplementing the fire from within. The fire wall is also a place of tourist attraction. These mysterious flames were first spotted by Marco Polo when he first visited the region in the 13^th century.

69.            Azerbaijan also has a burning spring (Yanar Bulag) in the city of Astara in southern Azerbaijan. The water originating from the spring has unique high Methane content which sets it to fire when ignited. Locals believe that the spring has some remedial properties as well.

70.            Azerbaijan Exports: oil and gas, machinery, foodstuffs and cotton.

71.            Azerbaijan Imports: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, metals and chemicals.

72.            The internet country code for Azerbaijan is .az.