52 Facts About Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia.

Azerbaijan has an area of 86,600 square km.

Azerbaijan's capital and largest city is Baku. 

Azerbaijani is the official language of Azerbaijan. 

Manat (AZN) is official currency of Azerbaijan. 

Georgia, Russia, Iran, and Armenia are Azerbaijan's four land bordering countries.

Azerbaijani are the natives or inhabitants of Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan is the first democratic state among Muslim-majority countries.

Azerbaijan is also the first Muslim country to have operas and theatre plays.

Azerbaijan is a historical and culturally rich country.

Azer means "fire" in Arabic. People in Azerbaijan thousands of years ago worshipped fire and considered it to be their god.

Azerbaijan is also known as "the Land of Fire".

Azerbaijan, the country's name, is also thought to be derived from the name of an ancient Turkish tribe that lived in those territories.

Corruption is widespread in Azerbaijan and is one of the country's major issues.

Azerbaijan has a Turkic majority and a Shia Muslim majority.

Many scientists (Kerim Kerimov, Seyid Yahya Bakuvi), musicians, poets, philosophers (Adil Asadov, Zumrud Gulu-zade), thinkers, and architects have come from Azerbaijan.

Garry Kasparov and Teymur Rajabov are two world-class chess players from Azerbaijan. Garry was born in Baku, Azerbaijan's capital, and reigned as undisputed world champion from 1985 to 1993.

Azerbaijan's main agricultural zone is the Kura River Valley.

Mountains cover 60% of the country, with plains and lowlands covering the remainder.

At 4466 metres, Bazarduzu (Parent range: Greater Caucasus) is the country's highest peak.

Azerbaijan is also known as "the mineral water museum." Mineral waters of note include Istisu (hot water spring), Sirab, and Badamly. There are over 1000 unlimited mineral water resources in the country.

Azerbaijan also has a plethora of small and large rivers, totaling over 8400 in total. Only 24 of these rivers are longer than 100 kilometers.

Baku, with a population of 3 million, is the Caspian Sea's largest port. Baku is thought to be 5,500 years old.

Baku can also be translated as "windy city" or "city on a hill".

Oil Rocks, the world's first offshore oil platform, is also located in Baku.

Azerbaijan has diplomatic ties with 158 countries. It is also a member of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, and NATO.

Baku, Azerbaijan, also has the first university in the East.

Hospitality is not only important, but also a valuable feature of Azerbaijani culture. The guest will be provided with food and shelter at the expense of the host's needs.

Cotton and silk from Azerbaijan have long been known throughout the world.

Kura is Azerbaijan's longest river, stretching 1,515 kilometers.

Temperatures in Azerbaijan can reach 46 °C at their highest point, and winters can be bitterly cold at -33 °C. These temperatures have been recorded in Julfa and Ordubad.

Tea holds an important place in Azerbaijani customs and traditions. It is served in a variety of ways at almost all social gatherings. Jam, mint, rosewater, and lemon are frequently used to add a rich flavor to tea.

The horse is Azerbaijan's national animal, and the Karabakh horse (rare and beautiful) is particularly renowned for its agility, endurance, and intelligence.

Azerbaijan produced 842,000 barrels of crude oil per day in 2016.

Novruz (March 20-24) is Azerbaijan's oldest national holiday.

After Iran, the Republic of Azerbaijan has the world's second highest percentage of Shia Muslim population (85% Shia, 15% Sunni).

Music is an important part of the locals' lives. Mugham is an Azerbaijani folk musical composition.

Azerbaijan is also well-known for its antique carpets, which are in high demand around the world.

Azerbaijanis create beautiful decorative pieces out of wood, silk, metal, and ceramic. These works of art can be found in museums all over the world.

In Baku, the country also has a carpet museum. The museum, which opened in 2014, has the appearance of a large rolled-up rug.

They have a crochet competition called the Seven Beauties tournament. The contest winner is the person who knits the best pair in the allotted time.

Russian is Azerbaijan's second most spoken language, after Azeri.

The world's largest KFC can be found in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Azerbaijan's oil reserves are estimated to be worth trillions of dollars.

Between 2002 and 2006, a 1,100-mile oil pipeline was built from Baku (Azerbaijan's capital) to Ceyhan (southern Turkey).

Azerbaijan has the greatest concentration of mud volcanoes. They actually have four hundred of the thousand mud volcanoes known to exist in the world.

In contrast to typical volcanoes that spew lava, mud volcanoes can be extremely cold, approaching freezing.

In 2001, Azerbaijan experienced the eruption of a mud volcano that was nearly 300 m tall (height of explosion) and spewed a large amount of mud while being surrounded by dense, black smoke that could be seen from 15 kilometers away.

Azerbaijan also has the world's two largest mud volcanoes, Boyuk Khanizadagh and Turaghai.

Sedimentary volcanoes are another name for mud volcanoes. They can reach a maximum diameter of 10 kilometers and a height of 700 meters.

In addition, the country is home to the world's only miniature book museum. A miniature copy of the Holy Quran from the 17th century is also on display at the museum. Zarifa Salahova opened it in 2002.

A house in Azerbaijan is constructed entirely of glass bottles.