Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.) note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower
Languages
Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Azerbaijani (Azeri) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)
Exports
petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs
External Debt
$4,699,000,000 $
$4,074,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
Algerian dinars (DZD) per US dollar - 63.25 (2008 est.), 69.9 (2007), 72.647 (2006), 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004)
Azerbaijani manats (AZN) per US dollar - 0.8219 (2008 est.), 0.8581 (2007), 0.8934 (2006), 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004) note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000 old manats equal to 1 new manat
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
3.300%
2.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
2
7
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range
Area
2,381,741 km sq
86,600 km sq
Coastline
998 km
0 km
Climate
arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer
