republic; executive branch dominates government structure
Independence date
30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
20 July 1810 (from Spain)
Religions
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
Roman Catholic 90%, other 10%
Languages
Azerbaijani (Azeri) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)
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
Colombian pesos (COP) per US dollar - 2,302.9 (2008 est.), 2,013.8 (2007), 2,358.6 (2006), 2,320.75 (2005), 2,628.61 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
2.600%
3.800%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
7
2
Location
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range
Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea, between Panama and Venezuela, and bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Ecuador and Panama
Area
86,600 km sq
1,138,910 km sq
Coastline
0 km
3,208 km
Climate
dry, semiarid steppe
tropical along coast and eastern plains; cooler in highlands
