Chairman of the General National Congress: Mohamed Magarief
President: Ilham Aliyev
Population
5,613,380
9,493,600
Life Expectancy
77.830 years
71.320 years
Capital City
Tripoli (Tarabulus)
Baku (Baki, Baky)
Largest city
Tripoli (population: 1,150,990)
Baku (population: 1,116,510)
Human Development Index
0.84
0.758
GDP per capita
$14,100 US
$10,300 US
Literacy Rate
82.6%
98.8%
Corruption Perception Index
2.6
1.9
Percentage of Women in Parliament
7.7%
11.4%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
30.000%
1.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished
Political System
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in practice, an authoritarian state
republic
Independence date
24 December 1951 (from UN trusteeship)
30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Religions
Sunni Muslim 97%, other 3%
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, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major cities
Azerbaijani (Azeri) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)
Libyan dinars (LYD) per US dollar - 1.2112 (2008 est.), 1.2604 (2007), 1.3108 (2006), 1.3084 (2005), 1.305 (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
3.900%
2.600%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
7
Location
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Tunisia
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range
Area
1,759,540 km sq
86,600 km sq
Coastline
1,770 km
0 km
Climate
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
