Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, the Russian republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. The name Azerbaijan was first adopted for the area of the present-day Republic of Azerbaijan by the government of Musavat in 1918.
About Azerbaijan in brief
Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, the Russian republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence from the Russian Empire in 1918 and became the first secular democratic Muslim-majority state. In 1920, the country was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic. In 1991, the Armenian majority of the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region seceded to form the Republic of Artsakh. The region and seven surrounding districts, internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, became de facto independent with the end of the First Nagorno Karabakh War in 1994. Azerbaijan is a developing country and ranks 87th on the Human Development Index. It is one of six independent Turkic states and an active member of the Turkic Council and the TÜRKSOY community. While around 97% of the population is Muslim, the Constitution of Azerbaijan does not declare an official religion and all major political forces in the country are secularist. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 182 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations, including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Non-Aligned Movement, the OSCE, and the NATO Partnership for Peace program.
The name Azerbaijan was first adopted for the area of the present-day Republic of Azerbaijan by the government of Musavat in 1918. The earliest evidence of human settlement in the territory of Azerbaijan dates back to the late Stone Age and is related to the Guruchay culture of Scythians during the 9th century BC. During the Soviet rule, the newly adopted country was also spelled in Latin transliteration as Azerbaydhan. The country’s name was also written in Cyrillic script from 1940 to 1991 as ˌæz-; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan (pronounced “az-baycan”). It was established as an independent region of the contemporary northwestern region of Iran, while the area was formerly referred to as Arran and Shirvan. In the Avesta’s Frawardin Yasht, there is a mention of âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide, which literally translates from Avestan as “We worship the fravashi of the holy Atropatene” or “The Land of the Fire” The name is thought to have its roots in the once-dominant Zoroastrianism. Over the span of millennia, the name evolved to Āturpātākān, then to Ādharbādhagān and Āzarbāydjān and present- day Azerbaijan.
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This page is based on the article Azerbaijan published in Wikipedia (as of Dec. 17, 2020) and was automatically summarized using artificial intelligence.
