republic in the Transcaucasia region of western Asia, bordered on the north by Russia, on the northwest by Georgia, on the east by the Caspian Sea, on the south by Iran, and on the west by Armenia. Formerly a republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), the republic includes the regions of Nagorno-Karabakh and Naxçivan (Nakhichevan'). Naxçivan is separated from the rest of Azerbaijan by a mountainous strip of land in Armenia. Baku, a large port city on the Caspian Sea, is the capital and largest city.
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Population
Azerbaijan is the most populous country in the Transcaucasia, with an estimated population of 7,676,953 in 1996. Although it contains people of many different nationalities, the republic has become more ethnically homogeneous in recent years. The proportion of Azeris, who have traditionally comprised about four-fifths of the population, has increased since 1988, when conflicts began between Armenians and Azeris over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Armenians constitute the majority of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh and have demanded that the region be made part of Armenia. Large numbers of Azeri refugees have flowed over the border from Armenia, and large numbers of Russians, Armenians, and other nationalities have left Azerbaijan. The Armenian community, which comprised 6 percent of the population in 1989, is now confined almost exclusively to the Nagorno-Karabakh enclave. Other nationalities include Lezgins, Kurds, Talysh, Tatars, Georgians, Ukrainians, and Avars. Most ethnic groups have resided in the area of present-day Azerbaijan for centuries, although Slavs arrived in large numbers with the industrialization boom of the last century. Lezgins, Kurds, and Talysh, who are geographically concentrated in the north, east, and south of the republic, have agitated for increased autonomy in recent years.
Azerbaijan is the least urbanized of the three Transcaucasia republics (the other two are Georgia and Armenia). Only about 54 percent of its population lived in cities in 1989. The largest city is Baku, the capital. Other large cities include Gäncä ( formerly Kirovabad) and Sumqayit.
The official language of Azerbaijan is Azeri, a Turkic language of the Altaic family (see Altaic Languages). Russian is also commonly spoken, although its use is declining. The traditional religion of the Azeris is Shiite Islam, which has experienced a revival in recent years. Orthodox Christianity is practiced to varying degrees among the Georgian, Armenian, and Slavic minorities.
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History
The area of Azerbaijan was settled from about the 8th century BC by the Medes, and the region later became part of the Persian Empire. A much-disputed area, it was conquered in the late 7th century AD by Arabs, who introduced Islamic culture. Turkic tribes controlled the area in the 11th and 12th centuries. Azerbaijan again came under Persian control in the 17th century and was ceded by Persia to Russia through treaties in 1813 and 1828. In 1918, after the Russian Revolution, Azerbaijan became an independent state. In 1920 Russian Bolsheviks took the area. In 1922 it was joined with Georgia and Armenia to form the Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Socialist Republic (SFSR), which became part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) later that year. When the Transcaucasian SFSR dissolved in 1936, Azerbaijan became a constituent republic of the USSR. The collapse of Communism in the USSR in 1991 led to the independence of Azerbaijan. It joined the UN in 1992.
Political turmoil characterized the first years of Azerbaijani independence. President Ayaz Mutalibov was forced to resign in March 1992 after he was held directly responsible for the death of several hundred Azeris killed by Armenian forces in Nagorno-Karabakh, the primarily Armenian enclave claimed by Armenia. After Mutalibov resigned, the interim president, Yagub Mamedov, was unable to control the political situation. The Azerbaijani Popular Front (APF) attempted to take over local administrations, and Mutalibov made an aborted attempt to regain power. With the support of military units, the APF seized control in a nearly bloodless coup in May 1992. After the coup, the Supreme Soviet (the Soviet-era legislature) was dissolved and replaced by a 50-member National Council, or Milli Majlis, which had been established in November 1991.
In June 1992 APF chairman Aliyev Abul'faz Elchibey was elected president with 55 percent of the popular vote. Elchibey soon lost popularity, however, because of his inability to improve the economy or end the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. At least one assassination attempt was made against him. Pressure on Elchibey increased when he attempted to disarm a disobedient military garrison based in Gäncä in June 1993. The garrison, led by Colonel Surat Huseinov, marched on Baku and seized control, despite protests and appeals from Elchibey, who fled to Naxçivan. The National Council voted to transfer Elchibey's powers to Geydar Aliyev, a longtime Communist Party leader who had been elected chairman of the council earlier that month. A republic-wide referendum supported Elchibey's removal, and in October 1993 Aliyev was elected president with 98.8 percent of the popular vote in a virtually uncontested election. The council appointed Huseinov prime minister and charged him with coordinating the country's military effort in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In early 1994 Azerbaijan launched a renewed offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, but gained little territory. As many as 10,000 Azeris were killed in the fighting. After the failure of a March cease-fire, the National Assembly called for intervention by the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which sent a peacekeeping force of mostly Russian troops to the region. Fighting in Nagorno-Karabakh continued until August, when defense ministers from Armenia and Azerbaijan again agreed to a cease-fire.
In October 1994 Interior Minister Iskander Hamidov, Prosecutor General Ali Omerov, and Prime Minister Surat Huseinov were all implicated in an attempted coup. Both Huseinov and Omerov were dismissed from their posts, and Fuad Kuliyev became the country's acting prime minister. In May 1995 Kuliyev was confirmed as prime minister by the National Council. Additional coup attempts in March and August 1995 were blamed on Huseinov, former president Ayaz Mutalibov, and other government officials.
In November 1995 Azerbaijan held its first legislative elections since independence. In the elections, which were for a new, 125-seat legislature, the New Azerbaijan Party, which is aligned with President Aliyev, won a majority of seats. Other parties that secured seats included the APF and the National Independence Party. Certain opposition groups were barred from participating, and international observers from the UN and the Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) reported allegations of ballot stuffing and other irregularities. Voters also approved a new constitution that granted sweeping powers to the president. Prime Minister Kuliyev resigned in July 1996, and Artur Rasizade was appointed in his place. The 1994 cease-fire continued to hold through mid-1997, but a political resolution on the status of Nagorno-Karabakh had yet to be reached.
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"Azerbaijan," Microsoft ® Encarta 98 Encyclopedia.
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