Country profile
Territory
86,6 thousand square km (forests 12%, water basins 1.7%, sown area 54,9%, including 31.1 % pastures and hayfields, 31.4% other lands). The country extends between longitude 44° and 52° east and latitude 38° and 42° north,
Baku situated at the parallel of 40°. Distance from Baku to North Pole is 5550 km, to the equator 4440 km.
Neighbours
It borders with Iran (765 km) and Turkey (15 km) on the south, Russia (390 km) on the north, Georgia (480 km) on the north-west and Armenia (1007 km) on the west. The length of the largest area of Caspian Sea in Azerbaijan sector is 456 km.
Population
To January 15, 2010, population of the Republic of Azerbaijan was estimated at 9 million. Number of Azerbaijan`s population increased by 25, 000 or 0,3 percent to 9, 022, 000 from the beginning of 2010, according to State Statistics Committee. About 54,1 percent of population live in towns, while 45,9% in villages. Men constitute 49% of population, while women 51%. Male–female ratio is 1000 to 1039.
National Symbols
Article 23. The symbols of the Republic of Azerbaijan (extract from the Constitution)
I. The national symbols of the Republic of Azerbaijan are the national flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the national emblem of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
II. The National flag of the Azerbaijan Republic consists of three equal stripes. The upper stripe is blue, the middle stripe is red and the lower stripe is green and in the middle of the red one on both sides of the flag there are a white-colored crescent and eight-point star. The width across length of the flag is 1:2.
III. The image of the national flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan and the national emblem of the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as the music and the text of the National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan are defined by the Constitution.
Capital
Baku is the capital of the Republic of Azerbaijan. It is a large scientific, cultural and industrial center. Ancient foundations, a large area and population all make Baku one of the oldest and largest cities in the East.
Baku was first mentioned in the Book of the Dead by the Egyptian Pharaoh Minesan in 3,500 BC. The ancient age of Baku is also evidenced by stone carvings dating back to 12,000 years ago and archeological excavations. Another important piece of evidence is a stone carving by August Guy Octavio, who reflected the stationing of a military camp under the rule of the Roman emperors Pompey and Lucius near Baku (40 km to the south) for the purposes of seizing the southern Caucasus in the 1st century BC. This means that Baku is nearly 5,500 years old.
Baku was one of the main cities in the Shirvanshakhs State in the 12th century, in the Sefevids State in the 14th century, in the Ottoman Empire in the 16th century, and became the capital of the Baku khanate in the 17th century.
Baku is situated on the shore of the Caspian Sea in the south of the Absheron peninsula. It covers an area of 2,200 square km and has a population of 2 million. Nearly 500,000 refugees from Armenia as well as IDPs from the occupied territories, currently reside in Baku.
Baku has 11 administrative districts and 5 settlements.
Agriculture
One of main goals for Azerbaijan today is to remove dependence of economy on oil and assure expansion of economic development to rural areas. Being the third biggest sphere in Azerbaijani economy after oil and construction agriculture possesses biggest share in employment (in 2006, 39,1% of total employed population was working in agriculture, and only 1% in oil sector). This sphere has also huge influence on poverty reduction in rural areas.
As result of agrarian reforms successfully implemented since 1995, market relations have be
en established in domestic economy, land and property effectively used, field structure of agrarian sector improved, entrepreneurship formed, look of village changed.
Fundamental changes happened in social and field contents of agriculture. In place of big economic forms numerous economic subjects were created, form of public property on lands suitable for agriculture, cattle, production and non-production objects, agricultural equipment replaced with individual (personal) property upon the privatization policy.
The number of agricultural producers is 1.208,7 thousand units, 99,98% of which is comprised of private and 0,02% public farms. In addition, there are 78.648 cottage farms dealing with production, processing and sale of agricultural products. 66,8% of specialized agricultural producers is consisted of family-villager, 32,8% housekeeping, 0,2% farming.
Special weight of surplus value created in field of agriculture, hunting and forestry in GDP of 2007 was 7,1%.
In comparison with 2005, production of harvest increased 0,9 % in agriculture, hunting and forestry, decreased 0,8% in plant growing, increased 2,9% in animal produce. Reduction in plant growing is linked to decrease of sowing areas (sowing areas of potato decreased 5,4%, garden plants 0,5%, tea plantations 38,5%).
Investment in agriculture, hunting and forestry increased 42% in comparison with 2005 and formed 32,3 mln AZN.
Special weight of budget expenses on agriculture, fishery and forestry increased 3,5% or 37,2% in comparison with 2005.
Absolute quantity of land areas owned and rented by agricultural producers is 2324,2 thousand hectares (69,3% family-villager, 11,4% housekeeping and 2% farming). Each of agricultural producer has 1,92 hectare of land area on average.
Only 16,0% of farms in cropping use mineral fertilizer and 32,0% organic fertilizer.
80 mln AZN have been allocated from state budget of 2007 to cover 50% of value of fuel, motor oils and mineral fertilizers used by agricultural producers for production of harvest. Technical service centers have been created in 48 districts.
In 2006, special weight of food import and export was 10,6 % and 5,1 % respectively.
Along with positive results of the last year, there are problems in the agrarian sector such as in field of plant growing - lifting productivity, improving technologies and agrotechnical rules, restoring gardens with long-term plantations, involving mountainous and foothill lands in cultivation, properly coordinating production and processing of crop, investing in the field, supplying farms with high quality seeds, taking agrochemical actions, supplying with corresponding equipment and mechanized stores; in field of cattle breeding – weak artificial impregnation points, low-level supply with equipment, seed, liquid azoth, special vehicles, taking fundamental actions to improve the feed base, delay in implementation of pack of actions for improvement of action of private farms and poultry factories to develop poultry, assuring serious veterinary control on production, processing, procurement, import of animal produces, improving sexual content of animals; in field of melioration and water economy – keeping main channels, collectors, water reservoirs, hydrojunctions in use in the required technical level.
