| Country name | conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan conventional short form: Azerbaijan local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi local short form: Azarbaycan former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic etymology: the name translates as "Land of Fire" and refers to naturally occurring surface fires on ancient oil pools or from natural gas discharges |
| Government type | presidential republic |
| Capital | name: Baku (Baki, Baky) geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 52 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight saving time: does not observe daylight savings time etymology: the name derives from the Persian designation of the city "bad-kube" meaning "wind-pounded city" and refers to the harsh winds and severe snow storms that can hit the city note: at approximately 28 m below sea level, Baku's elevation makes it the lowest capital city in the world |
| Administrative divisions | 66 districts (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular); rayons: Abseron, Agcabadi, Agdam, Agdas, Agstafa, Agsu, Astara, Babak, Balakan, Barda, Beylaqan, Bilasuvar, Cabrayil, Calilabad, Culfa, Daskasan, Fuzuli, Gadabay, Goranboy, Goycay, Goygol, Haciqabul, Imisli, Ismayilli, Kalbacar, Kangarli, Kurdamir, Lacin, Lankaran, Lerik, Masalli, Neftcala, Oguz, Ordubad, Qabala, Qax, Qazax, Qobustan, Quba, Qubadli, Qusar, Saatli, Sabirabad, Sabran, Sadarak, Sahbuz, Saki, Salyan, Samaxi, Samkir, Samux, Sarur, Siyazan, Susa, Tartar, Tovuz, Ucar, Xacmaz, Xizi, Xocali, Xocavand, Yardimli, Yevlax, Zangilan, Zaqatala, Zardab cities: Baku, Ganca, Lankaran, Mingacevir, Naftalan, Naxcivan (Nakhichevan), Saki, Sirvan, Sumqayit, Xankandi, Yevlax |
| Independence | 30 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union); 18 October 1991 (adopted by the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan) |
| National holiday | Republic Day (founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan), 28 May (1918) |
| Constitution | history: several previous; latest adopted 12 November 1995 amendments: proposed by the president of the republic or by at least 63 members of the National Assembly; passage requires at least 95 votes of Assembly members in two separate readings of the draft amendment six months apart and requires presidential approval after each of the two Assembly votes, followed by presidential signature; constitutional articles on the authority, sovereignty, and unity of the people cannot be amended; amended 2002, 2009, 2016 |
| Legal system | civil law system |
| International law organization participation | has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt |
| Citizenship | citizenship by birth: yes citizenship by descent only: yes dual citizenship recognized: no residency requirement for naturalization: 5 years |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch | chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003); First Vice President Mehriban ALIYEVA (since 21 February 2017) head of government: Prime Minister Ali ASADOV (since 8 October 2019); First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub EYYUBOV (since June 2006) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly elections/appointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 7-year term (eligible for unlimited terms); election last held on 11 April 2018 (next to be held in 2025); prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly; note - a constitutional amendment approved in a September 2016 referendum expanded presidential terms from 5 to 7 years; a separate constitutional amendment approved in the same referendum also introduced the post of first vice-president and additional vice-presidents, who are directly appointed by the president election results: Ilham ALIYEV reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Ilham ALIYEV (YAP) 86%, Zahid ORUJ (independent) 3.1%, other 10.9% note: OSCE observers noted shortcomings in the election, including a restrictive political environment, limits on fundamental freedoms, a lack of genuine competition, and ballot box stuffing |
| Legislative branch | description: unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by simple majority vote to serve 5-year terms) elections: last held early on 9 February 2020 (next to be held in 2025) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - YAP 70, CSP 3, AVP 1, CUP 1, Democratic Enlightenment 1, PDR 1, Great Order 1, VP 1, Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front 1, independent 41, vacant 4; composition - men 103, women 22, percent of women 17.6% |
| Judicial branch | highest courts: Supreme Court (consists of the chairman, vice chairman, and 23 judges in plenum sessions and organized into civil, economic affairs, criminal, and rights violations chambers); Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges) judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Milli Majlis; judges appointed for 10 years; Constitutional Court chairman and deputy chairman appointed by the president; other court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Milli Majlis to serve single 15-year terms subordinate courts: Courts of Appeal (replaced the Economic Court in 2002); district and municipal courts |
| Political parties and leaders | Azerbaijan Democratic Enlightenment Party Civil Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLI] Civil Unity Party or CUP [Sabir HAJIYEV] Great Order Party Islamic Party of Azerbaijan [Mavsum SAMADOV] Musavat [Arif HAJILI] Popular Front Party [Ali KARIMLI] Motherland Party or AVP [Fazail AGAMALI] National Renaissance Party Party for Democratic Reforms (PDR) Social Democratic Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV] Social Prosperity Party [Khanhusein KAZIMLI] Unity Party (VP) [Tahir KARIMLI] Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party [Gudrat HASANGULIYEV] Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party or YAP [President Ilham ALIYEV] |
| International organization participation | ADB, BSEC, CD, CE, CICA, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); note - Ambassador Elin SULEYMANOV left in early August 2021 chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500 FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911 email address and website: azerbaijan@azembassy.us; consul@azembassy.us https://washington.mfa.gov.az/en consulate(s) general: Los Angeles |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Lee LITZENBERGER (since 12 March 2019) embassy: 111 Azadlig Avenue, AZ1007 Baku mailing address: 7050 Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050 telephone: [994] (12) 488-3300 FAX: [994] (12) 488-3330 email address and website: BakuACS@state.gov https://az.usembassy.gov/ |
| Flag description | three equal horizontal bands of sky blue (top), red, and green; a vertical crescent moon and an eight-pointed star in white are centered in the red band; the blue band recalls Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage, red stands for modernization and progress, and green refers to Islam; the crescent moon and star are a Turkic insignia; the eight star points represent the eight Turkic peoples of the world |
| National symbol(s) | flames of fire; national colors: blue, red, green |
| National anthem | name: "Azerbaijan Marsi" (March of Azerbaijan) lyrics/music: Ahmed JAVAD/Uzeyir HAJIBEYOV note: adopted 1992; although originally written in 1919 during a brief period of independence, "Azerbaijan Marsi" did not become the official anthem until after the dissolution of the Soviet Union |
Source: CIA World Factbook
This page was last updated on September 18, 2021
