Azerbaijan is a transcontinental and landlocked country situated at the intersection of West Asia and Eastern Europe within the South Caucasus region. Its borders include the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia (Dagestan) to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia and Turkey to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku serves as its capital and largest city.
Between 30 March and 2 April 1918, the March Days massacres took place in Baku and adjacent areas.
In May 1918, the Musavat party declared independence as the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR).
On June 26, 1918, the National Army of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was created.
In 1918, Azerbaijanis resisted the Russian reconquest following their brief independence.
In 1918, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, becoming the first secular democratic Muslim-majority state.
In 1918, the government of Musavat adopted the name Azerbaijan after the collapse of the Russian Empire.
In June 1919, the documentary "The Celebration of the Anniversary of Azerbaijani Independence" premiered in several theatres in Baku.
On April 28, 1920, the Bolshevik 11th Soviet Red Army invaded Azerbaijan, establishing the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.
In 1920, Azerbaijan was conquered and incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Azerbaijan SSR.
In 1920, after the Soviet power was established, Nariman Narimanov, chairman of the Revolutionary Committee of Azerbaijan, signed a decree nationalizing Azerbaijan's cinema.
In 1920, after the Soviet power was established, Nariman Narimanov, chairman of the Revolutionary Committee of Azerbaijan, signed a decree nationalizing Azerbaijan's cinema.
From 1940, the country's name was also spelled in Cyrillic script as Азәрбајҹан.
In February 1942, by decree of the Supreme Soviet of the Soviet Union, over 500 workers and employees in Azerbaijan's oil industry were awarded orders and medals for their commitment.
According to Soviet data, in 1970, 100 percent of males and females (ages nine to forty-nine) in Azerbaijan were literate.
According to the 1970 census, there were 510,000 ethnic Russians and 484,000 Armenians in Azerbaijan.
In 1989, Armenian was the majority language in the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, spoken by about 76% of the regional population.
In 1990, forest cover in Azerbaijan was equivalent to 944,740 hectares.
In 1990, the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan SSR adopted the "Declaration of Sovereignty of the Azerbaijan Republic" and restored the flag of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic as the state flag.
In August 1991, the modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence shortly before the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
In September 1991, the ethnic Armenian majority of the Nagorno-Karabakh region formed the self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh.
On 18 October 1991, the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan adopted a Declaration of Independence.
On October 9, 1991, after Azerbaijan gained independence, the Armed Forces of the Republic of Azerbaijan were created according to the law on the armed forces.
After gaining independence in 1991, Azerbaijan became a member of the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Asian Development Bank.
In 1991 the country stopped using Cyrillic script.
In 1991, after Azerbaijan gained its independence from the Soviet Union, the first Baku International Film Festival East-West was held in Baku.
Since independence in 1991, the government has taken measures to preserve the environment of Azerbaijan.
In 1992, the National (now Central) Bank was created based on the Azerbaijan State Savings Bank, an affiliate of the former State Savings Bank of the USSR.
In 1993, democratically elected President Abulfaz Elchibey was overthrown by a military insurrection.
Since 1993, the ruling New Azerbaijan Party has been in power, accused of authoritarianism under presidents Heydar Aliyev and his son Ilham Aliyev.
The Aliyev political family has continuously ruled Azerbaijan since 1993.
In September 1994, a 30-year contract was signed between the State Oil Company of Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR) and 13 oil companies, including Amoco, BP, ExxonMobil, Lukoil and Equinor.
By the end of the hostilities in 1994, Armenians controlled 14–16 percent of Azerbaijani territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh.
In 1994, Prime Minister Huseynov attempted a military coup against Heydar Aliyev but was arrested.
On 12 November 1995, the structural formation of the political system was completed with the adoption of the constitution.
By 2012 the GDP of Azerbaijan had increased 20-fold from its 1995 level.
In 1995, another coup was attempted against Aliyev by Rovshan Javadov, resulting in his death.
On November 6, 1996, Bahrain became the most recent country to recognize Azerbaijan's independence from the collapsing Soviet Union.
On April 10, 1997, the Security Council was established as a deliberative body under the president.
In October 1998, Heydar Aliyev was re-elected for a second term as president of Azerbaijan.
In June 1999, a provision determining the legal status of local state administration on local executive authority was adopted.
In December 2000, former President Heydar Aliyev signed a decree proclaiming 2 August to be the professional holiday of filmmakers of Azerbaijan.
After 2001, national protection of the environment accelerated due to increased state budget revenues from the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline.
Since 2001, Azerbaijan has been a member of the Council of Europe and maintains good relations with the European Union.
As of 2002, other Christian denominations in Azerbaijan included Lutherans, Baptists, and Molokans.
In 2002 the Azerbaijani merchant marine had 54 ships.
In 2002, the government of Azerbaijan established the Ministry of Transport, which was given a broad range of policy and regulatory functions. In the same year, Azerbaijan became a member of the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic.
In 2003, Ilham Aliyev became President of Azerbaijan upon his father's death.
In 2003, there were 250 Roman Catholics in Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan Women's Volleyball Super League placed fourth at the 2005 European Championship.
On January 1, 2006, a new currency, the new Azerbaijani manat, was launched to cement the economic reforms and erase the vestiges of an unstable economy.
In May 2006, the Baku–Tbilisi–Ceyhan pipeline (BTC) became operational. This pipeline extends over 1,774 km through Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey, and it is designed to transport up to 50 million tons of crude oil annually from the Caspian Sea oilfields to global markets.
On May 9, 2006, Azerbaijan was elected to membership in the newly established Human Rights Council by the United Nations General Assembly.
On June 19, 2006, Azerbaijan's term of office in the Human Rights Council began.
In a 2006–2008 Gallup poll, only 21% of respondents from Azerbaijan stated that religion is an important part of their daily lives.
At the beginning of 2007 there were 4,755,100 hectares of used agricultural area.
Pushed up by spending and demand growth, the 2007 Q1 inflation rate reached 16.6%.
Azerbaijan made its debut appearance at the Eurovision Song Contest in 2008.
In a 2006–2008 Gallup poll, only 21% of respondents from Azerbaijan stated that religion is an important part of their daily lives.
According to the United Nations Development Program Report, in 2009, the literacy rate in Azerbaijan was 99.5 percent.
As of 2009, Azerbaijan had 1,397,000 main telephone lines and 1,485,000 internet users. There were also four GSM providers: Azercell, Bakcell, Azerfon (Nar Mobile), Nakhtel mobile network operators and one CDMA.
Azerbaijan became European Team Chess Championship winners in 2009.
Azerbaijan's domestic club Araz Naxçivan clinched bronze medals at the 2009–10 UEFA Futsal Cup.
In 2009, Azerbaijan hosted the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships.
In 2009, Azerbaijan's ashiq art was included in the list of Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO.
In 2009, Azerbaijan's entry gained third place in the Eurovision Song Contest.
In November 2010, the Azerbaijani carpet was proclaimed a Masterpiece of Intangible Heritage by UNESCO.
According to a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council, Azerbaijan was among the top ten countries showing the strongest growth in visitor exports between 2010 and 2016.
Azerbaijan is ranked 57th in the Global Competitiveness Report for 2010–2011.
By 2010, Azerbaijan had 2,918 km of broad-gauge railways, 1,278 km of electrified railways, 35 airports and one heliport.
During the 2010 Parliamentary election, the opposition parties Musavat and Azerbaijani Popular Front Party failed to win a single seat, and European observers found irregularities.
In 2010, Azerbaijan hosted the European Wrestling Championships.
The Azerbaijan national futsal team reached fourth place in the 2010 UEFA Futsal Championship.
Azerbaijan is ranked 57th in the Global Competitiveness Report for 2010–2011.
Ell and Nikki won the first place at the Eurovision Song Contest 2011 with the song "Running Scared", entitling Azerbaijan to host the contest in 2012, in Baku.
In 2011, Azerbaijan hosted the AIBA World Boxing Championships.
In 2011, Azerbaijan was first elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council with the support of 155 countries.
In 2011, Azerbaijan's population growth-rate was 0.85%. The country also experienced a migration rate of −1.14/1,000 people in 2011.
In June 2012, the president approved a regulation that granted additional powers to local executive authorities, which strengthened their dominant position in local affairs.
By 2012 the GDP of Azerbaijan had increased 20-fold from its 1995 level.
From 2012, the Azerbaijani leadership made covert payments from 2012 to 2014.
In 2012, Azerbaijan constructed a Formula One racetrack.
In 2012, Azerbaijan hosted the Eurovision Song Contest in Baku after winning the competition in 2011.
In 2012, Neftchi Baku became the first Azerbaijani team to advance to the group stage of a European competition.
In 2012, rapid growth was forecast for Azerbaijan's Internet sector for at least five more years.
In 2012, the Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway was constructed to improve transportation between Asia and Europe by connecting the railways of China and Kazakhstan in the east to the European railway system in the west via Turkey.
Since 2012, Washington had been sending military aid to Azerbaijan.
On February 7, 2013, the Azerbaijan National Aerospace Agency launched its first satellite, AzerSat 1, into orbit from Guiana Space Centre in French Guiana. The satellite covers Europe, Asia, and Africa and serves the transmission of TV and radio broadcasting as well as the Internet.
In October 2013, Ilham Aliyev was re-elected to a third term as president of Azerbaijan.
According to the 2013 Freedom House Freedom of the Press report, Azerbaijan's press freedom status is "not free", and Azerbaijan ranks 177th out of 196 countries.
Azerbaijan became European Team Chess Championship winners in 2013.
Azerbaijan's domestic club Araz Naxçivan clinched bronze medals at the 2013–14 UEFA Futsal Cup.
In 2013, Azerbaijan hosted the F1 Powerboat World Championship.
After several years of decline in press and media freedom, in November 2014, the media environment deteriorated rapidly under a governmental campaign to silence any opposition and criticism, even while the country led the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
As of 2014, country's home of Shamkir Chess a category 22 event and one of the highest rated tournaments of all time.
Azerbaijan was the main sponsor of Spanish football club Atlético de Madrid during seasons 2013/2014 and 2014/2015.
In 2014, Azerbaijan hosted the European Taekwondo Championships and the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships.
In 2014, Qarabağ became the second Azerbaijani club advancing to the group stage of UEFA Europa League.
The Azerbaijani leadership made covert payments from 2012 to 2014.
In October 2015, a report by an Amnesty International researcher pointed to the severe deterioration of human rights in Azerbaijan over the past few years.
According to the Travel and Tourism Competitiveness Report 2015 of the World Economic Forum, Azerbaijan holds 84th place.
Azerbaijan was the main sponsor of Spanish football club Atlético de Madrid during seasons 2013/2014 and 2014/2015.
Baku was selected to host the 2015 European Games.
In 2015, 100% of the forest area in Azerbaijan was reported to be under public ownership.
In 2015, Azerbaijan had the largest number of journalists imprisoned in Europe, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists.
According to a report by the World Travel and Tourism Council, Azerbaijan was among the top ten countries showing the strongest growth in visitor exports between 2010 and 2016. In addition, Azerbaijan placed first (46.1%) among countries with the fastest-developing travel and tourism economies, with strong indicators for inbound international visitor spending in 2016.
In 2016, Azerbaijan had 0.8 global hectares of biocapacity per person within its territory, half the world average of 1.6 global hectares per person. In 2016 Azerbaijan used 2.1 global hectares of biocapacity per person – their ecological footprint of consumption, resulting in a biocapacity deficit.
In 2016, Azerbaijan hosted its first Formula One Grand Prix.
In April 2017, The Guardian reported that Azerbaijan's ruling elite operated a secret $2.9bn scheme to pay prominent Europeans, buy luxury goods and launder money through a network of opaque British companies.
On 14 September 2017, Azerbaijan extended the agreement on development of ACG until 2050 according to the amended PSA signed by SOCAR and co-ventures (BP, Chevron, Inpex, Equinor, ExxonMobil, TP, ITOCHU and ONGC Videsh).
Azerbaijan became European Team Chess Championship winners in 2017.
In 2017, Baku hosted the fourth Islamic Solidarity Games.
In 2017, after beating Copenhagen 2–2 in the play-off round of the UEFA Champions League, Qarabağ became the first Azerbaijani club to reach the group stage.
Since 2017, Azerbaijan has hosted the Azerbaijan Grand Prix.
In April 2018, Ilham Aliyev secured his fourth consecutive term in an election.
Azerbaijan qualified for the Eurovision Grand Final up until the 2018 edition of the contest, entering with X My Heart by singer Aisel.
In 2018, Azerbaijan had a Forest Landscape Integrity Index mean score of 6.55/10, ranking it 72nd globally.
In January 2019, 50.1% of the total population of Azerbaijan was female.
According to the 2019 population census, the ethnic composition of Azerbaijan's population was: 94.8% Azerbaijanis, 1.7% Lezgins, 0.9% Talysh, 0.7% Russians, 0.5% Avars, 0.4% Turks, 0.3% Tats, 0.2% Tatars, 0.1% Ukrainians, 0.1% Tsakhurs, 0.1% Georgians, 0.1% Jews, and 0.2% others.
In 2019, Baku hosted the European Youth Summer Olympic Festival.
On 27 September 2020, clashes in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resumed along the Line of Contact.
As of 2020, Azerbaijan spent $2.24 billion on its defence budget, which amounted to 5.4% of its total GDP, and some 12.7% of general government expenditure.
Following the Second Nagorno-Karabakh War in 2020, seven districts and parts of Nagorno-Karabakh were returned to Azerbaijani control.
In 2020, forest cover in Azerbaijan was around 14% of the total land area, equivalent to 1,131,770 hectares.
On July 1, 2021, the US Congress advanced legislation that will impact the military aid that Washington has sent to Azerbaijan since 2012, because the packages to Armenia are significantly smaller.
As of 2021, Azerbaijan had 126,000 active personnel in its armed forces.
Azeriqaz, a sub-company of SOCAR, intends to ensure full gasification of the country by 2021.
As of March 2022, 52.9% of the population of Azerbaijan, which totals 10,164,464, is urban.
In September 2023, Azerbaijan launched an offensive against the breakaway Republic of Artsakh in Nagorno-Karabakh.
In 2023, an Azerbaijani offensive ended the Republic of Artsakh, leading to the flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.
On 1 January 2024 the Republic of Artsakh was dissolved and reintegrated and nearly all ethnic Armenians fled the region.
In 2024, Azerbaijan was ranked 95th in the Global Innovation Index.
In 2024, Freedom House ranked Azerbaijan 7/100 on its Global Freedom Score, categorising it as "not free".
Azerbaijan extended the agreement on development of ACG until 2050 according to the amended PSA signed on 14 September 2017.
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