Population :
The population is about 68.5 million and increasing at a rate of about 2.5 percent each year.Azerbaijan is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea at the southeast extremity of the Caucasus . The region is a mountainous country, and only about 7% of it is arable land. The Kura River Valley is the area's major agricultural zone

Government : Constitutional republic. Republic of Azerbaijan

National name : Azarbaycan Respublikasi

President : Ilham Aliyev (2003)

Prime minister : Artur Rasizade (2003)

Area : 33,436 sq mi (86,600 sq km)

Population (2005 est.) : 7,911,974 (growth rate: 0.6%); birth rate: 20.4/1000; infant mortality rate: 81.7/1000; life expectancy: 63.4; density per sq mi: 237

Baku , 2,118,600 (metro area), 1,235,400 (city proper), a port on the Caspian Sea Other

large cities (2004 est.) : Ganja, 303,000; Sumgait , 280,500

Monetary unit : Manat Azerbaijani Turkic 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.) Azeri 90%, Dagestani 3.2%, Russian 2.5%, Armenian 2%, other 2.3% (1998 est.). Note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region. Islam 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)

Literacy rate : 97% (1989 est.)

Economic summary : GDP/PPP (2004 est.): $30.01 billion; per capita $3,800. Real growth rate: 9.8%. Inflation: 4.6%. Unemployment: 1.2% (official rate). Arable land: 19%. Agriculture: cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats.

Labor force : 5.09 million; agriculture and forestry 32%, industry and construction 15%, services 53% (1997).

Industries : petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles.

Natural resources : petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina.

Exports: $3.168 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs. Imports: $3.622 billion (f.o.b., 2004 est.): machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals.

Major trading partners : Italy , Czech Republic , Germany , France , Turkey , Georgia , Russia , UK , U.S. , Kazakhstan (2003).

Communications : Telephones main lines in use: 923,800 (2002); mobile cellular 870,000 (2002). Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998).

Television broadcast stations : 2 (1997). Internet hosts: 586 (2004).

Internet users : 300,000 (2002).

Transportation : Railways: total: 2,957 km (2004).

Highways : Total 28,030 km; paved: 25,890 km; unpaved: 2,130 km (2002).

Ports and harbors : Baku (Baki).

Airports : 50 (2004 est).