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Friday 16 December 2011

Azerbaijan

The name of Azerbaijan derives from that of Atropates who ruled ruled over the region of Atropane (present-day Iranian Azerbajan) around the time of Alexander the Great. The name "Atropates" itself is the Greek transliteration of an Old-Iranian compounded name with the meaning "Protected by the (Holy) Fire" or "The Land of the (Holy) Fire".

Azerbaijan shares a common language and culture with Turkey.

Before its conquest by tsarist Russia in the early 19th century, Azerbaijan was a province of Persia.

Azerbaijan became an independent republic in 1918: the first democratic, parliamentary republic in the Islamic world. But the country was invaded and this republic overthrown in 1920 by communist Russia's Red Army, which established a Soviet socialist republic.

The Azerbaijan flag was first used from November 9, 1918 to 1920, when Azerbaijan was independent, and it was revived with slight variations on February 5, 1991. The blue symbolizes Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage, the red stands for progress, and the green represents Islam.


The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) was created as an autonomous oblast by carving out the mountainous districts of Azerbaijan which constituted historic Karabakh within Azerbaijan SSR from July 7, 1923.

The first Azerbaijani parliamentary election was held in late 1990 when the Supreme Soviet already held discussions on independence of Azerbaijan from the Soviet Union. On November 26, 1991, the National Assembly of Azerbaijan abolished the autonomous status of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of Azerbaijan and renamed several cities back to their original names.


As of 2019, Azerbaijan had a estimated population of 10,127,874 people. An estimated 3 million Azerbaijanis, many of them guest workers, live in Russia and Azerbaijan has the highest per capita internally displaced population population in the world.

Out of 11 climate zones known in the world, the Azerbaijani climate has nine.

An Azeri pop duo, Eldar & Nigar, won the 2011 Eurovision Song Contest with the song "Running Scared."

Eric Clapton’s classic rock song "Layla" was inspired by the Azeri epic poem Layla and Majnun about a man in love with a woman who cannot have her because her parents object.

Azerbaijan was among the first countries involved in cinematography. The country's film industry dates back to 1898.

Saffron-rice plov, served with various herbs and greens, is the flagship food in Azerbaijan and black tea. is the national beverage.

Black tea in pear shaped glass. By azerbaijani photographer - pap.az,

Afghanistan and Azerbaijan are only nations whose names begin with an “A”, but doesn’t end in an “A”

Sources © RM 2011. Helicon Publishing is division of RM., Wikipedia

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