General information

Azerbaijan is located on the western shore of the Caspian Sea at the southeast extremity of the Caucasus.

Area: 86,600 square km (33,400 square miles)

Population: 9,493,600 (July 2012 est.)

Capital: Baku is the capital and largest city of Azerbaijan and on the Caspian Sea, as well as the leading cultural and educational centre of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of the Absheron Peninsula. Baku's urban population at the beginning of 2012 was estimated at just over two million people. Officially, about 25 percent of all inhabitants of the country live in the metropolitan city area of Baku.

Climate: Azerbaijan is the region with unique geographical and climatic characteristics. As 9 out of 11 existing climate zones are present in Azerbaijan, the climate varies between subtropical and moderate. The Greater Caucasus protects the country from direct influences of cold air masses coming from the north. The average temperature are observed from  32 - 35°C in July to  -10°C in January. The maximum annual precipitation ranges from 1,600 to 1,800 mm in Lankaran and the minimum from  200 to 350 mm in Absheron.

Time zone: GMT +4; summer: GMT +5

Telephone code: The international telephone code for Azerbaijan is +994.

Language: The official language is Azerbaijani, which belongs to the Turkic language family, Besides, Russian and English are widely used in the country.

Religion: According to the Constitution of the Republic of Azerbaijan, religion here is separated from the state. All religions are equal before the law. It is strictly prohibited to propagate and promote religious humiliating in the country. The Law of Azerbaijan Republic "On religious freedom" determines guarantees to the right of each person on his free attitude to religion.

Although various religious confessions function in Azerbaijan, Islam has the dominating position. 85% of the population is Shia Muslims and 15% Sunni Muslims. Besides, Idolatry, Zoroastrianism, Judaism, Christianity and other religious movements are spread in the country.

Currency

The national currency is Azerbaijani Manat. 1 Manat is 100 gepiks (coins). All foreign currencies can be exchanged to Azerbaijani Manat in all banks in the country.