Azerbaijan+-+Rocky+Principe

Location


The absolute location of Azerbaijan is 24 degrees North and 49 degrees East. The country lies directly South of Russia and borders the Caspian Sea. Azerbaijans capital is Baku. This city was founded about 1,500 years ago and can be located on the Eastern coast of the country. Baku is home to beautifal beaches and contains largents of Petroleum. Another key city is Ganja, the countries second largest city. The legend of the city states that it was founded on beleif that there was treasure buried underneath the land in the area. An Arab governor went there and was told to use the money of the treasure to create the city. []

Flag
The Azerbaijan flag is made up of green, red, and blue stripes with a white moon and eight pointed star in the middle. The green represents Islam, the red represesnts progress and blue represents Turkic heritage. The meaning of the creascent is unknown other than that it appears in other Islamic flags. Suggestions say the eight points refer to the eight branches of Islam. The flag is still relatively new, only being adopted in 1991. A lot of Azerbaijan natives take pride in the flag and it is metioned twice in their constitution. []



Physical Geography
Some people describe the country of Azerbaijan to look like an eagel. The Caucasus border acts like the wings while the Caspian border shapes the head of the head of the eagle. The country is slightly smaller than Portugal and covers about 86,600 km squared. The Caucasus mountains take up more than half of the countrys land and part of it is under the Caspian sea. Azerbaijan is still has enough land mass to host 1,250 rivers. The country is also host to 1,000 different mineral springs. Bazarduze Dagi is the highest point in the country and the Caspian Sea is the lowest point. []



Population
8,781,100 people live in Azerbaijan. It is the second most densely populated Transcaucasian country. Many people flock to major cities like Baku which was recoreded to have over 2 million residents in 2009. About 300,000 people reside in the cities of Gandja and Sumgait. Urban areas can be crowded with and average of 97 people per Km squared. The average family has 2 kids and 50 percent of them live in urban areas. Life expectancy in Azerbaijan is at 72 years of age for the population. []

Customs
Yeni il or New Years for Azerbaijan is also on January 1st like in the U.S. Martyr day is when victims of the Nagorno-Karabakh War are honored and when Soviet troops invaded Baku, killing 180 civilians. A Womans day is also celebrated here. The favorite holiday is Norvuz which means new day. It is celebrated in multiple mid eastern countries and even marks the new year in Iran. Norvuz is a celebration in Islamic beleifs that stretch for 9 days. During this time the people buy new clothes, make food, and festivals flood the streets. []

Government
The country of Azerbaijan is a Constitutional Republic. Their is a Prime Minister and a President in charge. The Prime Minister is the head of the government while the President is head of the state. The current President is Ilham Aliyev and the current Prime Minister is Artur Rasizade. The political system in Azerbaijan is not that old, it has only been around since 1991 when it gained independence from the Soviet Union. []

Economy
Azerbaijan has an oil based economy and has flourished recently with other countries struggling to supply oil to their residents. In 2007 Azerbaijans GDP rose about 40%, the highest of any in that year. Their current GDP is $43.02 Billion and is $4,899 per capita. Foods and capita goods are major inports of the country. Major agricultural products include grapes, tobacco, vegetables and fruits. Grapes, cotton, and tobacco account for over half of their agricultural production. Azerbaiajan can be considered a developed country, however it is a second world country.

Culture
Islamic, Russian and European influences have taken its toll to Azerbaijan. This can be seen in language used their with Russia and european languages being spoken by various people. However, the main language is the native Azeri language and English is starting to pick up to the younger generation. Religion as well plays a big part in Azerbarian culture. with most of the population Muslim, it is still common to see things like arranged marriages. In Azerbaijan, just like anywhere else, the music plays a roll in their identity. Usually the musical poets sing about deeds and heroes on string instruments. Some of their music can be compared to jazz. When it comes to sports these people have traditionally been interested in freestyle wrestling and is referenced to be their national sport. Football and Chess have gained more popularity recently and are favorites in Azerbaijan. []

Ethnic/Religous Makeup
90% of the ethnic makeup in Azerbaijan is of the native Azeri descent. The Azeri ethnicity itself originates from Persians and eastern Transcaucasia. The Russian population was once a greater number but they left the country after its independence was declared. About 93% of the country is made up of Muslim followers. Shi'a belief is also found here, which is a form of Islam. Even though Azerbaijan is dominated by Muslims, the constitution say that there is a freedom of religion. Their are problems within the constitution that contradict itself on this topic but it doesnt seem to be a major issue. []

Sociology
In the Socialist era, the caste system worked in favor of the Russians who had control of the country at the time. The Russians, being most of the urban population thought that it was ok to look downn upon on the rural population being the Azeris. Anything that could help with Azeri power in the country was searched for so education then and now is valued greatly in Azerbaijan. Woman also have played a big roll in the socioalism of Azerbaijan. The Russians allowed woman to look like they had a lot of power iin the government but did not hold any true power. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, the woman participation in the government went from 40% to 6%, however the Azeris still honor their woman and the feminism is present there. []



Problems

 * 1) ==Human Rights - torture==
 * 2) domestic violence
 * 3) ==water supply==
 * 4) ==security==
 * 5) ==environmental issues==

Solutions

 * 1) Imply appropriate consequences in law
 * 2) Drastic consequence for domestic abuse
 * 3) invest in more water filtering
 * 4) upgrade in law inforcement
 * 5) promote more reccycling and going green

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