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Compare Azerbaijan (2006) - Bulgaria (2008)

Compare Azerbaijan (2006) z Bulgaria (2008)

 Azerbaijan (2006)Bulgaria (2008)
 AzerbaijanBulgaria
Administrative divisions 59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika)


rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu, Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu, Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu, Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu, Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu, Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu, Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu, Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Susa Rayonu, Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xanlar Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab Rayonu


cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit Sahari, Susa Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari


autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi
28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol
Age structure 0-14 years: 25.8% (male 1,046,501/female 1,011,492)


15-64 years: 66.3% (male 2,573,134/female 2,706,275)


65 years and over: 7.8% (male 246,556/female 377,661) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 13.9% (male 521,117/female 496,022)


15-64 years: 68.7% (male 2,472,424/female 2,556,102)


65 years and over: 17.4% (male 523,660/female 753,533) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats vegetables, fruits, tobacco, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets; livestock
Airports 36 (2006) 214 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 27


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 13


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 2 (2006)
total: 131


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 18


1,524 to 2,437 m: 15


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 95 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 7 (2006)
total: 83


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 72 (2007)
Area total: 86,600 sq km


land: 86,100 sq km


water: 500 sq km


note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991
total: 110,910 sq km


land: 110,550 sq km


water: 360 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maine slightly larger than Tennessee
Background Azerbaijan - a nation with a Turkic and majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the Azerbaijani Nagorno-Karabakh enclave (largely Armenian populated). Azerbaijan has lost 16% of its territory and must support some 528,000 internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict. Corruption is ubiquitous, and the promise of widespread wealth from Azerbaijan's undeveloped petroleum resources remains largely unfulfilled. The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent from the Ottoman Empire in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. The country joined NATO in 2004 and the EU in 2007.
Birth rate 20.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 9.62 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $3.18 billion


expenditures: $2.986 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $16.62 billion


expenditures: $15.18 billion (2007 est.)
Capital name: Baku (Baki, Baky)


geographic coordinates: 40 23 N, 49 51 E


time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
name: Sofia


geographic coordinates: 42 41 N, 23 19 E


time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate dry, semiarid steppe temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Coastline 0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km est.) 354 km
Constitution adopted 12 November 1995 adopted 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan


conventional short form: Azerbaijan


local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi


local short form: Azarbaycan


former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria


conventional short form: Bulgaria


local long form: Republika Balgariya


local short form: Balgariya
Death rate 9.75 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 14.28 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $1.873 billion (2005 est.) $29.29 billion (30 June 2007)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Anne E. DERSE


embassy: 83 Azadliyg Prospecti, Baku AZ1007


mailing address: American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050 Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050


telephone: [994] (12) 4980-335 through 337


FAX: [994] (12) 4656-671
chief of mission: Ambassador John Ross BEYRLE


embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407


mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, US Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740


telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100


FAX: [359] (2) 937-5320
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Yashar ALIYEV


chancery: 2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 337-3500


FAX: [1] (202) 337-5911


Consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA


chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174


FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Disputes - international Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratify Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters; bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas none
Economic aid - recipient ODA, $140 million (2000 est.) $742 million (2005-06 est.)
Economy - overview Azerbaijan's number one export is oil. Azerbaijan's oil production declined through 1997, but has registered an increase every year since. Negotiation of production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with foreign firms, which have thus far committed $60 billion to long-term oilfield development, should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, began in November 1997. A consortium of Western oil companies is scheduled to begin pumping 1 million barrels a day from a large offshore field in early 2006, through a $4 billion pipeline it built from Baku to Turkey's Mediterranean port of Ceyhan. Economists estimate that by 2010 revenues from this project will double the country's current GDP. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are slowly being replaced. Several other obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic progress: the need for stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector, the continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, and the pervasive corruption. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade is building with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its oil wealth. Bulgaria, a former communist country that entered the EU on 1 January 2007, has experienced strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996. Successive governments have demonstrated commitment to economic reforms and responsible fiscal planning, but have failed so far to rein in rising inflation and large current account deficits. Bulgaria has averaged more than 6% growth since 2004, attracting significant amounts of foreign direct investment, but corruption in the public administration, a weak judiciary, and the presence of organized crime remain significant challenges.
Electricity - consumption 20.25 billion kWh (2003) 37.4 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - exports 700 million kWh (2003) 7.8 billion kWh (2006)
Electricity - imports 2.35 billion kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2006)
Electricity - production 20 billion kWh (2003) 45.7 billion kWh (2006)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m


highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m


highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Environment - current issues local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT as a pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes
Environment - international agreements party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9% (1999 census)


note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region
Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001 census)
Exchange rates Azerbaijani manats per US dollar - 4,727.1 (2005), 4,913.48 (2004), 4,910.73 (2003), 4,860.82 (2002), 4,656.58 (2001)


note: on 1 January 2006 Azerbaijan revalued its currency, with 5,000 old manats equal to 1 new manat
leva per US dollar - 1.4366 (2007), 1.5576 (2006), 1.5741 (2005), 1.5751 (2004), 1.7327 (2003)
Executive branch chief of state: President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003)


head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 4 November 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas ABBASOV (since 10 November 2003)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly


elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 15 October 2003 (next to be held October 2008); prime minister and first deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly


election results: Ilham ALIYEV elected president; percent of vote - Ilham ALIYEV 76.8%, Isa GAMBAR 14%
chief of state: President Georgi PARVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)


head of government: Prime Minister Sergei STANISHEV (since 16 August 2005); Deputy Prime Ministers Ivaylo KALFIN, Daniel VULCHEV, and Emel ETEM (since 16 August 2005)


cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 and 29 October 2006 (next to be held in 2011); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly


election results: Georgi PARVANOV reelected president; percent of vote - Georgi PARVANOV 77.3%, Volen SIDEROV 22.7%; Sergei STANISHEV elected prime minister, result of legislative vote - 168 to 67
Exports NA bbl/day 51,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
Exports - partners Italy 30.3%, France 9.4%, Russia 6.6%, Turkey 6.3%, Turkmenistan 6.3%, Georgia 4.8%, Israel 4.5%, Croatia 4.1% (2005) Turkey 12%, Italy 10.4%, Germany 10%, Greece 8.2%, Belgium 6.8%, France 4.3% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red


note: the national emblem, formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe, has been removed
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 14.1%


industry: 45.7%


services: 40.2% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 8.1%


industry: 31.3%


services: 60.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 26.4% (2005 est.) 6.1% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 40 30 N, 47 30 E 43 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Heliports 1 (2006) 4 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 27.8% (1995)
lowest 10%: 2.9%


highest 10%: 25.4% (2005)
Illicit drugs limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions
Imports NA bbl/day 138,800 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; fuels, minerals, and raw materials
Imports - partners Russia 17%, UK 9.1%, Singapore 9.1%, Turkey 7.4%, Germany 6.1%, Turkmenistan 5.8%, Ukraine 5.4%, China 4.1% (2005) Germany 15%, Italy 10.6%, Turkey 7.2%, Greece 6.3%, China 5%, France 4.9%, Romania 4.5% (2006)
Independence 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate 40% (2005 est.) 5.5% (2007 est.)
Industries petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles electricity, gas, water; food, beverages, tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Infant mortality rate total: 79 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 81.08 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 76.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 19.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 22.75 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 9.6% (2005 est.) 7.8% (2007 est.)
International organization participation AsDB, BSEC, CE, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer) ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land 14,550 sq km (2003) 5,880 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary)
Labor force 5.45 million (2005 est.) 3.44 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 41%


industry: 7%


services: 52% (2001)
agriculture: 8.5%


industry: 33.6%


services: 57.9% (2nd qtr. 2006 est.)
Land boundaries total: 2,013 km


border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km
total: 1,808 km


border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia 318 km, Turkey 240 km
Land use arable land: 20.62%


permanent crops: 2.61%


other: 76.77% (2005)
arable land: 29.94%


permanent crops: 1.9%


other: 68.16% (2005)
Languages Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.) Bulgarian 84.5%, Turkish 9.6%, Roma 4.1%, other and unspecified 1.8% (2001 census)
Legal system based on civil law system civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: last held 6 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Yeni 58, Azadliq coalition 8, CSP 2, YES 2, Motherland 2, other parties with single seats 7, independents 42, undetermined 4
unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 25 June 2005 (next to be held in June 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - CfB 31.1%, NMS2 19.9%, MRF 12.7%, ATAKA 8.2%, UDF 7.7%, DSB 6.5%, BPU 5.2%, other 8.7%; seats by party - CfB 83, NMS2 53, MRF 33, UDF 20, ATAKA 17, DSB 17, BPU 13, independents 4; note - seats by party as of January 2008 - CfB 82, NMS2 36, MRF 34, UDF 16, DSB 16, Bulgarian New Democracy 16, BPU 13, ATAKA 11, independents 16
Life expectancy at birth total population: 63.85 years


male: 59.78 years


female: 68.13 years (2006 est.)
total population: 72.57 years


male: 68.95 years


female: 76.4 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.8%


male: 99.5%


female: 98.2% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.2%


male: 98.7%


female: 97.7% (2001 census)
Location Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Map references Asia Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 84 ships (1000 GRT or over) 405,395 GRT/436,666 DWT


by type: cargo 26, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 43, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 3


registered in other countries: 4 (Georgia 2, Malta 2) (2006)
total: 71 ships (1000 GRT or over) 833,153 GRT/1,194,660 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 37, cargo 14, chemical tanker 4, container 6, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 4


foreign-owned: 3 (Germany 1, Ireland 1, Russia 1)


registered in other countries: 39 (Comoros 1, Malta 15, Mongolia 2, Panama 1, Slovakia 7, St Vincent and The Grenadines 13) (2007)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces Bulgarian Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Bulgarian Air Forces (Bulgarski Voennovazdyshni Sily, BVVS) (2008)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $121 million (FY99) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.6% (FY99) 2.6% (2005 est.)
National holiday Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918) Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Nationality noun: Azerbaijani(s), Azeri(s)


adjective: Azerbaijani, Azeri
noun: Bulgarian(s)


adjective: Bulgarian
Natural hazards droughts earthquakes, landslides
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Net migration rate -4.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) -3.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines gas 3,190 km; oil 2,436 km (2006) gas 2,500 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2007)
Political parties and leaders Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform" faction; Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU, leader of "Classic" faction]; Civic Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic Union Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan or CPA [Ramiz AHMADOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI]; Democratic Party for Azerbaijan or DPA [Rasul QULIYEV, chairman]; Justice Party [Ilyas ISMAILOV]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA]; Motherland Party; Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Yeni Azerbaijan Party; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar MAMMADLI, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP [Araz ALIZADE and Ayaz MUTALIBOV]


note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties
ATAKA (Attack Coalition) (coalition of parties headed by the Attack National Union); Attack National Union [Volen SIDEROV]; Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian New Democracy [Borislav RALCHEV]; Bulgarian People's Union or BPU (coalition of UFD, IMRO, and BANU); Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Citizens for the European Development of Bulgaria or GERB [Boyko BORISOV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or IMRO [Krasimir KARAKACHANOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Stability and Progress or NDSV [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Petar STOYANOV]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by UDF)
Political pressure groups and leaders Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces (UPAF) Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
Population 7,961,619 (July 2006 est.) 7,322,858 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 49% (2002 est.) 14.1% (2003 est.)
Population growth rate 0.66% (2006 est.) -0.837% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)
Railways total: 2,957 km


broad gauge: 2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2005)
total: 4,294 km


standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2006)
Religions Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)


note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages for actual practicing adherents are much lower
Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, other Christian 1.2%, other 4% (2001 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female


total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.051 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.967 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.695 male(s)/female


total population: 0.924 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: inadequate; requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 14 main lines per 100 persons is low (2002)


domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other industrial centers - about 700 villages still without public telephone service; satellite service connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivan


international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still serviceable; satellite earth stations - 2 (2005)
general assessment: an extensive but antiquated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era; quality has improved; the Bulgaria Telecommunications Company's fixed-line monopoly terminated in 2005 when alternative fixed-line operators were given access to its network; a drop in fixed-line connections in recent years has been offset by a sharp increase in mobile-cellular telephone use fostered by multiple service providers


domestic: a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions; the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay


international: country code - 359; submarine cable provides connectivity to Ukraine and Russia; a combination submarine cable and land fiber-optic system provides connectivity to Italy, Albania, and Macedonia; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 1,091,400 (2005) 2.399 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.242 million (2005) 8.253 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland) (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Total fertility rate 2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.39 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 1.1% official rate (2005 est.) 8% (2007 est.)
Waterways - 470 km (2007)
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