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Compare Azerbaijan (2006) - Spain (2008)

Compare Azerbaijan (2006) z Spain (2008)

 Azerbaijan (2006)Spain (2008)
 AzerbaijanSpain
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
17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma)and 2 autonomous cities* (ciudades autonomas, singular - ciudad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Ceuta*, Canarias (Canary Islands), Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Comunidad Valenciana, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Melilla*, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco (Basque Country)


note: the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla plus three small islands of Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera, administered directly by the Spanish central government, are all along the coast of Morocco and are collectively referred to as Places of Sovereignty (Plazas de Soberania)
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: 14.4% (male 3,005,818/female 2,826,805)


15-64 years: 67.8% (male 13,758,869/female 13,661,295)


65 years and over: 17.8% (male 3,002,585/female 4,192,819) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish
Airports 36 (2006) 154 (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: 96


over 3,047 m: 18


2,438 to 3,047 m: 11


1,524 to 2,437 m: 18


914 to 1,523 m: 25


under 914 m: 24 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 7 (2006)
total: 58


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 14


under 914 m: 42 (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: 504,782 sq km


land: 499,542 sq km


water: 5,240 sq km


note: there are two autonomous cities - Ceuta and Melilla - and 17 autonomous communities including Balearic Islands and Canary Islands, and three small Spanish possessions off the coast of Morocco - Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maine slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
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. Spain's powerful world empire of the 16th and 17th centuries ultimately yielded command of the seas to England. Subsequent failure to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions caused the country to fall behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II but suffered through a devastating civil war (1936-39). A peaceful transition to democracy following the death of dictator Francisco FRANCO in 1975, and rapid economic modernization (Spain joined the EU in 1986) have given Spain one of the most dynamic economies in Europe and made it a global champion of freedom. Continuing challenges include Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) terrorism, illegal immigration, and slowing economic growth.
Birth rate 20.74 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 9.98 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $3.18 billion


expenditures: $2.986 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
revenues: $571.1 billion


expenditures: $544.9 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: Madrid


geographic coordinates: 40 24 N, 3 41 W


time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


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


note: Spain is divided into two time zones including the Canary Islands
Climate dry, semiarid steppe temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
Coastline 0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km est.) 4,964 km
Constitution adopted 12 November 1995 approved by legislature 31 October 1978; passed by referendum 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
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: Kingdom of Spain


conventional short form: Spain


local long form: Reino de Espana


local short form: Espana
Death rate 9.75 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 9.81 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $1.873 billion (2005 est.) $2.047 trillion (30 June 2007 est.)
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 Eduardo AGUIRRE, Jr.


embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid


mailing address: PSC 61, APO AE 09642


telephone: [34] (91) 587-2200


FAX: [34] (91) 587-2303


consulate(s) general: Barcelona
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 Carlos WESTENDORP


chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037


telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340


FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670


consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
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 in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar greater autonomy; Morocco protests Spain's control over the coastal enclaves of Ceuta, Melilla, and the islands of Penon de Velez de la Gomera, Penon de Alhucemas and Islas Chafarinas, and surrounding waters; Morocco serves as the primary launching site of illegal migration into Spain from North Africa; Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $1.33 billion (1999)
Economic aid - recipient ODA, $140 million (2000 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. The Spanish economy boomed from 1986 to 1990 averaging 5% annual growth. After a European-wide recession in the early 1990s, the Spanish economy resumed moderate growth starting in 1994. Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is equal to that of the leading West European economies. The center-right government of former President Jose Maria AZNAR successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency (the euro) on 1 January 1999. The AZNAR administration continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment fell steadily under the AZNAR administration but remains high at 7.6%. Growth averaging more than 3% annually during 2003-07 was satisfactory given the background of a faltering European economy. The Socialist president, RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO, has made mixed progress in carrying out key structural reforms, which need to be accelerated and deepened to sustain Spain's economic growth. Despite the economy's relative solid footing significant downside risks remain including Spain's continued loss of competitiveness, the potential for a housing market collapse, the country's changing demographic profile, and a decline in EU structural funds.
Electricity - consumption 20.25 billion kWh (2003) 243 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 700 million kWh (2003) 11.56 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 2.35 billion kWh (2003) 10.21 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 20 billion kWh (2003) 270.3 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m


highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 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 pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification
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-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, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
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
composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
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
euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (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: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968


head of government: President of the Government (Prime Minister equivalent) Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO (since 17 April 2004); First Vice President (and Minister of the Presidency) Maria Teresa FERNANDEZ DE LA VEGA (since 18 April 2004) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance) Pedro SOLBES (since 18 April 2004)


cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president


note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government, but its recommendations are non-binding


elections: the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually proposed president by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly; election last held on 14 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on the proposal of the president


election results: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 52.29%
Exports NA bbl/day 175,200 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs machinery, motor vehicles; foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, medicines, other consumer goods
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) France 18.8%, Germany 11%, Portugal 9%, Italy 8.6%, UK 8%, US 4.4% (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 horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 14.1%


industry: 45.7%


services: 40.2% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 3.8%


industry: 29.4%


services: 66.8% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 26.4% (2005 est.) 3.8% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 40 30 N, 47 30 E 40 00 N, 4 00 W
Geography - note both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
Heliports 1 (2006) 8 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.8%


highest 10%: 27.8% (1995)
lowest 10%: 2.6%


highest 10%: 26.6% (2000)
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 despite rigorous law enforcement efforts, North African, Latin American, Galician, and other European traffickers take advantage of Spain's long coastline to land large shipments of cocaine and hashish for distribution to the European market; consumer for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish; destination and minor transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering site for Colombian narcotics trafficking organizations and organized crime
Imports NA bbl/day 1.714 million bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals machinery and equipment, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, measuring and medical control instruments
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 14.8%, France 13.4%, Italy 8.3%, UK 5.2%, Netherlands 4.9%, China 4.6% (2006)
Independence 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) the Iberian peninsula was characterized by a variety of independent kingdoms prior to the Muslim occupation that began in the early 8th century A.D. and lasted nearly seven centuries; the small Christian redoubts of the north began the reconquest almost immediately, culminating in the seizure of Granada in 1492; this event completed the unification of several kingdoms and is traditionally considered the forging of present-day Spain
Industrial production growth rate 40% (2005 est.) 3% (2007 est.)
Industries petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism, clay and refractory products, footwear, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment
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: 4.31 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 9.6% (2005 est.) 2.4% (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) ADB (nonregional members), AfDB, Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, Union Latina, UNMEE, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land 14,550 sq km (2003) 37,800 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Supreme Court Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Labor force 5.45 million (2005 est.) 22.01 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 41%


industry: 7%


services: 52% (2001)
agriculture: 5.3%


industry: 30.1%


services: 64.6% (2004 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: 1,917.8 km


border countries: Andorra 63.7 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km
Land use arable land: 20.62%


permanent crops: 2.61%


other: 76.77% (2005)
arable land: 27.18%


permanent crops: 9.85%


other: 62.97% (2005)
Languages Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.) Castilian Spanish (official) 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%, are official regionally
Legal system based on civil law system civil law system, with regional applications; 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
bicameral; General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (259 seats; 208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 51 appointed by the regional legislatures; to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; each of the 50 electoral provinces fills a minimum of two seats and the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla fill one seat each with members serving a four-year term; the other 248 members are determined by proportional representation based on popular vote on block lists who serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held on 14 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008); Congress of Deputies - last held on 14 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PP 49%, PSOE 38%, Entesa Catalona de Progress 5.7%, PNV 2.8%, CC 2.4%, CiU 2%; seats by party - PP 102, PSOE 81, Entesa Catalona de Progress 12, PNV 6, CiU 4, CC 3; Congress of Deputies - percent of vote by party - PSOE 43.3%, PP 37.8%, CiU 3.2%, IU 3.2%, ERC 2.5%, PNV 1.6%, CC 0.9%, other 7.5%; seats by party - PSOE 164, PP 148, CiU 10, ERC 8, PNV 7, IU 5, CC 3, other 5
Life expectancy at birth total population: 63.85 years


male: 59.78 years


female: 68.13 years (2006 est.)
total population: 79.78 years


male: 76.46 years


female: 83.32 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: 97.9%


male: 98.7%


female: 97.2% (2003 est.)
Location Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Map references Asia Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)
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: 167 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,365,450 GRT/2,282,245 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 9, cargo 13, chemical tanker 13, container 25, liquefied gas 10, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 52, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 5, roll on/roll off 17, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 5


foreign-owned: 33 (Cuba 1, Denmark 2, Germany 9, Italy 1, Mexico 3, Norway 6, US 9, Uruguay 2)


registered in other countries: 106 (Angola 1, Bahamas 11, Belize 2, Brazil 4, Cape Verde 1, Cuba 1, Cyprus 7, Irland 1, Malta 1, Marshall Islands 3, Nigeria 1, Panama 61, Portugal 10, St Kitts and Nevis 1, Venezuela 1) (2007)
Military branches Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces Spanish Armed Forces: Army (Ejercito de Tierra), Spanish Navy (Armada Espanola, AE; includes Marine Corps), Spanish Air Force (Ejercito del Aire Espanola, EdA) (2006)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $121 million (FY99) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.6% (FY99) 1.2% (2005 est.)
National holiday Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918) National Day, 12 October (1492); year when Columbus first set foot in the Americas
Nationality noun: Azerbaijani(s), Azeri(s)


adjective: Azerbaijani, Azeri
noun: Spaniard(s)


adjective: Spanish
Natural hazards droughts periodic droughts
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina coal, lignite, iron ore, copper, lead, zinc, uranium, tungsten, mercury, pyrites, magnesite, fluorspar, gypsum, sepiolite, kaolin, potash, hydropower, arable land
Net migration rate -4.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 0.99 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines gas 3,190 km; oil 2,436 km (2006) gas 7,858 km; oil 622 km; refined products 3,445 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
Aragonese Party or CHA [Bizen FUSTER]; Basque Nationalist Party or PNV [Inigo URKULLU]; Basque Solidarity or EA [Begona ERRAZTI]; Canarian Coalition or CC [Jose Torres STINGA] (a coalition of five parties); Convergence and Union or CiU [Artur MAS i Gavarro] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia or CDC [Artur MAS i Gavarro] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN i LLEIDA]); Entesa Catalonia de Progress (a Senate coalition grouping four Catalan parties - PSC, ERC, ICV, EUA); Galician Nationalist Bloc or BNG [Anxo Manuel QUINTANA Gonzalez]; Initiative for Catalonia Greens or ICV [Joan SAURA i Laporta]; Navarra yes or Na Bai [Uxue BARKOS Berruezo] (a coalition of four Navarran parties); Popular Party or PP [Mariano RAJOY Brey]; Republican Left of Catalonia or ERC [Josep-Lluis CAROD-ROVIRA]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE [Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO]; United Left or IU [Gaspar LLAMAZARES Trigo] (a coalition of parties including the PCE and other small parties)
Political pressure groups and leaders Sadval, Lezgin movement; self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement; Union of Pro-Azerbaijani Forces (UPAF) Association for Victims of Terrorism or AVT (grassroots organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist attacks and supporting its victims); Basta Ya (Spanish for "Enough is Enough"; grassroots organization devoted primarily to opposing ETA terrorist attacks and supporting its victims); business and landowning interests; Catholic Church; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977); Nunca Mais (Galician for "Never Again"; formed in response to the oil Tanker Prestige oil spill); Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; university students; Trade Union Confederation of Workers' Commissions or CC.OO.
Population 7,961,619 (July 2006 est.) 40,448,191 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line 49% (2002 est.) 19.8% (2005)
Population growth rate 0.66% (2006 est.) 0.116% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 208, FM 715, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways total: 2,957 km


broad gauge: 2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (2005)
total: 14,974 km


broad gauge: 11,919 km 1.668-m gauge (6,950 km electrified)


standard gauge: 1,099 km 1.435-m gauge (1,054 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 1,928 km 1.000-m gauge (815 km electrified); 28 km 0.914-m gauge (28 km electrified) (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
Roman Catholic 94%, other 6%
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: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.063 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.007 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.716 male(s)/female


total population: 0.956 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: well developed, modern facilities; fixed-line teledensity is 45 connections for each 100 persons


domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is 160 telephones per 100 persons


international: country code - 34; submarine cables provide connectivity to Europe, Middle East, Asia, and US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Telephones - main lines in use 1,091,400 (2005) 18.385 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 2.242 million (2005) 46.152 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 2 (1997) 224 (plus 2,105 repeaters; includes 11 television broadcast stations and 88 repeaters in the Canary Islands) (1995)
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 large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north
Total fertility rate 2.46 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.29 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 1.1% official rate (2005 est.) 7.6% (2007 est.)
Waterways - 1,000 km (2003)
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