Looking to boost your local knowledge of this beautiful country? Take a look at these fun facts about Azerbaijan!
1. Where is Azerbaijan?
Azerbaijan is a beautiful and historical country in Asia.
It is bordered by Georgia and Russia to the north, Iran to the south and Armenia and Turkey to the west. It has a coastline along the Caspian Sea to the east.
2. Here’s the coordinates.
To discover the historic caves and natural wonders of this lovely country, head for the coordinates of 40.3000° N, 47.7000°
3. The land is up and down.
The terrain here is mixed, with great mountains in the north, uplands to the west whilst the rest of the country is made up of flat to rolling plains, much of which is actually below sea level!
4. It’s absolutely huge!
The total land area of Azerbaijan is 33,436 square miles (86,600 square kilometres)…that’s around 4 times the size of Wales.
5. However, it’s nowhere near as packed.
Azerbaijan’s population was 10.14 million in 2022… that’s only around 3 times the population of Wales.
6. What are the citizens known as?
Residents here are known as Azerbaijanis.
7. What’s the capital of Azerbaijan?
The capital is Baku; it covers an area of 822 square miles (2,130 square kilometres) and had a population of 2,236,000 in 2016.
8. The climate’s lovely!
Azerbaijanis enjoy a continental climate with warm summers and very cold, dry winters.
9. There’s fire in the ground!
Yanar Dag, or ‘Burning Mountain’, is a natural gas fire that is constantly ablaze on a hillside near the Caspian Sea. The flames litreally rise out of the ground and can be as high as 3m!
10. It’s thought that fireplace installations started here!
Among the incredible archaeological finds that have been documented in Azerbaijan, there is evidence of what could be the first ever fireplace that was created in an inhabited cave around 700,000 BC!
11. Azerbaijan has tons of animals.
Azerbaijan boasts the highest number of mammal species of any European country; an amazing 107 species of mammal have been recorded in Azerbaijan, 3 of which are endemic!
12. What do people speak in Azerbaijan?
The official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani, although Russian is also spoken here.
If you fancy purchasing one of the many silk scarves or ornate pieces of pottery, you’ll need to exchange your money for Azerbaijani Manat, the official currency here.
13. The life expectancy here is long and prosperous.
The average life span here is 69.37 years (2021).
14. Hang up your stockings!
Azerbaijan hosts an interesting (ahem) competition each year – in the ‘Seven Beauties‘ competition, 7 girls are given different coloured threads and crochet hooks and asked to crochet a pair of quality stockings… whoever finishes the best quality pair of stockings first, wins!
15. There’s an immense chess following here.
Azerbaijan is home to a young man who is part of an elite club; Teimour Radjabov is an International Chess Grandmaster and in 2001 he became the 2nd youngest grandmaster ever (he is now ranked 8th, thanks to 6 children of various nationalities gaining the accolade at a younger age).
16. Anyone for tea?
Drinking tea is a large part of Azerbaijani hospitality and often takes place before a meal. They do, however, drink it in a seemingly unusual way – you must pop some sugar or jam into your mouth before sipping the tea and combining the two in your mouth… are you thinking what we’re thinking?
17. Here’s some details on Azerbaijan’s industry.
Azerbaijan grows cotton, grain, grapes and rice; they also rear cattle, pigs, goats and sheep.
Its industry consists of petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, oil field equipment, steel, cement and textiles.
Azerbaijan exports oil and gas, cotton, machinery and foodstuffs.
FAQs about Azerbaijan
Is Azerbaijan safe to visit?
Azerbaijan is generally safe for tourists, but as always, be vigilant for petty crime.
Can you drink alcohol in Azerbaijan?
On the whole, yes, but be careful not to drink in holy places such as mosques.
What does Azerbaijan base its industry on?
Much of Azerbaijan’s GDP is based on oil - but it grows cotton, too.
Do you know any fun facts about Azerbaijan? Share them in the comments below!
