Azerbaijan

Introduction to Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan) is a country in the Caucasus, at the crossroads of Europe and Southwest Asia, with a coast on the Caspian Sea. It has frontiers with Russia in the north, Georgia in the northwest, Armenia in the west and southeast and southwest, and Iran in the south. The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (an exclave of Azerbaijan) borders Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, and Turkey to the northwest.

The country’s formal name is the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası). Azerbaijan is a secular state, and has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001. A majority of the population are Shi'a Muslim and of Western Turkic descent, known as Azerbaijanis, or simply Azeris. The country is formally an emerging democracy, however with strong authoritarian rule.

Cultural notes about Azerbaijan

The official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani, a member of the Oguz subdivision of the Turkic language family, and is spoken by around 95% of the republic’s population, as well as about a third of the population of Iran. Its closest relatives are Turkish and Turkmen. As a result of the language policy of the Soviet Union, Russian is also commonly spoken as a second language among the urbane.

Official Canadian government advisories for travelling to, in and around Azerbaijan

The Canadian government and Canadian Content advises against all travel to the region(s) specified below.

You are advised against all travel to Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas due to heightened tensions resulting from the political situation. The border with Armenia is closed because of the unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh dispute. A cease-fire has been in effect since May 1994, however armed clashes along the border and cease-fire line continue. Travel to certain areas of the country is restricted. Visitors should not attempt to enter or leave Azerbaijan via land borders with Russia (i.e., Dagestan) or Armenia. The conflict zones are heavily mined, and civilians are regularly maimed or killed by unmarked mines. It is not possible to enter the self-proclaimed "Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh" from Azerbaijan. Moreover, the Canadian Government does not recognize the sovereignty of Nagorno-Karabakh and is extremely limited in its ability to provide consular assistance to Canadians there.