Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus with an area of ​​86.600 km ² and a population of 9 million (estimate 2010).
The capital is Baku.
President of the country is Ilham Aliyev and Prime Minister Arturo Rasizante.
Official language of the country is
Azeri or Azerbaijani (a Turkish language).


Etymology
The name Azerbaijan comes from Atropati, Persian satrap of the Achaemenid Empire, which later became satrap of Medea by Alexander the Great. The original etymology of the name allegedly derived from the ancient Persian religion of Zoroastrianism, as the guardian angel anthem the phrase "âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide", which translates as "the cult of St. ATAPI-clicks.
The Atropatis ruled the region Atropatanis (the current Iranian Azerbaijan) and the name is Greek satrap performance archaiopersikou old name that had meaning "protected by the sacred flame. " The Greek name Atropatis refers to the Sicilian Diodorus and Strabo, with inspiring, contemporary translated into Persian as "the guardian of fire. "


History
Seniority
The first findings of human presence in what is now Azerbaijan dating to the late Stone Age period and associated with the culture of Gkouroutsai massive cave, where the location of the findings. The Upper Paleolithic period and the Late Bronze Age cultures provide evidence in some areas and cemeteries.
The region was conquered by the Achaemenid around 550 BC, which spread Zoroastrianism. Later, the area became part of the empire of Alexander the Great and the successor of the Seleucid empire. The Caucasian Albanians, an early indigenous peoples of the region, they founded an independent kingdom around 4th century BC
There are also reports the presence of Scythians in the 9th century BC, while the Iranians Mentis dominated between 900 and 700 BC then giving their position in the Achaemenid"

Middle Ages
In 252 AD, the empire Sasanidon turned Azerbaijan into slave territory, while the king Ournair formally adopt Christianity as state religion in the 4th century. Despite the constant invasions and conquests, the Byzantine and the Sasanidon, Caucasian Albania remained an independent entity in the region until the 9th century. The Islamic Caliphate in Ommefadon Sasanides both repelled and the Byzantines from the region and eventually turned the Caucasian Albania a vassal state after the suppression of Christian resistance to the prince Tzavansir 667.
The power vacuum left by the decline of the Abbasid Caliphate gave space to many local dynasties such as Salarides The Sachides The Santadides The Raouadides and Bouides. In the early 11th century, the area gradually overwhelmed by waves of Turkmen tribes from Central Asia, which in turn established their own dynasty with the first Gaznavidon around 1030.
Old iranofonoi isolated populations in some mountain areas, while today almost all Turkish-speaking population has established itself as Azeris. The Turkification of Azeri completed in the late 17th century. At the local level and the consequent power of the Seljuk Turks, the government was entrusted to local rulers, vassals of the sultan. The next short-lived hegemony in the region was the state of Tzalagiridon, soon conquered by Tamerlane.
The local dynasty was Sirvansach tributary state of the empire of Tamerlane and support the war against the ruler of the Golden Horde, Tokchtamis. After the death of Tamerlane, the region emerged two independent and competing federations Turkmen tribes, Mafroprovatades (Kara Kogiounlou) and Asproprovatades (AK Kogiounlou). The Sirvansach returned with a high degree of autonomy as local rulers, and were removed from the Safavids of Iran, the last dynasty of Shiite Muslims resisting the Sunni Ottoman Empire, which eventually prevailed in the region.


Modern history
In 1828 the northern part was ceded to Russia in 1918 and proclaimed an independent republic. Azerbaijan became a political entity in 1920 (April 28) and became a federal republic of the Soviet Union in 1936. It was proclaimed a sovereign state in 1989 and independent on August 30, 1991 in Azerbaijan in the late 1980's exploded one of the largest nationalist unrest that occurred in the former USSR In February 1988, the autonomous region of Nagorno-Karabakh where Armenian was a strong point, decide to join Armenia. Followed by the reaction of Moscow flatly rejected the prospect of this union. The result was to occur Soumkagit bloody demonstrations in Azerbaijan that claimed the lives of 32 people.
In Armenia organized major strikes, although the USSR government made some concessions to the Armenians of the region were not considered satisfactory. It also created great dissatisfaction when the Azeri region came under the jurisdiction of the Government of Moscow in an attempt to resolve the crisis. The discontent led to the claim of independence of Azerbaijan and the Soviet army intervened in Baku in January 1990. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union in Azerbaijan became an independent republic with a powerful former chairman of the executive leadership of the Communist Party Moutalimpof sanctify and joined the Commonwealth of Independent States. The war between Armenians and Azerbaijanis continued in Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians with winners and Moutalimpof accused guilty as a result succeeded by Giagkoump Mamentof former Communist who was expelled when the Armenians took the important cultural city in Azerbaijan, Shusha. He returned briefly the Moutalimpof but after large protests ousted. In June 1992, the interim president has equal Gkamparof member of the Popular Front. In subsequent elections he was elected leader of the Popular Front Ampoulfez Eltsimpei. The inexperience of the staff, the corruption of some of these, the failure to address the problems of the people and the military successes of the Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh and the attitude of the military under General Chouseinof Eltsimpei led away. The Speaker of the region of Nakhichevan Cheintar Aliyev became interim president and subsequently elected by referendum taking 99% of the votes and Chouseinof was named prime minister. The UN Security Council adopted a resolution calling on Armenians to withdraw from the territories they had seized and began negotiations to demilitarize the region. The Aliyev began talks with the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh and reached agreement on a cease-fire in late July 1993. But August is a new Armenian offensive in the south and Iran sent troops to prevent the entry of thousands of refugees to their lands. The chairman of the parliament of Nagorno Karabakh accepted the withdrawal of troops from areas of Azerbaijan provided recognition of the independence of the region.
The whole situation and political instability has brought enormous economic problems in Azerbaijan and Aliyev tried to approach the country with Russia and Iran in political and economic cooperation. In October 1994 the Prime Minister Chouseinof supporters tried to seize power and the March 1995 a group of security forces. Both attempts failed, the Chouseinof fled to Russia, while senior military officers and opposition members sentenced.
In November 1995 after the prohibition of descent in the election of the Communists and the Islamists Cheintar Aliyev won an overwhelming majority to power. The situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is still unclear, the region is not recognized as an independent state and has its own president. The Cheintar Aliyev won the elections of 1998 and after health problems handed power to his son Ilham in 2003.

Politics
The country is a presidential democracy. In 2009, after a referendum abolished the limit on terms in office of High choras.Dikaioma vote in elections are the men and women who are aged 18 years and ano.To Constitution adopted on November 12, 1995 and amended by referendum on August 24, 2002.


Demography
Life expectancy in the total population was estimated in 2009 to 66.66 years (62.53 years men and 71.34 women).



Transportation
The main port is the capital Baku. The drive is in dexia.I country has major airports that the Baku.
wikipedia