Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a republic of the former USSR, declared itself independent in 1991. Azerbaijan is a not a usual tourist destination or summer vacation spot. Including the detached region of Nakhichevan, it is situated on the southwest coast of the Caspian Sea and shares its borders with Iran, Armenia, Georgian and the Russian Federation.

The Araks River separates Azerbaijan from the region known as Azarbaijan in northern Ira. The country, Azerbaijan, is semi arid, and 70% of the land is irrigated for the production of cotton, wheat, maize, potatoes, tobacco, tea, and citrus fruits. It has rich mineral deposits of oil, natural gas, iron, and aluminium. The most important mineral is oil, which is found in the Baku area from where is it piped to Batumi on the Black Sea. There are steel, synthetic rubber and aluminium works at Sumgait just north of the capital Baku. Other major cities in Azerbaijan are Gyandzha and Sumgait. The currency used in Azerbaijan is the Rouble.