Azerbaijan Geography
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Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range.
Geographic coordinates:
40 30 N, 47 30 E.
Map references:
Asia.
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.
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine.
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.
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km est.).
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked).
Climate:
dry, semiarid steppe.
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.
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m.
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, bauxite.
Land use:
arable land: 20.62%
permanent crops: 2.61%
other: 76.77% (2005).
Irrigated land:
14,550 sq km (2003).
Total renewable water resources:
30.3 cu km (1997).
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 17.25 cu km/yr (5%/28%/68%)
per capita: 2,051 cu m/yr (2000).
Natural hazards:
droughts.
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 pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton.
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements.
Geography - note:
both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked.
This page was last updated on May 15, 2008
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Azerbaijan Geography 2008 |
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