29 interesting facts about Azerbaijan

The country of Azerbaijan, located in the Transcaucasus, is the birthplace of delicious food, unprecedented hospitality and rich history. With the Soviet Union, local resorts enjoyed great popularity, which declined after the collapse of the USSR, but is gaining momentum again today. And many more are attracted here by amazing nature, incredibly beautiful mountains and ancient culture, the spirit of which literally everything is saturated here.

Facts about Azerbaijan

1. The population of Azerbaijan is 10 million people.
2. In 1918, the Azerbaijan Republic became the first secular democracy in the entire Muslim world.
3. The design of Azerbaijani manats, local money, was developed by the same designer who worked on the design of the euro.
4. About 50% of the entire territory of Azerbaijan is covered by mountains (interesting facts about mountains).
5. Geographically, several regions of this country belong to Eastern Europe.
6. The unofficial name of Azerbaijan is «land of fire». This, by the way, is also the motto of the state.
7. The climate here is very diverse. In low-lying areas, it is +40 degrees in summer, and it is not cold here in winter, but in the mountains in December-January, the air temperature of -30 does not surprise anyone. In total, 9 climate types out of 11 are found in Azerbaijan.
8. About 240 species of Azerbaijani plants are found nowhere else in the world.
9. The Absheron Peninsula belonging to Azerbaijan is considered one of the most unfavorable places in the world in terms of ecology. The soil, water, and air are polluted here.
10. There are about 800 mud volcanoes in the Azerbaijani territories.
11. Part of Iran is called Southern or Iranian Azerbaijan (interesting facts about Iran).
12. Primitive people lived on the territory of modern Azerbaijan 1.5 million years ago.
13. Because of the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Azerbaijan severed diplomatic relations with Armenia (interesting facts about Armenia).
14. About 20% of all Azerbaijanis live in the capital, Baku. In general, more than half of the country’s population lives in cities.
15. More than 99% of Azerbaijanis profess Islam.
16. Azerbaijan has 6 Orthodox churches, and 3 of them are located in the capital.
17. Bread is as widespread and popular here as rice in Asia.
18. Pilaf cooking traditions differ depending on the region. In total, about 50 classic types of this national dish are cooked in Azerbaijan.
19. In 1967, the world’s first museum dedicated to carpets was opened here.
20. Football has been the most popular sport in Azerbaijan for many decades. Chess, however, is not far behind in popularity, and many of the strongest chess players in the world are Azerbaijanis.
21. One of the oldest salt deposits in the world is located in the valley of the Azerbaijani Araz River, which is still operating. Salt mining began here about 5 thousand years ago.
22. Almost 150 scientific institutions operate on the territory of Azerbaijan.
23. The unique Azerbaijani lake Masazir is remarkable for its pink water.
24. The average annual temperature of the Azerbaijani capital is equal to the average annual temperature of the Earth.
25. The Gobustan Archaeological Reserve, famous for its ancient rock paintings and located in Azerbaijan, is recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
26. On the territory of this very country, the world’s first oil well was once drilled.
27. In 1926, the first electric train in the Soviet Union was launched in Azerbaijan.
28. A huge amount of wine is made here. Azerbaijani winemaking is developing at a rapid pace, and local wines are actively exported to other countries.
29. Mount Yanardag, in Azerbaijan, is called the Burning Mountain. One of its crests is indeed on fire due to natural gas coming to the surface.