Azerbaijan is the largest and most prosperous of the South Caucasus states due to its hydrocarbon wealth and is roughly the size of Scotland. The currency in Azerbaijan is the ‘manat’. It is home to about 9 million people and a number of different ethnic groups. The country borders Russia and Iran on the Caspian Sea, as well as Georgia, Armenia and Turkey. As a consequence of Azerbaijan’s conflict with Armenia, Nagorno-Karabagh, about 14% of the country’s territory has been occupied by Armenia since 1994 and 10% of Azerbaijan’s population displaced.
Azerbaijani is the official language of Azerbaijan but Russian is also still widely used, and most people (at least in Baku) are bilingual. English is also quite widely spoken and understood in Baku, although fewer people speak English outside the capital.
Azerbaijan is classified as a presidential republic, and is currently led by President Ilham Aliyev who took over as president from his father, Heydar Aliyev, in 2003. Heydar Aliyev was president between 1993-2003. Azerbaijan’s national identity, based on citizenship, is open and inclusive. The cultural and social rights of ethnic minorities are protected in an attempt to prevent separatist sentiments. Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons are well integrated into society. Azerbaijan is a secular state, yet state and religious organisations coexist in a carefully orchestrated balance.