Heydar Aliyev
President

(pronounced "HEY-dar AL-ee-yev")

"We will never allow anyone to disturb the social and political stability and the healthy climate that have been established."

The Azerbaijan Republic is bordered by the Caspian Sea to the east, Iran to the south, Russia and Georgia to the north, and Armenia to the west. Azerbaijan has a total land area of 86,600 sq km (33,400 sq mi). Major administrative subdivisions include the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region (NK, now formally abolished as a political entity) and the Naxcivan Autonomous Republic (NAR). The capital is Baku, a major port on the Caspian Sea.

The total population was estimated at 7.8 million in 2002. Extended economic hardship and conflict have contributed to the emigration of over one million Azerbaijanis and the concentration of a majority of the citizenry in Baku and other urban centers. About 50,000 ethnic Azerbaijanis reside in neighboring Iran...