Azerbaijan

American  

[ah-zer-bahy-jahn, az-er-bahy-jan, uh-zyir-bahy-jahn] / ˌɑ zər baɪˈdʒɑn, ˌæz ər baɪˈdʒæn, ʌ zyɪr baɪˈdʒɑn /

noun

1. Formerly Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.  Also Azerbaidzhan a republic in Transcaucasia, N of Iran and W of the Caspian Sea. 33,430 sq. mi. (86,600 sq. km). Baku.

2. a region of NW Iran, divided into two provinces in 1938: East Azerbaijan (Tabriz) and West Azerbaijan (Orumiyeh).

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Azerbaijan British  

/ ˌæzəbaɪˈdʒɑːn /

noun

1. a republic in NW Asia: the region was acquired by Russia from Persia in the early 19th century; became the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1936 and gained independence in 1991; consists of dry subtropical steppes around the Aras and Kura rivers, surrounded by the Caucasus; contains the extensive Baku oilfields. Language: Azerbaijani (or Azeri). Religion: Shiite Muslim. Currency: manat. Capital: Baku. Pop: 9 590 159 (2013 est). Area: 86 600 sq km (33 430 sq miles)

2. a mountainous region of NW Iran, separated from the republic of Azerbaijan by the Aras River: divided administratively into Eastern Azerbaijan and Western Azerbaijan . Capitals: Tabriz and Orumiyeh. Pop: 2 119 524 (2002 est)

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Azerbaijan Cultural  

1. Republic in southwestern Asia, bordered to the north by Georgia and Russia, to the east by the Caspian Sea, to the south by Iran, and to the west by Armenia. Its capital and largest city is Baku.

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Discover More

This former member of the Soviet Union declared its independence in 1991.

Predominantly Muslim, Azerbaijan has been involved in an often violent dispute with Armenia, its predominantly Christian neighbor, over Nagorno-Karabakh, a mainly Armenian region of Azerbaijan.

The country possesses valuable oil reserves.

Example Sentences

While the country gets its oil from a pipeline via Azerbaijan, the tech-oriented economy is still exposed to surging prices.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 27, 2026

A lawyer for Garayev, who is also from Azerbaijan, said in February he “has not been involved in any petroleum operations since late 2022.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

The court found him guilty of spying against Azerbaijan and sentenced him to 10 years, an AFP reporter in the courtroom said.

From Barron's • Mar. 16, 2026

The choice was hailed by the president of Azerbaijan and the leader of Yemen’s Houthi rebels, among other allies.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 9, 2026

His fields stretched from northern Iran into Azerbaijan, which, at the time, was a part of the Russian Empire.

From "Everything Sad Is Untrue" by Daniel Nayeri