Azerbaijan
Americannoun
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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.
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a region of NW Iran, divided into two provinces in 1938: East Azerbaijan (Tabriz) and West Azerbaijan (Orumiyeh).
noun
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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)
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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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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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
And in 2012 Armenia refused to take part in neighbouring Azerbaijan because of tensions over the conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh.
From BBC • May 10, 2026
The peace process between Armenia and Azerbaijan has also accelerated.
From BBC • May 3, 2026
It is using rail connections with Turkey, Armenia and Azerbaijan as well as the Caspian Sea to the north to import goods, Ebrahim Najafi, an Iranian lawmaker, said recently in the country’s Parliament.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 29, 2026
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
Aptly, it had its first performance in Baku, capital of Soviet Azerbaijan and home to the Caspian fleet.
From "The Story of Music" by Howard Goodall
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.