Countries I saw and heard in the news, countries that participated in the Olympics and World Cup, countries that caught my eye in guidebooks-even if I knew only the name“What kind of country is it?”It is surprisingly difficult to imagine. One recommended book when you want to know the countries of the world as an adult culture is the new book “A book that brings you to the world map just by reading” (edited by Yoshiyasu Ida). Divide the world map into about 30 regions and take a bird’s-eye view of 212 countries and regions around the world while looking at the map.This is an epoch-making book that allows you to compactly learn the characteristics of each region and the relationships between countries, and to clearly understand the important issues of the world that adults should know.Here is a special excerpt from this book.
What kind of country is Azerbaijan?
Azerbaijan is a country located in a region called the Caucasus between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
It faces the world’s largest salt lake, the Caspian Sea, to the east, borders Iran on the south, and Russia on the north. The Kyul River runs through the center of the country, and both sides are mountainous areas. It is a country of Islam that has historically been ruled by Arabs and Persia.
As Russia’s power grew in the 19th century, it became independent in the 20th century and later became a member of the former Soviet Union. Declared sovereignty in 1989 and became independent of the Soviet Union in 1991.
While maintaining relations with Russia by joining the CIS after independence, we are approaching Europe and the United States in the development of oil fields in the Caspian Sea, and we are also focusing on relations with Iran, which is dominated by Islamic Shiites.
CIS (Community of Independent States)
A national coalition formed by the members of the former Soviet Union. It was formed at the same time as the collapse of the Soviet Union. As of February 2022, the member countries are Azerbaijan, Armenia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Belarus, Moldova and Russia. The associate member country is Turkmenistan. Russia, which is the center of the member countries, wants to strengthen the cohesion of the CIS, but the interests of each country do not match and it tends to become a mere corpse.
On the other hand, with neighboring Armenia, there are ongoing conflicts over the request to incorporate Armenia in the Armenian Autonomous Region of Nakhchivan, and the protection of the land of Azerbaijan (Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic) surrounded by Armenian territory.
Conflicts are constant in the Caucasus, where ethnic groups cross
Oil fields in the Caspian Sea support the economy
The economy is supported by oil on the Caspian coast. Oil field development around the capital Baku facing the Caspian Sea began in the 19th century and was the largest oil field in the world at that time.
In the 1960s, there were concerns about depletion, but in the 1990s, the development of new offshore oil fields in the Caspian Sea began, and Baku became so booming that it was called the “second Dubai.” In 2006, an oil pipeline was completed from Baku to the Mediterranean coast of Turkey without going through Russia.
Capital Baku Photo: Adobe Stock
Republic of Azerbaijan
Area: 87,000㎢ Capital: Baku
Population: 10.282,000 Currency: Manat
Languages: Azerbaijani (official language), Lezgin, Russian, Armenian
Religion: Islam (mainly Shiite) 97.3%
Adjacent: Russia, Iran, Armenia, Georgia
(Note) Refer to “2022 Databook of the World” (Ninomiya Shoten) and CIA’s The World Factbook (as of February 2022).
(This article is an excerpt and edit from “A book that makes you think of a world map just by reading it.”)
