Pre-Trip Information

Culturally and linguistically a Turkic people, the people of Azerbaijan have retained a rich cultural heritage despite long periods of Persian and Russian domination. Today, ethnic Azeris comprise approximately 90 percent of a total population of over nine million. Dagestani people make up about three percent of the population; ethnic Russians account for two  percent. Armenians comprise two percent; almost all reside in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region.


Language

The official language is Azerbaijani, a Turkic tongue belonging to the southern branch of the Altaic languages and also classified as part of the Oghuz, or Western Turkic group of Turkic languages. The spoken version of Azerbaijani includes several dialects. Since the 19th century, Russian loanwords, particularly of the technical variety, as well as Russian grammatical and lexical structures, have also entered the Azerbaijani language, most especially during the time of Russian influence and Soviet control. Today, while 89 percent of the population speak Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenia are also spoken. Georgian, Ukrainian, Tartar, Belarusian, Farsi and other languages are also spoken in Azerbaijan.

In regard to written language, back in 1924, Soviet officials compelled the Azerbaijani government to introduce a modified Roman alphabet. Presumably, this measure was intended to separate Muslim adherents from Islamic culture and as such, to prevent nationalist motivations. By the late 1930s, however, the Soviets changed their policy and replaced the modified Roman alphabet with the Cyrillic alphabet instead. This shift, made official in 1940, made it easier for Azerbaijanis to learn Russian. Russian was another major language in the country during Soviet control, however, in the period immediately preceding Soviet control, literature was, in fact, written in Arabic in several literary forms. In the post-Soviet era to date, use of both the Crillic alphabet and the Roman alphabet have been recorded.

Azerbaijan is the birthplace of the ancient religion of Zoroastrianism in the 7th century B.C.E. In the 7th century C.E., Islam was introduced by Arab invaders. The increasing dominance of Islam resulted in a mass exodus of Zoroastrians in the following century, many of whom moved to India and are now referred to as Parsis. Until Soviet control, many Zoroastrian pilgrims from India frequently visited sacred sites in Azerbaijan.

In the 16th century C.E., the first shah of the Safavid Dynasty, Ismail I, established Shia Islam as the state religion, although large numbers of Azerbaijanis remained followers of Sunni Islam. As was the case elsewhere in the Muslim world, the two branches of Islam came into conflict in Azerbaijan. Today, Shia Islam is the dominant Muslim sect within Azerbaijan. Islamic religious fervor in Azerbaijan has endured varying undulations. Before Soviet power was established, there were approximately 2,000 mosques in Azerbaijan. By the early 20th century C.E., most mosques had been closed, and although upsurges in religious devotion occurred during World War II and throughout the ensuing years, it was in the period just before the collapse of the Soviet Empire that Islamic religions devotion increased substantially, along with a dramatic rise in the number of mosques built.

Christianity was introduced to Azerbaijan in the 1st century C.E. with the arrival of the missionary St. Eliseus. Two centuries later, the Apostolic Autocephalous church had gained prominence in the entire Caucasus region, of which Azerbaijan is a part. Christianity increased in Azerbaijan in the 19th century C.E., when Russian influence increased and many Orthodox Christian Russians, as well as Orthodox and Apostolic Armenians, and Protestant Molokans, settled in Azerbaijan.

Today, in terms of religious affiliation, nearly all Azerbaijanis are Muslims ( around 93 percent). There remain notable minorities of Russian Orthodox and Armenian Orthodox as well. Azerbaijanis' religious affiliation in many cases is merely nominal; percentages of practicing adherents may be much lower. Moreover, the constitution of Azerbaijan mandates that there is no state religion and the freedom of religion is clearly sanctioned. Nevertheless, some scholars note that since independence, along with an expected increase in nationalist sentiment, there has also been a significant Islamic revitalization as well.

In terms of health and welfare, Azeris are expected to have a life expectancy of close to 67 years of age on average, according to recent estimates. That number is subdivided into a life expectancy rate of 62.9 years of age for males, and 71.7 years of age for females, according to recent estimates. (The World Health Organization's life expectancy rates appear to be slightly higher.) The Central Intelligence Agency determined that the infant mortality rate is 52.84 deaths per 1,000 live births.

Nominally universal health care is available, however, facilities are limited. Sanitation, pharmacies, health care delivery, as well as research and development function at a relatively low level, while pharmaceuticals and equipment are in short supply. Azerbaijan had the dubious distiction of having one of the lesser developed health care systems in the region, even when under Soviet control.

About  2.8 percent of GDP is spent in the country on educational expenditures. About 5.8 percent of GDP is spent on health expenditures.  Access to sanitation, water,  and health care is considered to be moderate (access to sanitation in non-urban areas is less than optimal).


Education and Literacy

Regarding education and literacy, an estimated 98.8 percent of the total population, age 15 and older, can read and write.  The high rate of literacy is generally understood as a legacy of the Soviet system which provided universal education. In Azerbaijan, education is compulsory through the 8th grade. Since independence, some efforts have been made to reform the educational system mostly to remove Soviet ideological elements, to encourage the use of the Azerbaijani language, and also to introduce religious instruction, which was absent from the Soviet system.

Azerbaijan has a socio-economic climate that is typical of a country with an emerging economy. Although challenges face this country, revenues from oil should benefit the economy and in the long run, raise the standard of living for many people.

 

Human Development

One notable measure used to determine a country's quality of life is the Human Development Index (HDI), which has been compiled annually since 1990 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The HDI is a composite of several indicators, which measure a country's achievements in three main arenas of human development: longevity, knowledge and education, as well as economic standard of living. In a recent ranking of 169 countries, the HDI placed Azerbaijan in the high human development category, at 67th place.

Note: Although the concept of human development is complicated and cannot be properly captured by values and indices, the HDI, which is calculated and updated annually, offers a wide-ranging assessment of human development in certain countries, not based solely upon traditional economic and financial indicators.