subtropical and humid in the southeast, subtropical and dry in the center and east, continental and humid in the mountains, and continental and dry in Nakhchivan
Azerbaijan map of Köppen climate classification zones
Azerbaijan is a country in theCaucasus region, situated at the juncture ofEastern Europe andWest Asia. Three physical features dominate Azerbaijan: theCaspian Sea, whose shoreline forms a natural boundary to the east; theGreater Caucasus mountain range to the north; and the extensive flatlands at the country's center.[1] About the size ofPortugal or the US state ofMaine, Azerbaijan has a total land area of approximately 86,600square kilometres (33,400 sq mi). In the three Transcaucasian states, Azerbaijan has the greatest land area.[1] Special administrative subdivisions are theNakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which is separated from the rest of Azerbaijan by a strip ofArmenian territory, and theNagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, entirely within Azerbaijan.[1] The status of Nagorno-Karabakh is internationally recognized as territory of Azerbaijan.
Located in the region of the southernCaucasus Mountains, Azerbaijan borders theCaspian Sea to the east,Georgia andRussia to the north,Iran to the south, andArmenia to the southwest and west.[1] A small part of Nakhchivan also bordersTurkey to the northwest.[1] The capital of Azerbaijan is the ancient city ofBaku, which has the largest and best harbor on the Caspian Sea and has long been the center of the republic's oil industry.[1][2][3]
The elevation changes over a relatively short distance from lowlands to highlands; nearly half the country is considered mountainous.[1] Notable physical features are the gently undulating hills of the subtropical southeastern coast, which are covered with tea plantations, orange groves, and lemon groves; numerous mud volcanoes and mineral springs in the ravines ofKobustan Mountain near Baku; and coastal terrain that lies as much as twenty-eight meters below sea level.[1]
Except for its eastern Caspian shoreline and some areas bordering Georgia and Iran, Azerbaijan is ringed by mountains.[1] To the northeast, bordering Russia's Dagestan Autonomous Republic, is theGreater Caucasus range; to the west, bordering Armenia, is theLesser Caucasus range.[1] To the extreme southeast, theTalysh Mountains form part of the border with Iran.[1] The highest elevations occur in the Greater Caucasus, whereMount Bazardüzü rises 4,466 meters above sea level.[1] Eight large rivers flow down from the Caucasus ranges into the centralKura-Aras Lowlands, alluvial flatlands and low delta areas along the seacoast designated by the Azerbaijani name for theMtkvari River (Kura) and its main tributary, the Aras.[1] The Mtkvari, the longest river in the Caucasus region, forms the delta and drains into the Caspian a short distance downstream from the confluence with the Aras.[1] TheMingachevir Reservoir, with an area of 605 square kilometers that makes it the largest body of water in Azerbaijan, was formed by damming the Kura in western Azerbaijan.[1] The waters of the reservoir provide hydroelectric power and irrigation of the Kura–Aras plain.[1] Most of the country's rivers are not navigable.[1] About 15% of the land in Azerbaijan is arable.[1]
The climate varies from subtropical and humid in the southeast to subtropical and dry in central and eastern Azerbaijan, continental and humid in the mountains, and continental and dry in Nakhchivan.Baku, on the Caspian, enjoys mild weather that averages 4 °C (39.2 °F) in January and 25 °C (77 °F) in July.[4]
Physiographic conditions and different atmosphere circulations admit 8 types of air currents including continental, sea, arctic, tropical currents of air that formulates the climate of the Republic. The maximum annual precipitation falls in Lenkeran (1,600 to 1,800 millimetres or 63 to 71 inches) and the minimum in Absheron (200 to 350 millimetres or 8 to 14 inches). The maximum daily precipitation of 334 millimetres or 13.1 inches was observed at the Bilieser Station in 1955.[5]
Subtle changes due to falling sea level (in theCaspian Sea) can be seen along this coastline.
Air and water pollution are widespread and pose great challenges to economic development.[1] Major sources of pollution include oil refineries and chemical and metallurgical industries, which in the early 1990s continued to operate as inefficiently as they had in the Soviet era.[1] Air quality is extremely poor in Baku, the center of oil refining.[1] Some reports have described Baku's air as the most polluted in the former Soviet Union, and other industrial centers suffer similar problems.[1]
The Caspian Sea, including Baku Bay, has been polluted by oil leakages and the dumping of raw or inadequately treated sewage, reducing the yield of caviar and fish.[1] In the Soviet period, Azerbaijan was pressed to use extremely heavy applications of pesticides to improve its output of scarce subtropical crops for the rest of the Soviet Union.[1] The continued regular use of the pesticide DDT in the 1970s and 1980s was an egregious lapse, although that chemical was officially banned in the Soviet Union because of its toxicity to humans.[1] Excessive application of pesticides and chemical fertilizers has caused extensivegroundwater pollution and has been linked by Azerbaijani scientists to birth defects and illnesses.[1] Rising water levels in the Caspian Sea, mainly caused by natural factors exacerbated by man-made structures, have reversed the decades-long drying trend and now threaten coastal areas; the average level rose 1.5 meters (4.9 ft) between 1978 and 1993.[1] Because of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, large numbers of trees were felled, roads were built through pristine areas, and large expanses of agricultural land were occupied by military forces.[1]
Like other former Soviet republics, Azerbaijan faces a gigantic environmental cleanup complicated by the economic uncertainties left in the wake of the Moscow-centered planning system.[1] The Committee for the Protection of the Natural Environment is part of the Azerbaijani government, but in the early 1990s it was ineffective at targeting critical applications of limited funds, establishing pollution standards, or monitoring compliance with environmental regulations.[1] Early in 1994, plans called for Azerbaijan to participate in the international Caspian Sea Forum, sponsored by the European Union (EU).[1]
Natural hazards
Droughts and floods; some lowland areas threatened by rising levels of the Caspian Sea
Environment – current issues
Local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baky and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, water, andsoil pollution; soil pollution results from the use ofDDT as a pesticide and also from toxic defoliants used in the production ofcotton.
