Amtliche Kurzform: Aserbaidschan
Name in Landessprache: Азәрбајҹан 
Kurzform: Azərbaycan  
Vollform: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
 
Name in Englisch: Azerbaijan
Ehemaliger Name: Aserbaidschanische Republik, davor Teil der UdSSR

CIA Background-Info
Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. Corruption in the country is ubiquitous, and the government has been accused of authoritarianism. Although the poverty rate has been reduced in recent years due to revenue from exploiting oil resources, the promise of widespread wealth resulting from the continued development of Azerbaijan's energy sector remains largely unfulfilled.