1. Demography

     1.1. Population

9.000 000 million

     1.2. Major Ethnic Groups

     Among the South Caucasus States, Azerbaijan is the most densely populated. More than 8 million people live in the country, of which over 300,000 live in the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. Azerbaijanis belong to the Caspian branch of the South Caucasian race. They are distinguished by a sturdy build, with prevailing dark pigmentation, of medium height and a partially round shaped head, narrow face, rather a narrow nose and, in the majority of cases, large brown eyes. The language spoken by Azerbaijanis belongs to south-western group of Turkic languages.
     Another comparatively numerous ethnic group is Russians. They came to Azerbaijan at the beginning of the 19th century when the tsarist government started the deportation of dukhobors, molokans and other sectarians from remote parts of Russia and the Ukraine. By the beginning of the 20th century they settled in several regions of Baku and in Yelizavetpol (Ganja). Among other ethnicities in Azerbaijan are Lezgins, Avars, Udins, Tsakhurs, Tats, Kurds, Talyshes, Tatars and Georgians.
     Some 80 percent of the population is concentrated in valleys and low lands, which are more suitable for farming and also where large industrial centers are located and irrigation more developed. This belt covers Kur-Araz, Samur-Devechi and the Lankaran lowlands, and also the Ganja-Gazakh and Pri-Araz valleys as well as the Absheron Peninsula.
     Azerbaijan is a country where national traditions are well preserved. The religious holidays Qurban bayramı (Eyd al-Adha) and Ramazan bayramı (Eyd al-Fitr) are celebrated. The "Novruz Bayram" is the most ancient and cherished holiday of spring. It is celebrated on the day of the vernal equinox - March 21-22. The Novruz is the symbol of nature's renewal and fertility. The diversity and richness of natural resources in Azerbaijan stimulated the development of handicrafts, pottery, copperware, cotton, wool, silk manufacturing, carpet weaving, jewelry, wood, stone and metal carving.
     The carpet craft is a traditional trade in Azerbaijan. İt was and is well developed in Guba, Shirvan, Ganja, Gazakh, Karabakh, Baku.
     ;Azerbaijan is rich with folk costumes, arts, music, dance and has delicious cuisine.

3. Religion

     3.1. Zoroastrism

     The first religion in Azerbaijan was Zoroastrianism. The people of Manna believed in natural phenomena; the Sun and the Moon. The official religion, Zoroastrianism, was based on fire worship, the spread of which was propagated by the spontaneous ignition of shallow oil deposits and escaping gas. The object of worship was Ahura Mazda, or Ohrmazd. Ahura Mazda is goodness, holy, supreme, and the creator of all things. The opposite of Ohrmazd was Ahriman - an evil soul. Zarathushtra, the creator of the religion, was born somewhere along the Oxus river, in present-day Iran and close to Tabriz.

     3.2. Christianity

     Christianity was introduced to Caucasus and Azerbaijan at the beginning of AD. Christianity in Albania covered two stages, Apostolic (1st to 3rd century) and Greekophil (4th to 6th century). After that the Albanian Church started to follow the Albanian national development, which resulted in organization of the Albanian written language and development of the Albanian literature. Nowadays there is no doubt that the Albanian Apostolic Church is the most ancient in the Caucasus. Its development to some extend differs from the Armenian Church. Roots of the Albanian Church (as well as the Georgian Church) are related directly to the Jerusalim Church and Jerusalim Patriarchate, whereas the Armenian Church stems from the churches of Hellenic Ospoene and Kappadokia. The origin of the early Christian community in Albania was related to Apostles Thaddeus, Bartholomew, Eliseus. Albanian Catholicosate (patriarchate) was autocephalous in contrast to the Armenian and Georgian Catholicosates. The Albanians residing in the mountainous Karabakh region retained their Christianity until 1836, when the Russian authorities, on the instigation by the Armenian Church, abolished the Albanian patriarchate.

     3.3. Islam

     Islam was introduced into Azerbaijan in the 7th century by the Arabs. At present about 93 percent of the Azerbaijanis believe in Islam, and from this 65 to 75% follow Shiite tradition.

    In 1976 there were only 16 registered mosques and one madrasa(religious school) in Azerbaijan, by the end of the Soviet power the figure rose to about 200 mosques, and today this has increased dramatically to more than 1,300 mosques, innumerable Islamic schools, an Islamic University, "Ilahiyyat Department" at Baku State University.