Country

Azerbaijan

Local name: Azərbaycan Respublikası

Coordinates: 40°30′00″ N 47°30′00″ E

Population: 10,246,996; 10.2M
Continent: Asia
Local time: UTC+04:00; Asia/Baku · UTC+04:00

About Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a country in Asia. It is divided into 71 regions. Its population is 10,246,996.

From Wikipedia

Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a landlocked country at the boundary of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia's republic of Dagestan to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Turkey (via the exclave of Nakhchivan) and Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south. Baku is the capital and largest city.

Source: Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 4.0

At a glance

Built: 1991
Area: 86,600 km²
Official website: mfa.gov.az

Source: Wikidata

Travel notes for Azerbaijan

From Wikivoyage

Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan) is a former Soviet republic in the Caucasus and is variously considered part of Europe or Asia.

Often known as the "Land of Fire", Azerbaijan was ceded to the Russian Empire by the Persian Empire in the late 19th century.

Understand+

History:

Ever at the crossroads between east and west, Azerbaijan has seen the comings and goings of several great empires.

Ancient:

Some of the country's best attractions are the Gobustan petroglyphs. These are the markings of people who lived in the area 40,000 - 5,000 years ago. Scythians and Iranian Medes occupied the area in around 900–700 BCE. The Achaemenids made things interesting by introducing Zoroastrianism in around 550 BCE. Later, the area was on the fringes of Alexander the Great's empire and the Roman Empire.

Medieval:

Christianity came in the fourth century but disappeared when the area became part of the second Islamic (Umayyad) Caliphate in the 7th century. Various local kingdoms emerged after the Umayyad Caliphate fell in 750 CE, before the Mongols conquered Azerbaijan in the 11th century.

Early Modern:

After the various Mongol empires withdrew, the area fell to the Persians. Persian control was not tight and highly independent khanates controlled the region until the Russian Empire expanded southward in the early 19th century. The traditional Azeri lands ended up being split between Persia and the Russian Empire; today's Republic of Azerbaijan comprised the part of the Azeri lands that were ceded to the Russian Empire, while the parts that Persia retained control of remain part of Iran as Iranian Azerbaijan. Oil was first drilled here in the late 19th century.

Soviet:

The fall of the Russian Empire saw the brief emergence of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic in 1918. However, Lenin realized that the region's oil was vital to the Soviet army and, along with Georgia and Armenia, Azerbaijan was rolled into the USSR by the 1920s. Azerbaijan's oil was vital again to the Soviets in the Second World War, in which 250,000 of the country's 3.4 million people were killed at the front.

Post-Soviet:

Get in+

As of May 2026, most of Azerbaijan's land borders with its neighbours remain closed to civilian traffic. The only legal way into the country is through an international airport. Land crossings are exit-only, and only for non-citizens.

Visa requirements:

In 2016 Azerbaijan introduced a new single-entry eVisa for citizens of the following countries:

All European Union member states, as well as Andorra, Albania, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Monaco, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Norway, San Marino, Serbia, Switzerland, United Kingdom, and Vatican City

Algeria, Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China (including Hong Kong and Macau), Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, Guatemala, India, Indonesia, Iran, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, Nepal, New Zealand, Oman, Pakistan, Panama, Peru, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Turkey, Turkmenistan, United Arab Emirates, United States, and Vietnam

Any evidence of visiting Nagorno-Karabakh without Azerbaijani permission will result in a permanent ban and potential arrest upon arrival.

The eVisa costs US$20, plus US$9 for an administration fee, plus a US$1 credit card payment fee, is valid for 30 days within the next three months after application, and can be purchased at evisa.gov.az – photocopy of your passport, and address of your stay needs to be provided. Caution: there is a fake official website: evisa.com.az – also providing visas but requiring you to purchase an overpriced tour or expensive hotel.

A visa is not required for stays of 90 days or less for citizens of Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan.

Source: Wikivoyage · CC BY-SA 4.0 · abridged

When to go where in Azerbaijan

For each month, cities with mild, fairly dry weather; the figure is that month's average high.

Where to go, month by month →

January 8°

Mingachevir

Sumqayit 7° · Xirdalan 7°

No ideal places; the closest
February 6°

Sumqayit

Xirdalan 7° · Mingachevir 8°

No ideal places; the closest
March 13°

Yevlakh

Mingachevir 12° · Sumqayit 8°

No ideal places; the closest
April 20°

Yevlakh

Mingachevir 19°
May 22°

Xirdalan

Ganja 22° · Mingachevir 24°
June 25°

Sumqayit

Xirdalan 27°
July 29°

Sumqayit
August 29°

Sumqayit

Xirdalan 30° · Ganja 30°

No ideal places; the closest
September 25°

Sumqayit

Xirdalan 25° · Ganja 26°
October 20°

Mingachevir

Yevlakh 20° · Xirdalan 19°
November 14°

Mingachevir

Yevlakh 14° · Xirdalan 13°

No ideal places; the closest
December 9°

Yevlakh

Mingachevir 10° · Sumqayit 9°

No ideal places; the closest

Top lists: Azerbaijan

Highest mountains in Azerbaijan

1Gora Bazardyuzi 4,466 m
2Şahdağ 4,243 m
3Tufandağ 4,197 m
4Kaputjugh Lerr 3,904 m
5Babadağ 3,629 m

See the full list →

Largest cities in Azerbaijan

1Sumqayit 427K
2Ganja 330.7K
3Xirdalan 196.2K
4Yevlakh 127.4K
5Mingachevir 106K

See the full list →

Regions of Azerbaijan

71 regions

Bar: population relative to the most populous place in this list.

Nature and heritage in Azerbaijan

Baku City, Azerbaijan

Nargin Island

Island
Baku City, Azerbaijan

Pirallahi Island

Island
Ordubad Rayon, Azerbaijan

Kaputjugh Lerr

Mountain
Baku City, Azerbaijan

Ostrov Dash Zirya

Island
Baku City, Azerbaijan

Zhiloy Island

Island
Qusar District, Azerbaijan

Şahdağ

Mountain

Other large cities

Sumqayit City, Sumqayit City
427K
Xirdalan City, Absheron Rayon
196.2K
Mingachevir City, Mingacevir City
106K
Mammad Amin Rasulzade Village, Baku City
51.8K
Şǝki City, Shaki City
68.4K
Agdam City, Aghdam Rayon
37.7K
Şǝmkir City, Shamkir Rayon
41.3K
Bǝrdǝ City, Barda District
41.6K

Other places across Azerbaijan

21 places

Cities & villages2

Gabala · Village
Garakosa · Village

Mountains & nature5

Absheron Peninsula · Natural site
Bozdag · Mountain
Gora Bazardyuzi · Mountain
Main Caucasus Range · Mountain
Murovdağ · Mountain

Lakes, rivers & coasts9

Aras River · River
Iori · River
Jandari Lake · Lake
Khrami · River
Kura River · River
Samur · River
Terter · River
Vileshchay Reservoir · Lake
Yenikend Reservoir · Lake

Heritage & sights5

Azeri TV Tower · Landmark
Baku Crystal Hall · Landmark
Church of Saint Gregory the Illuminator · Attraction
Heydar Aliyev Sports and Exhibition Complex · Landmark
Tofiq Bahramov Stadium · Attraction

Places bordering Azerbaijan

Turkey
Georgia

Public holidays in Azerbaijan (2026)

1 January, ThursdayNew Year's Day
2 January, FridayNew Year's Day
20 January, TuesdayMartyrs' Day
8 March, SundayWomen's Day
9 March, MondayWomen's Day (observed)
20 March, FridayEid al-Fitr
20 March, FridaySpring Festival
21 March, SaturdayEid al-Fitr
21 March, SaturdaySpring Festival
22 March, SundaySpring Festival
23 March, MondaySpring Festival
24 March, TuesdaySpring Festival
25 March, WednesdayEid al-Fitr (observed)
26 March, ThursdaySpring Festival (observed)
27 March, FridaySpring Festival (observed)
30 March, MondayEid al-Fitr (observed)
9 May, SaturdayVictory over Fascism Day
11 May, MondayVictory over Fascism Day (observed)
27 May, WednesdayEid al-Adha
28 May, ThursdayEid al-Adha
28 May, ThursdayIndependence Day
29 May, FridayEid al-Adha (observed)
15 June, MondayNational Liberation Day
26 June, FridayArmed Forces Day
8 November, SundayVictory Day
9 November, MondayNational Flag Day
10 November, TuesdayVictory Day (observed)
31 December, ThursdayInternational Azerbaijanis Solidarity Day

Nationwide public holidays; regional holidays are not included. Dates of religious holidays may shift by a day. Source: python-holidays.

Sources & licences

Wikidata, CC0-1.0 Wikidata (CC0)
GeoNames, CC-BY-4.0 GeoNames (www.geonames.org), CC BY 4.0

Data last updated: November 12, 2026 · 2 independent sources