Azerbaijan

Located in the South Caucasus, at the crossroads of the Russian, Turkish and Persian empires, Azerbaijan is an ancient land where East and West meet.

Islamized in the 7th century by the Arabs, it came under Persian domination in the 16th century. The current territory has been part of the Russian empire for more than a hundred years. The country enjoyed a brief period of independence between 1918 and 1921 before it became part of the Soviet Union. The collapse of the communist bloc led Azerbaijan to proclaim its independence on the 30th of August of 1991, when the country was in the midst of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The name “Azerbaijan” is reported to come from “azer” (fire). Azerbaijan is then the “country of fire” because of the abundance of oil and gas. Since its independence, Azerbaijan has made a comeback on the international scene, partly due to its large hydrocarbon reserves. However, despite its promising economic indicators, the country still has to face a lot of challenges.

Azerbaijan has a wide climatic variety with nine different areas, ranging from a high mountain climate in the north and west, to a humid subtropical climate in the south, temperate zones, wet steppe areas, semi-arid steppes. The country is thus characterized by a big variety of landscapes.

Thanks to favorable climatic conditions and fertile land, Azerbaijan enjoys a very favourable agricultural potential. These natural conditions have made it possible to develop fruit and cotton production for export, particularly to the Russian market and those of other neighbouring countries.

Back in soviet times already, agriculture mainly consisted of cotton, tobacco, fruit and vegetable production, but also cereals and legumes production. The dissolution of USSR led not only to an economic deterioration, but also to the fragmentation of production units and thus a radical fall in agriculture.

Life in Azerbaijan is cheaper than in France (living expenses, gasoline, transport…). Here are some price examples:

Basic products Price in Euros / Manats
0,33L of water (bottle) 0,15 € / 0,27 AZN
1 simple meal 4 € / 7 AZN
1 bus ticket 0,12 € / 0,2 AZN

Azerbaijan is the most populated country of the South Caucasus. It is also one of the youngest countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States, with 33% of people aged under 15 and only 9% aged more than 60. Azerbaijan has been for a long time a multinational state. Since the fall of the USSR, and because of numerous population displacements due to conflicts and socio-economic difficulties, the country has experienced an ethnic homogenization. However, it still counts a lot of minorities who has been living in Azerbaijan for centuries. Baku, the capital, is the most important city of the country, and counts approximately 2 million people. The economic downturn, the civil unrest that followed the independence and the development of the oil industry have led to a rural exodus to the large cities of the country.

Like the ethnic mixes and the different influences that have shaped the country, Azeri cuisine combines flavor and aromas from different origins.

The national dish is the same as in Central Asia: the plov, or fried rice with sheep meat. Depending on the region, you will find variants in the recipe (vegetables or dried fruits will be added, depending on the local specialities).

Vaccines and specific advice:

Find out about the vaccines you should make before going to this country and about the preventive and/or treatment measures for local diseases.

Checklist :

  • Vaccine updates, specific vaccines: 1-3 months before departure
  • Visit your doctor for any health problem, prescription renewal, contraception, etc. In addition, you will need to send your coordinator a certificate from your doctor certifying that you are well suited to take part in an international volunteering project.
  • Dentist: a dental check-up can be useful before going!

We advise you to visit the website of your country’s Foreign Affairs Ministry to consult the advice for every country.

Advice for American travellers: https://www.state.gov/p/eur/ci/aj/

Advice for Canadian travellers: https://travel.gc.ca/destinations/azerbaijan

Advice for English travellers: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/azerbaijan/safety-and-security

Azerbaijan travel advice

Latest update: Summary – if you’re travelling to or from Azerbaijan via Istanbul, please note that a new Istanbul airport is due to open on 29 October 2018; a gradual transfer of flights from Ataturk Airport will take place through to the end of December 2018; in the meantime, many flights will continue to operate into/out of Ataturk Airport; this may affect UK-Baku flight transfers

For more info, read the full article Azerbaijan travel advice

We don’t have any partner in Azerbaijan at the moment.

Canadians, British nationals and Americans must be in possession of a visa to visit Azerbaijan. Specific conditions apply, see the Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs website for further details.

  • Embassy of Azerbaijan in the UK :

Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan
4, Kensington Court
London W8 5DL

TELEPHONE:        +44 (0) 20 7938 3412
FAX:                         +44 (0) 20 7937 1783
EMAIL:                      [email protected]

  • Embassy of Azerbaijan in the USA :

Address:

Embassy of the Republic of Azerbaijan
2741 34th street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20008

Phone:
+1 202 337 35 00

Fax:
+1 202 337 59 11

E-mail:

[email protected]

  • Embassy of Azerbaijan in Canada :

CONTACTS

275 Slater Street, Suite 1203
Ottawa, Ontario K1P 5H9
Canada
see map

Tel: (613) 288-0497
Fax: (613) 230-8089

E-Mail

General E-Mail: [email protected]

Consular Services: [email protected]

Press Attache: [email protected]

List of projects available in Azerbaidjan