Azerbaijan, the largest country in the Caucasus region, won the Eurovision Song Contest in Düsseldorf, Germany, on Saturday night. The next event in 2012 will bring an often forgotten country that has seen its fortunes rise in recent years with its riches of Caspian Sea natural gas into the spotlight. For reasons of data protection and privacy, your IP address will only be stored if you are a registered user of Facebook and you are currently logged in to the service. For more detailed information, please click on the "i" symbol.
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| Azerbaijan's Ell and Nikki sing their song "Running Scared" at the Eurovision final. |
It is a country largely unknown around the world, but after investing heavily in its act this year, the artists Ell/Nikki sang their way to victory for the Caucasus country at the final of the Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night ensuring that, for at least one week in 2012, the capital city of Baku will be in the minds of the 125 to 150 million viewers each year who tune into the competition.
Singers Eldar Gasimov and Nigar Jamal, who form the act Ell/Nikki, won the competition with their middle of the road R&B song "Running Scared," a Western-style, middle of the road R&B pop song that was staged complete with a waterfall of fireworks.
Baku__________________________________________________
Azerbaijan
People
Nationality: Noun--Azerbaijani(s), Azeri. Adjective--Azerbaijani, Azeri.
Population (April 2010): 9.022 million. (State Statistical Committee of Azerbaijan (SSCA))
Population growth rate (2008): 1.3%. (SSCA)
Net migration rate (2009 est.): -1.69 migrants/1,000 population.
Ethnic groups (1999 census): Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9%. Note: the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region is populated almost entirely by ethnic Armenians.
Religion: Muslim 93.4% (majority Shi'a), Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox Church 2.3%, and other 1.8%.
Languages: Azerbaijani 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, and other 6%. (Much of the population, particularly in Baku, is bilingual--Azerbaijani and Russian.)
Education: Literacy rate--99.5%. (2007 UN Human Development Report)
Health: Infant mortality rate (2005-2010)--72.3/1,000 live births. Life expectancy (2005-2010)--71.2/63.8 years (women/men).
Work force (April 2010): 4.333 million. Agriculture and forestry--38.3%; wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles, personal and household goods--16.1%; education--8.5%; public administration and defense, social security--6.8%.
Principal Government Officials
President--Ilham Aliyev
Prime Minister--Artur Rasizade
Foreign Minister--Elmar Mammadyarov
Ambassador to the U.S.--Yashar Aliyev
Ambassador to the UN--Agshin Mehdiyev
