Is Azerbaijan in Europe?

The continents of Asia and Europe lie close to each other with no definitive boundaries, and this has led to some countries being transcontinental. The two continents have been at times counted as one and named Eurasia. Eurasia occupies approximately 36.2% of the Earth’s surface area which is 21,000,000 square miles and a population of around five billion. Europe’s size is about 3,930,000 square miles.

Where Is Azerbaijan?

The Republic of Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus area in South-Eastern Europe and South-West Asia. The country lies between the two continents of Asia and Europe. Azerbaijan’s total area size is 33,400 square miles, with around 2,687.27 square miles lying in Europe. The bigger part of the country is on the Asian continent. The terrain of the country is highly mountainous as it lies in the Caucasus ranges. The country’s population was estimated at 9.762 million in 2016. The country has 78 cities with Baku being the largest city and the capital. Azerbaijan is one of the six independent Turkic speaking countries. The official language of the country is Azerbaijani, with Russian and Armenian also spoken by a smaller percentage of the population. The country experiences 9 of the 11 existing climates. A large number of the population is Muslim. Azerbaijan is a member of 38 international organizations and has a strong diplomatic relationship with Turkey. Azerbaijan is rich in natural gas and oil and has a low unemployment rate.

Relations With Europe

Although only a small portion of the country lies in Europe, Azerbaijan has strong ties with Europe and has joined several European organizations. Azerbaijan did not have strong relations with Europe during its time as a member of the Soviet Union. The country gained independence from the Soviet Union in August 1991. In 1992, Azerbaijan joined the United Nations and connected with other countries, mostly Europe. The EU-Azerbaijan Partnership and Co-operation Agreement was signed in 1996 formalizing the relationship between the country and the European Union. The country is an active member of the Council of Europe which it joined on January 25, 2001. In 2004, the country joined the European Neighborhood Policy which seeks to bring together the countries in the East and South of the European Union territory in Europe. The countries in the policy could be allowed to join the European Union in the future. The European National Policy plans for Azerbaijan included the EU investment in the country’s infrastructure, a partial combination of the country's economy to that of Europe and a partnership with the country in oil extraction from Azerbaijan's territories of the Caspian Sea. On September 1, 2014, the EU and Azerbaijan signed an agreement making it easy for Azerbaijan citizens to travel to the EU member states.

Future Relations

Azerbaijan has formed strong ties with Europe, and the ties are meant to grow in the coming years with the EU-Azerbaijan energy co-operation. The country still retains ties with most of its neighbors in the Caucasus region. The country's president, LLham Aliyev, in 2004 stated that Azerbaijan seeks a greater affiliation with Europe.