Azerbaijan

A historical region in present-day northwest Iran and Azerbaijan. It was settled by the Medes before the 8th century B.C. and later became a province of the Persian Empire. It became a separate kingdom after the death of Alexander the Great, but the region was much disputed and eventually conquered by Arabs (7th century), Turks (10th century), and Mongols (13th century). Persia controlled the region after 1603.

A country of Transcaucasia north of Iran on the Caspian Sea. It constitutes the northern part of the historical region of Azerbaijan, which was ceded to Russia by Persia in 1813 and 1828. It was a constituent republic of the USSR, known as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, from 1936 to 1991. Baku is the capital. Population: 8,120,000.