There are approximately 50 million Azerbaijanis worldwide

Azerbaijan celebrates Independence Day on October 18th

Azerbaijan celebrates Azerbaijan Army Day on June 26th

Azerbaijan celebrates Day of Solidarity of Azerbaijanis Worldwide on December 31st

Saffron-rice plov is the flagship food in Azerbaijan and black tea is the national beverage

All of Baku’s metro stations are decorated with national Azerbaijani designs and motifs

Azerbaijan had the first democratic republic and first opera in the Islamic world

The Maiden Tower is a Baku landmark, a much loved symbol of the city and of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani men are traditionally addressed as muallim, which means teacher

Azerbaijani women are traditionally addressed as khanim, which means madam

Azerbaijan has the largest number of mud volcanoes in the world. There are some 300 mud volcanoes including Galmas, Toragai and Boyuk Kanizdagh

Women in Azerbaijan won the right to vote in 1918 while in Italy it was 1946, Switzerland in 1971 and France 1944

23 athletes from the Azerbaijani Republic competed at Atlanta 1996 independently for the first time

The majority of the population in Azerbaijan is Muslim. Approximately 85 per cent are Shia Muslims and 15 per cent Sunni Muslims

The President of Azerbaijan is elected for a five-year term by general, direct and equal elections, with a free, personal and secret ballot

The independent Azerbaijani state collapsed in April 1920 as a result of the invasion of the Soviet Russia. It was restored 70 years later in 1991

The Absheron peninsula is home to the Burning Mountain, a rare geological site where natural gas escaping from the ground burns constantly here

Azerbaijan has nine of the world’s 13 climate zones. Temperatures range from +46C in the plains to -33 C in the mountains

The Azerbaijan NOC has been a member of the European Olympic Committee since 1992 and was officially recognised by the IOC in 1993

One of the unique riches of Azerbaijan is a rare type of oil – Naftalan. It does not burn and is used internally and externally for medicinal purposes

Fragrant Azerbaijani tea is a symbol of heart-felt hospitality and guests are usually greeted on arrival with a cup of fine-flavoured tea

Mugham is a unique form of Azerbaijani classical music passed down orally to the present day, considered to be an invaluable part of their heritage

The Shirvanshah’s Palace is one of Azerbaijan best preserved and most attractive historic monuments, situated on the highest point on a hill in the walled Old City

Novruz is the oldest holiday in Azerbaijan. A symbol of spring and the revival of nature, marked on the equinox (21-22 March) in the northern hemisphere

Azerbaijanis live in 67 countries in all, with the highest population outside of Azerbaijan living in Iran (30 million), Turkey (3 million) and Russia (2 million)