Azerbaijan - The Land of Magic Colours. Baku, Azerbaijan, Баку, Азербайджан, Bakı, Azərbaycan.

Azerbaijan - The Land of Magic Colours. Baku, Azerbaijan, Баку, Азербайджан, Bakı, Azərbaycan.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=etjjKAGzMic Azerbaijan, Baku, Where is Azerbaijan, Culture of Azerbaijan, History of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası), is the largest country in the Caucasus region located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe. The name of Azerbaijan derives from that of Atropates, a Iranian satrap under the Achaemenid Empire, who was later reinstated as the satrap of Media under Alexander the Great. The original etymology of this name is thought to have its roots in the once-dominant Zoroastrian religion. In the Avesta, Frawardin Yasht ("Hymn to the Guardian Angels"). The word "Āzar" (Iranian: آذر‎) means Fire and baijan was originally rendered as "Pāyegān" (Iranian: پایگان‎), meaning Guardian/Protector (Āzar Pāyegān = "Guardians of Fire") (Iranian: آذر پایگان‎). This etymology directly links the country to its original religion, zorastrianism. After the Muslim conquest of Iran many Iranian words lost their original form as in Arabic there are no letters for pronouncing "G / P / ZH / CH"; hence, "Azar Paigān" came to be known as Azarbaijan. Azerbaijan is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the Northwest, Armenia to the west and Iran to the south. The exclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, while having a short borderline with Turkey to the Northwest. Azerbaijan has an ancient and historic cultural heritage, including the distinction of being the first Muslim-majority country to have operas, theatres and plays.The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established in 1918, but was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. Azerbaijan regained independence in 1991. Shortly thereafter, during the Nagorno-Karabakh War, neighbouring Armenia occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, its surrounding territories. Azerbaijan is a unitary constitutional republic. It is one of the six independent Turkic states, being an active member of the Turkic Council and the TÜRKSOY community. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 158 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations. A member of the United Nations since 1992. The country is also a member of the OSCE, the Council of Europe, and the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program. Azerbaijan is a correspondent at the International Telecommunication Union and member of the Non-Aligned Movement and holds observer status in World Trade Organization. The Constitution of Azerbaijan does not declare an official religion, and all major political forces in the country are secular, but the majority of people adhere to Shia Islam. Azerbaijan has a high level of human development. It has a high economic development and literacy and intentional homicide. ---------------------------------------------------