Azerbaijan's key position on the ancient Silk Road is quickly visible in the caravansaries, narrow, high-walled alleys, and tiny mosques of its cities and mountain villages.

• TOTAL AREA: 86,600 sq km

• LAND AREA: 86,100 sq km

• WATER AREA: 500 sq km

• POPULATION: 7,961,619

• RELIGIONS: Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8%

• LANGUAGES: Azerbaijani (Azeri) 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6%

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Republic

• CAPITAL CITY: Baku

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: Azerbaijani manat (AZM)

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC +5