The Borders of Azerbaijan define the land and maritime borders of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has international land borders with 5 states.
The neighboring countries are Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Iran to the south, Turkey to the west (via the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the northwest) and Armenia to the west and via the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the north and east. To the east, Azerbaijan is bordered by the Caspian Sea which is classified as the world's largest lake and also as a closed sea. [1]
Additionally, in Armenia, there exist three Azerbaijani enclaves: Barxudarlı, Yuxarı Əskipara and Karki (located north of the region of Nakhchivan) Reciprocally, there exists one Armenian enclave, a village called Artsvashen in north-western Azerbaijan.
Although Azerbaijan is not a landlocked country, Azerbaijan has no access to the open sea (hence the ocean), it has a coastline of 713 km (443 mi) on the Caspian Sea, which is a lake or a closed sea depending on various definitions and interpretations. Because of its large size and being bordered by five countries, it has (still partially undefined) maritime borders and naval forces by all five Caspian littoral states. Azerbaijan's maritime boundaries with Russia and Kazakhstan have been determined, but the boundaries with Iran and Turkmenistan are still disputed. [2] [3]
Since March 2020 and due initially to the COVID-19 pandemic, all land borders of Azerbaijan remain closed until at least July 1, 2024. However despite this "cargo from Georgia, Russia, Iran, and Turkey, has remained allowed to enter the country by land."
# | Country | Length (km) | More information |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Armenia | 1,007 km (626 mi) [lower-alpha 1] | Armenia–Azerbaijan border |
2 | Iran | 765 km (475 mi) [lower-alpha 2] | Azerbaijan–Iran border |
3 | Georgia | 480 km (300 mi) | Azerbaijan–Georgia border |
4 | Russia | 390 km (240 mi) | Azerbaijan–Russia border |
5 | Turkey | 11 km (6.8 mi) [lower-alpha 3] | Azerbaijan–Turkey border |
Total | 2,650 km (1,650 mi) |
Azerbaijan is a country in the Caucasus region, situated at the juncture of Eastern Europe and West Asia. Three physical features dominate Azerbaijan: the Caspian Sea, whose shoreline forms a natural boundary to the east; the Greater Caucasus mountain range to the north; and the extensive flatlands at the country's center. About the size of Portugal or the US state of Maine, Azerbaijan has a total land area of approximately 86,600 km², less than 1% of the land area of the former Soviet Union. Of the three Transcaucasian states, Azerbaijan has the greatest land area. Special administrative subdivisions are the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, which is separated from the rest of Azerbaijan by a strip of Armenian territory, and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region, entirely within Azerbaijan. The status of Nagorno-Karabakh is disputed by Armenia, but is internationally recognized as territory of Azerbaijan.
Armenia is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus region of the Caucasus. The country is geographically located in West Asia, within the Armenian plateau. Armenia is bordered on the north and east by Georgia and Azerbaijan and on the south and west by Iran, Azerbaijan's exclave Nakhchivan, and Turkey.
The transport in Azerbaijan involves air traffic, waterways and railroads. All transportation services in Azerbaijan except for oil and gas pipelines are regulated by the Ministry of Transportation of Azerbaijan Republic.
Geographically, the country of Iran is located in West Asia and borders the Caspian Sea, Persian Gulf, and Gulf of Oman. Topographically, it is predominantly located on the Persian Plateau. Its mountains have impacted both the political and the economic history of the country for several centuries. The mountains enclose several broad basins, on which major agricultural and urban settlements are located. Until the 20th century, when major highways and railroads were constructed through the mountains to connect the population centers, these basins tended to be relatively isolated from one another.
A landlocked country is a country that does not have any territory connected to an ocean or whose coastlines lie solely on endorheic basins. Currently, there are 44 landlocked countries, two of them doubly landlocked, and three landlocked de facto states in the world. Kazakhstan is the world's largest landlocked country, while Ethiopia is the world's most populous landlocked country.
The South Caucasus, also known as Transcaucasia or the Transcaucasus, is a geographical region on the border of Eastern Europe and West Asia, straddling the southern Caucasus Mountains. The South Caucasus roughly corresponds to modern Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan, which are sometimes collectively known as the Caucasian States. The total area of these countries measures about 186,100 square kilometres. The South Caucasus and the North Caucasus together comprise the larger Caucasus geographical region that divides Eurasia.
The Aras is a river in the Caucasus. It rises in eastern Turkey and flows along the borders between Turkey and Armenia, between Turkey and the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan, between Iran and both Azerbaijan and Armenia, and, finally, through Azerbaijan where it flows into the Kura river. It drains the south side of the Lesser Caucasus Mountains, while the Kura drains the north side of the Lesser Caucasus. The river's total length is 1,072 km (666 mi) and its watershed covers an area of 102,000 km2 (39,000 sq mi). The Aras is one of the longest rivers in the Caucasus.
Armenian Railways was a rail operator in Armenia.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Azerbaijan:
Rail transport in Azerbaijan is operated by the national state-owned railway company Azerbaijan Railways. The railway network consists of 2,918 km (1,813 mi), its gauge is 1,520 mm, 815 km (506 mi) are double track and 1,272 km (790 mi) are electrified at 3 kV (3,000 V) DC.
The majority of the population of Iran consists of Iranic peoples. The largest groups in this category include Persians and Kurds, with smaller communities including Gilakis, Mazandaranis, Lurs, Tats, Talysh, and Baloch.
Azerbaijan Railways is the national state-owned rail transport operator in the Republic of Azerbaijan. The 2,918 km (1,813 mi), 1,520 mm gauge network is electrified at 3 kV (3,000 V) DC. The headquarters of the Azerbaijan Railways is in the capital Baku.
Azerbaijan–Russia border is the state border between Russia and Azerbaijan. It is 338 km in length and runs from the tripoint with Georgia in the west to the Caspian Sea the east. Prior to 1991 it formed the border between the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic and the Azerbaijan SSR within the Soviet Union. The southernmost point of the Russian Federation is located on the border.
The Armenia–Azerbaijan border is the international border between the Republic of Armenia and the Republic of Azerbaijan. Estimates of the border's length vary from 996 km (619 mi) to 1,007.1 km (625.8 mi). European routes E002 and E117 cross the border.
The Azerbaijan–Turkey border is a short 17 km (11 mi) long international border between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the Republic of Turkey. The border is located at the southeastern tip of the Iğdır Province on the Turkish side and at the northwestern tip of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic on the Azerbaijani side; running entirely along the Aras river, it is the shortest border for both countries.
Iran has international borders with 13 sovereign countries, both on land and sea. It has a total of 5,894 km land borders with Iraq, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkmenistan, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. With a total of 2,440 km coastline, it has maritime borders with 6 other countries: Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Oman. Iranian Turkey border has dug 376 kilometers moat along border, there is a four meters height concrete wall.
The Azerbaijan–Iran border is 689 km in length and consists of two non-contiguous sections separated by the Armenia–Iran border.
The Armenia–Iran border is 44 km (27 mi) in length and runs from the tripoint with Azerbaijan’s Nakhchivan region in the west to the tripoint with Azerbaijan proper in the east. The border has been protected by guards of the Russian Federal Security Service since 1992. On 9 May 2024, Russian Presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced that Russian border guards will continue to serve on Armenia's borders with Iran and Turkey, at the request of the Armenian side.