Azerbaijan
/ˌæzəbaɪˈdʒɑːn/- a country in the Caucasus of SW Asia, on the western shore of the Caspian Sea; pop. 8,238, 700 (est. 2009); languages, Azerbaijani (official), Russian; capital, Baku.阿塞拜疆（亚洲西南部高加索地区国家, 位于里海西岸, 2009年估计人口8,238, 700; 语言： 阿塞拜疆语［官方语言］和俄语; 首都巴库）。
Historically, the name Azerbaijan referred to a larger region which formed part of Persia. The northern part of this was ceded to Russia in the early 19th century, the southern part remaining a region of NW Iran. Russian Azerbaijan was absorbed into the Soviet Union in 1922, gaining independence on the break-up of the USSR in 1991.