Azerbaijan is administratively divided into 69 districts (rayon) and 11 cities (şəhər) that are subordinate to the Republic. Out of these, 7 districts and 1 city are located within the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic. The districts are further divided into municipalities (bələdiyyə).

Additionally, the districts of Azerbaijan are grouped into 14 Economic Regions (İqtisadi Rayon).[1] On 7 July 2021, the President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev signed Decree "On the new division of economic regions in the Republic of Azerbaijan".[2]

Administrative divisions

Contiguous Azerbaijan

The list below represents mainland Azerbaijan and excludes the districts of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic:

Map ref. Administrative division Azerbaijani name Capital Area[3]
(km2) 		Population
Census
2019[4] 		Note
1 Absheron District Abşeron Xırdalan 1,360 476,819 Includes an exclave in Baku
2 Aghjabadi District Ağcabədi Aghjabadi 1,760 149,660
3 Aghdam District Ağdam Alıbəyli 1,150 78,323
4 Agdash District Ağdaş Agdash 1,050 103,267
5 Aghstafa District Ağstafa Agstafa 1,500 84,918
6 Agsu District Ağsu Agsu 1,020 77,712
7 Şirvan (city) Şirvan 30 82,135 Known as Ali Bayramli (Əli Bayramlı) until 2008
8 Astara District Astara Astara 620 105,083
9 Baku (city) Bakı 2,130 2,616,948 Capital and largest city of Azerbaijan
10 Balakan District Balakən Balakan 920 107,870
11 Barda District Bərdə Barda 960 182,633
12 Beylagan District Beyləqan Beylagan 1,130 91,619
13 Bilasuvar District Biləsuvar Bilasuvar 1,400 113,412
14 Jabrayil District Cəbrayıl Jabrayil 1,050 420
15 Jalilabad District Cəlilabad Jalilabad 1,440 207,565
16 Dashkasan District Daşkəsən Dashkasan 1,050 33,797
17 Shabran District Şabran Shabran 1,090 56,482 Known as Davachi (Dəvəçi) until 2010
18 Fuzuli District Füzuli Füzuli 1,390 63,582
19 Gadabay District Gədəbəy Gadabay 1,290 95,756
20 Ganja (city) Gəncə 110 352,196
21 Goranboy District Goranboy Goranboy 1,760 104,916
22 Goychay District Göyçay Goychay 740 115,213
23 Hajigabul District Hacıqabul Hajiqabul 1,640 73,634
24 Imishli District İmişli Imishli 1,820 129,259
25 Ismayilli District İsmayıllı Ismayilli 2,060 79,223
26 Kalbajar District Kəlbəcər Kalbajar 3,050 19,818
27 Kurdamir District Kürdəmir Kurdamir 1,630 111,483
28 Lachin District Laçın Lachin 1,840 11,673
29 Lankaran District Lənkəran Lankaran 1,540 220,413
30 Lankaran (city) Lənkəran 70 (83,300) 2019 Census figure included in Lankaran District
31 Lerik District Lerik Lerik 1,080 80,735
32 Masally District Masallı Masally 720 219,607
33 Mingachevir (city) Mingəçevir 130 119,977
34 Naftalan (city) Naftalan 30 9,291
35 Neftchala District Neftçala Neftchala 1,450 83,792
36 Oghuz District Oğuz Oghuz 1,220 42,424
37 Qabala District Qəbələ Qabala 1,550 101,580
38 Qakh District Qax Qakh 1,490 51,519
39 Qazax District Qazax Qazax 700 92,912 Partly under de facto control of Armenia
40 Gobustan District Qobustan Gobustan 1,370 44,348
41 Quba District Quba Quba 2,580 161,631
42 Qubadli District Qubadlı Qubadli 800 (36,700)
43 Qusar District Qusar Qusar 1,540 98,307
44 Saatly District Saatlı Saatly 1,180 104,801
45 Sabirabad District Sabirabad Sabirabad 1,470 177,137
46 Shaki District Şəki Shaki 2,430 178,648
47 Shaki (city) Şəki 9 (63,700)
48 Salyan District Salyan Salyan 1,790 136,917
49 Shamakhi District Şamaxı Shamakhi 1,610 102,494
50 Shamkir District Şəmkir Shamkir 1,660 212,427
51 Samukh District Samux Samukh 1,450 56,696
52 Siyazan District Siyəzən Siyazan 700 40,896
53 Sumgait (city) Sumqayıt 80 491,068
54 Shusha District Şuşa Shusha 290 5,396
55 Tartar District Tərtər Tartar 960 85,426
56 Tovuz District Tovuz Tovuz 1,900 164,119
57 Ujar District Ucar Ujar 850 82,949
58 Khachmaz District Xaçmaz Khachmaz 1,050 170,022
59 Khankendi (city) Xankəndi 8 58,322
60 Goygol District Göygöl Goygol 1,030 66,774 Known as Khanlar (Xanlar) until 2008
61 Khizi District Xızı Khizi 1,850 17,903
62 Khojaly District Xocalı Khojaly 940 17,050
63 Khojavend District Xocavənd Khojavend 1,460 (42,100)
64 Yardimli District Yardımlı Yardimli 670 64,027
65 Yevlakh District Yevlax Yevlakh 1,540 130,741
66 Yevlakh (city) Yevlax 95 59,036
67 Zangilan District Zəngilan Zangilan 710 (40,500)
68 Zagatala District Zaqatala Zaqatala 1,350 125,831
69 Zardab District Zərdab Zardab 860 57,022
TOTAL 81,100 9,634,154 (a)

Note: (a) including an estimated 148,795 for Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) estimated for 2019 by the Artsakh Statistical Service.

Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic

The subdivisions of Nakhchivan
1. Babek District
2. Julfa District
3. Kangarli District
4. Nakhchivan (city) 		5. Ordubad District
6. Sadarak District
7. Shahbuz District
8. Sharur District

The seven districts and one municipality of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic are listed below.

Map ref. Administrative division Azerbaijani name Capital Area[3]
(km2) 		Population
Census
2019[4] 		Note
1 Babek District Babək Babek 900 76,002 Known as Nakhchivan until 1991
2 Julfa District Culfa Julfa 1,000 46,970
3 Kangarli District Kəngərli Qıvraq 680 32,621 Split from Babek in March 2004
4 Nakhchivan (city) Naxçıvan 130 94,318 Split from Nakhchivan (Babek District) in 1991
5 Ordubad District Ordubad Ordubad 970 50,156 Split from Julfa in 1965[5]
6 Sadarak District Sədərək Sadarak 150 16,036 Split from Sharur in 1990; includes the Karki exclave under de facto control of Armenia
7 Shahbuz District Şahbuz Şahbuz 920 25,233 Split from Nakhchivan (Babek) in 1965[5]
8 Sharur District Şərur Sharur 810 117,263 Known as Norashen until 1964 and Ilyich until 1990[5]
TOTAL 5,560 458,599

Economic regions

Main article: Economic regions of Azerbaijan
Map of economic regions of Azerbaijan (July 2021)
Economic region[6] Area
(km2)[7] 		Population
estimate
2021[7] 		Population
density
per km2
(2021) 		Note
Baku 2,140 2,300,500 1,075 Includes Baku itself. It is the main economic centre of Azerbaijan.
Main industries: international trade, oil refining, chemical, machine-building, food, tourism, textiles.[8]
The military industry, high-tech industries, and information technologies are being developed.[9]
Absheron-Khizi 3,730 578,800 155 Includes the Absheron and Khizi administrative districts and the city of Sumgait.
The main industries are petrochemical, chemical, heavy industry, ferrous and non-ferrous metallurgy, energy, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, light and food, construction, transport infrastructure.
Ganja-Dashkasan 5,270 611,300 116 Includes Dashkasan, Goranboy, Goygol, Samukh administrative districts and the cities of Ganja, Naftalan.
Shaki-Zagatala 8,840 630,400 71 Includes Balakan, Qakh, Qabala, Oghuz, Zagatala, Shaki administrative districts.
Main industries: light, tourism and food.[10]
Lankaran-Astara 6,070 953,600 157 Includes Astara, Jalilabad, Lerik, Yardimli, Lankaran administrative districts.
Main industry: food and tourism.
Guba-Khachmaz 6,960 558,700 80 Includes Shabran, Khachmaz, Guba, Qusar, Siyazan administrative districts.
Main industries: agriculture, light, tourism, food.[11]
Central Aran 6,690 740,000 111 Includes Agdash, Goychay, Kurdamir, Ujar, Yevlakh, Zardab administrative districts, and the city of Mingachevir.[12]
Karabakh 8,990 904,500 101 Includes Agjabadi, Aghdam, Barda, Fuzuli, Khojaly, Khojavend, Shusha, Tartar administrative regions and the city of Khankendi (Stepanakert).
East Zangezur 7,470 343,500 46 Includes Jabrayil, Kalbajar, Qubadli, Lachin, Zangilan administrative districts.
Mountainous Shirvan 6,130 324,800 53 Includes Agsu, Ismayilli, Gobustan, Shamakhi administrative districts.
Main industries: light and food.
Nakhchivan 5,500 461,500 84 Includes the whole territory of the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.
Main industries: light and food.
Gazakh-Tovuz 7,030 687,600 98 Includes Aghstafa, Gadabay, Gazakh, Shamkir, Tovuz administrative districts.
Mil-Mughan 5,670 522,600 92 Includes Beylagan, Imishli, Saatly, Sabirabad administrative districts.
Shirvan-Salyan 6,080 501,300 82 Includes Bilasuvar, Hajigabul, Neftchala, Salyan administrative districts and the city of Shirvan.
TOTALS 86,570 10,119,100 111

Nagorno-Karabakh

The territory of former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast presently consists of the districts of Khojavend, Shusha, Khojaly, the eastern portion of Kalbajar and the western portion of Tartar. The Autonomous Oblast was abolished on 26 November 1991, by the Supreme Soviet of the Azerbaijan SSR. Since then, the territory of the autonomous oblast has been administratively split between the aforementioned districts.

As a result of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War, most of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding districts came under the occupation of ethnic Armenian forces.[13] The self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh also controlled a large part of southwestern Azerbaijan outside Nagorno-Karabakh. Azerbaijan regained control of all of the surrounding districts and large parts of Nagorno-Karabakh following the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war. Azerbaijan regained control of all of Nagorno-Karabakh following 2023 Nagorno-Karabakh clashes.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Azerbaijan Regions" Archived 2016-02-24 at the Wayback Machine, Regional Development Center in Azerbaijan.
  2. ^ "New economic regions of Azerbaijan – LIST". Report News Agency. 7 July 2021. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  3. ^ a b "Territories, number, density of population and territorial units by economic and administrative regions of Azerbaijan Republic" Archived January 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine, The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
  4. ^ a b Census of 1 October 2019 - State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan (web).
  5. ^ a b c Hewsen, Robert H. (2001). Armenia: A Historical Atlas. University of Chicago Press.
  6. ^ "Azərbaycan Prezidentinin Rəsmi internet səhifəsi - SƏNƏDLƏR » Fərmanlar". president.az (in Azerbaijani). Retrieved 2021-09-26.
  7. ^ a b "Territories, number and density of population by economic and administrative regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan". The State Statistical Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan. 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
  8. ^ "10.2 An Overview - Baku: City that Oil Built - by Farid Alakbarov". azer.com. Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  9. ^ "В Баку началось серийное производство боевых машин типа". ИА REGNUM (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  10. ^ "Demography". Archived from the original on 2015-09-20.
  11. ^ "Мамедов Р.М. (2011) Анализ и оценка хозяйственных комплексов экономических районов Азербайджана". Издательство Креативная экономика (in Russian). Retrieved 2021-07-09.
  12. ^ "Aran economic region". Archived from the original on 2017-05-30.
  13. ^ "The World Factbook — Central Intelligence Agency". www.cia.gov. 28 March 2023.
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