Within the Eurasian continent, there exists a remarkably long and narrow stretch of land known as the Greater Caucasus region.
For enthusiasts of maps, the importance of the Greater Caucasus region is readily apparent.
Looking from east to west, it is flanked by the Caspian and Black Seas, forming a natural barrier;
From south to north, the towering Caucasus Mountains serve as a natural divide.
The strategic geographical location of the Greater Caucasus has historically been a focal point of contention among major powers.
Despite its significant geographical importance, today it is divided into several relatively small countries.
For example, Armenia, with an area of only 29,700 square kilometers, Georgia with 69,700 square kilometers, and Azerbaijan, which I will focus on, has the largest land area in the Greater Caucasus region at 86,600 square kilometers. However, this is not outstanding on a global scale.
To the north of Azerbaijan is Russia, the world's largest country by land area, reaching 17.1 million square kilometers.
To the south is Iran, covering an area of 1.645 million square kilometers.
To the west, Azerbaijan's exclave, the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic, shares a border of approximately 15 kilometers with Turkey, whose area is also considerable at 783,000 square kilometers.
In fact, placing Azerbaijan within China is about the size of Chongqing.
However, land area is not the only measure of a country.
There are many impressive aspects about Azerbaijan.
Firstly, Azerbaijan's terrain is complex, with an altitude difference of nearly 4,500 meters across the country.
Azerbaijan is situated at the intersection of the Greater Caucasus Mountains, the Armenian Highlands, and the Iranian Plateau, resulting in diverse and complex terrain.
The country includes the Greater Caucasus and Lesser Caucasus mountain ranges, with crisscrossing mountains covering half of the total national area.
Among these mountains, there are numerous basins and lowlands, covering 40% of the country's total land area.
Azerbaijan's highest peak is Mount Bazarduzu, reaching an altitude of 4,466 meters, while its lowest point near the Caspian Sea is 28 meters below sea level, with an average national altitude of 384 meters.
This means that despite its small land area, Azerbaijan has a complex terrain with an altitude difference of 4,494 meters.
Secondly, Azerbaijan has numerous reservoirs, with a total national water resource storage of 10.3 billion cubic meters, but the storage capacity of more than 60 reservoirs exceeds 21 billion cubic meters, more than twice the former.
Azerbaijan's diverse climate spans almost all climate types, including polar climates and extreme climates.
Despite being hidden within the Eurasian continent, some windward slopes are moist, with abundant rainfall, with an overall national annual precipitation of up to 473 mm.
Due to its complex terrain, Azerbaijan's rivers are mostly short from east to west on both sides of the Caspian and Black Seas.
According to statistics, there are 8,359 rivers in the country, with only 8,188 rivers less than 25 km long and only 24 rivers over 100 km long.
The Kura River is the largest river flowing through Azerbaijan, with a total length of 1,515 km and a basin area of approximately 39,900 square kilometers, but from outside.
Azerbaijan is also easy to build reservoirs due to its complex terrain, and currently has more than 60 reservoirs, most of which have a capacity of more than 1 million cubic meters, with a total storage capacity of up to 21 billion cubic meters.
Among them, the Mingachevir Reservoir has a capacity of up to 17 billion cubic meters, more than twice the national water resource storage of Azerbaijan.
Thirdly, Azerbaijan has a population of 10.14 million, but more than 30 million Azerbaijanis live in other countries, three times the domestic population.
Historically, the name and self-naming of Azerbaijanis have changed several times, such as after the Mongolian Empire swept through the Caucasus region and called Tatars because of their linguistic similarity.
In the early 20th century, Azerbaijanis referred to themselves as Turks until the former Soviet Union renamed them Azerbaijanis to enhance national identity.
Today, there are many Azerbaijanis living in other countries, such as approximately 25 million in Iran, more than a quarter of the total population, and two provinces with Azerbaijanis as the main body.
Approximately 2.5 million Azerbaijanis live in Russia, and approximately 1 million in the United States.
Globally, except for Azerbaijan, there are about 30 million Azerbaijanis living inside and outside the country, equivalent to three times the domestic population.
Fourthly, Azerbaijan has more than 220 mud volcanoes distributed within its borders, known as the "kingdom of mud volcanoes."
Unlike ordinary volcanoes, mud volcanoes erupt mud and rock fragments rather than magma and volcanic ash.
Most of these mud volcanoes have a height of only a few hundred meters, and their numbers are large.
The formation of mud volcanoes is related to volcanic activity, but the main reason may be the squeezing of underground water and mud ejected.
Finally, Azerbaijan has rich oil and gas resources. In the early 20th century, its oil production accounted for half of the global total, and in the 1920s, it accounted for 95% of the former Soviet Union.
Most of Azerbaijan's mud volcanoes are distributed in oil and gas resource belts, with about two-thirds of the oil fields located around mud volcanoes.
To this day, Azerbaijan's oil and gas resources remain abundant, with proven oil reserves of 2 billion tons and geological reserves of 4 billion tons, and proven natural gas reserves of 2.6 trillion cubic meters, with expected reserves of up to 6 trillion cubic meters.
In summary, although Azerbaijan's area and population are relatively small on a global scale, its complex terrain, abundant water resources, widespread population distribution, rich mud volcano resources, and abundant oil and gas resources make it a significant player in the world.
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