Azerbaijanis
Azerbaijanis (/ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒæni, -ɑːni/; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycanlılar, آذربایجانلیلار), Azeris (Azərilər, آذریلر), or Azerbaijani Turks (Azərbaycan Türkləri, آذربایجان تۆرکلری) are a Turkic ethnic group living mainly in the Azerbaijan region of northwestern Iran and the Republic of Azerbaijan. They are predominantly Shia Muslims. They comprise the largest ethnic group in the Republic of Azerbaijan and the second-largest ethnic group in neighboring Iran and Georgia. They speak the Azerbaijani language, belonging to the Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages.
Azərbaycanlılar آذربایجانلیلار | |
|---|---|
Azerbaijani girls in traditional dresses | |
| Total population | |
| 30–35 million (2002) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Iran | 12–23 million 6–6.5 million (Arakelova) |
| Azerbaijan | 8,172,800 |
| Russia | 603,070 |
| Turkey | 530,000–2 million |
| Georgia | 233,178 |
| Kazakhstan | 114,586 |
| Ukraine | 45,176 |
| Uzbekistan | 44,400 |
| Turkmenistan | 33,365 |
| United States | 24,377 |
| Germany | 20,000–30,000 |
| Netherlands | 18,000 |
| Kyrgyzstan | 17,823 |
| France | 70,000 |
| Canada | 9,915 |
| Portugal | 8,000 |
| United Arab Emirates | 7,000 |
| United Kingdom | 6,220 |
| Belarus | 5,567 |
| Sweden | 2,935 |
| Latvia | 1,567–2,032 |
| Australia | 1,036 |
| Austria | 1,000 |
| Estonia | 940 |
| Norway | 806 |
| Lithuania | 648 |
| Italy | 552 |
| Languages | |
| Azerbaijani Persian, Turkish | |
| Religion | |
| Mainly Islam (predominantly Shia Islam, minority Sunni Islam) | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Turkish people and Turkmen people | |
| Part of a series on |
| Azerbaijanis |
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| Culture |
| Traditional areas of settlement |
| Diaspora |
| Religion |
| Language |
| Persecution |
Following the Russo-Persian Wars of 1813 and 1828, the territories of Qajar Iran in the Caucasus were ceded to the Russian Empire and the treaties of Gulistan in 1813 and Turkmenchay in 1828 finalized the borders between Russia and Iran. After more than 80 years of being under the Russian Empire in the Caucasus, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was established in 1918 which defined the territory of the Republic of Azerbaijan.