Situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia, Azerbaijan is a small Caucasian country that became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. The country shares a land border with Russia to the north, Iran to the south, and Armenia, Turkey, and Georgia to the west, while the entire eastern part of the country is surrounded by the Caspian Sea.
Azerbaijan is divided between extreme mountains and lowlands. The Greater Caucasus Mountains cut across the northern part of the country, carving out beautiful gorges and streams in the landscape. It contains the country’s highest peak, Mount Bazardyuzyu, at 14,652 feet. The Lesser Caucasus mountain range, which reaches a summit of almost 13,000 feet, runs parallel to the Greater Caucasus about 100 to 200 miles in the south, while the Talish Mountains also grace the southeast border with Iran. The rest of the country is comprised of lowland forests, plains, and wetlands.
The Official National (State) Animal of Azerbaijan
The Karabakh horse is the major national symbol of Azerbaijan. Historically it has been an important racing and riding horse of the Eurasian mountain-steppe areas.
Where to Find the Top Wild Animals in Azerbaijan
Since its independence, Azerbaijan has established around nine different national parks, 15 state reserves, and many more game reserves to protect its wildlife.
- The Absheron National Park is the smallest of the parks, but it’s also the easiest wildlife area for tourists to reach, situated as it is to the immediate east of the capital, Baku. Amid the twisting dunes and semi-desert coastlines, visitors can find foxes, tortoises, jackals, ducks, sandpipers, and even the endangered Caspian seal in the summer.
- The Shirvan National Park, located in the southeast Salyan Rayon District, features red foxes, gazelles, jungle cats, badgers, jackals, eagles, falcons, tree frogs, and marsh frogs, Caspian turtles, snakes, and even the elusive wolf.
- The Ag-Gel National Park, which encompasses Lake Aggol in the Kur-Araz Lowland toward the west, has been deemed an important bird area. It is home to more than 140 unique species of birds, including the partridge, swan, spoonbill, teal, and pelican. It’s also an excellent source of freshwater fish and small mammals.
- The Gizilaghaj Nature Reserve, located in the Lankaran District along the southeast Caspian coast, is the largest protected area in the entire country. Encompassing more than 300 square miles, it is home to some 270 species of birds, including swans, pelicans, ducks, herons, ibises, spoonbills, geese, and flamingos. It also contains some reptiles and mammals.
The Most Dangerous Animals in Azerbaijan Today
Azerbaijan is home to several species of venomous snakes and large carnivores, but only a few of them are highly dangerous.
- Horned Viper – Also known as the long-nosed viper, nose-horned viper, or sand viper, it’s easily identified by the unique horn on the snout. As one of the more dangerous snakes in all of Europe, this species can cause pain, swelling, and discoloration. Fortunately, these reptiles are only found in a very small part of western Azerbaijan.
- Caucasian Pit Viper – This subspecies of the Central Asian pit viper lives in the southeastern part of the country. When it strikes, the snake opens its mouth almost 180 degrees and uses specialized muscles to inject the venom, the amount of which it can control. Victims will likely experience pain, swelling, and an irregular heartbeat. In rare cases, paralysis may develop later.
- Brown Bear – Bears are not as aggressive as their reputation suggests. Attacks only occur in less than a percent of on-foot encounters, usually when the bear feels surprised or threatened. In fact, most attacks occur when a mother is protecting her young.
Endangered Animals in Azerbaijan
- Caspian Seal – Native to the rocky shorelines and islands of the Caspian Sea, this small earless seal has become endangered from disease, pollution, habitat degradation, and overhunting. While about 100,000 still remain in the wild, numbers have declined from a peak of 1.5 million in the early 20th century. They continue to decline by a few percent per year.
- Persian Leopard – Once common throughout the Caucasus and Western Asia, the Persian leopard is in danger of becoming extinct. About 1,000 of them remain in the wild, only a few of which actually reside in Azerbaijan. Protected by law, they can be found in the country’s wildlife refuges.
- Persian Gazelle – This is an endangered subspecies of the goitered gazelle, which derives its name from the male’s enlarged neck and throat pouch in the breeding season. A million goitered gazelles once roamed the deserts and semi-deserts of the Middle East and Central Asia, but now only about 100,000 to 150,000 of them remain.
- Persian Sturgeon – Among the largest fishes in the world, the Persian sturgeon is endemic to the Caspian Sea and some surrounding freshwater rivers. Since they mature so slowly, most sturgeons suffer greatly from overfishing. Both their flesh and their eggs are highly prized. As a result, they are now in danger of becoming extinct.
The Flag of Azerbaijan
The flag of Azerbaijan consists of blue, red and green horizontal bands with a white crescent and eight-pointed star at its center. The color blue signifies the Azerbaijan people and their Turkish origin, the red represents progress and the green symbolizes the Islamic religion. The octagonal star has eight points which stand for eight letters in the word Azerbaijan, written in Arabic. Overall, Azerbaijan’s flag symbolizes the country’s pride, heritage, independence, and identity.