Baku (Azerbaijani: Bakı, IPA: [bɑˈcɯ]) is the capital and
largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian
Sea and of the Caucasus region. It is located on the southern shore of
the Absheron Peninsula, which projects into the Caspian Sea. The city
consists of two principal parts: the downtown and the old Inner City
(21.5 ha). Baku’s urban population at the beginning of 2009 was
estimated at just over two million people. Officially, about 25 percent
of all inhabitants of the country live in the metropolitan city area of
Baku.
Baku is divided into eleven administrative districts (raions) and 48 townships. Among these are the townships on islands in the Baku Bay and the town of Oil Rocks built on stilts in the Caspian Sea, 60 km (37 mi) away from Baku. The Inner City of Baku along with the Shirvanshah’s Palace and Maiden Tower were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. According to the Lonely Planet’s ranking, Baku is also among the world’s top ten destinations for urban nightlife.
The city is the scientific, cultural and industrial center of Azerbaijan. Many sizeable Azerbaijani institutions have their headquarters there, including SOCAR, one of the world’s top 100 companies and others. The Baku International Sea Trade Port, sheltered by the islands of the Baku Archipelago to the east and the Absheron Peninsula to the north, is capable of handling two million tons of general and dry bulk cargoes per year.
The architecture of Baku is not characterized by any particular architectural style, having accumulated its buildings over a long period of time.
In itself, Baku contains a wide variety of styles, progressing through Masud Ibn Davud’s 12th century Maiden Tower and the educational institutions and buildings of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic era.
Late modern and postmodern architecture began to appear in the early-2000s. With the economic development, old buildings such as Atlant House have been razed to make way for new ones. Buildings with all glass shell appear around the city, with the most prominent examples being the SOCAR Tower and Flame Towers.
With Shi’a Islam being the dominant religion of Azerbaijan,
there are may Islamic architecture featured buildings that resides in
Baku. Religious places have more Islamic calligraphy drawn on the
columns and other places on the structure.[3] In December 2000, the Old
City of Baku, including the Palace of the Shirvanshahs and Maiden Tower,
became the first location in Azerbaijan to be classified as a World
Heritage Site by UNESCO.
There are many buildings built by the Azerbaijani at the turn of the 20th century that spot Victorian and Western influence in their designs. Another important accomplishment of Azerbaijani Democratic Republic was the establishment of Baku State University, which was the first modern-type university founded in Azerbaijan.
Geography
Baku is situated on the western coast of Caspian Sea. In the vicinity of the city there are a number of mud volcanoes(Keyraki, Bogkh-bogkha, Lokbatan and others) and salt lakes (Boyukshor, Khodasan and so on).
Climate
Baku has a subtropical semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk) with warm and dry summers, cool and occasionally wet winters, and strong winds all year long. However, unlike many other cities with this climate, Baku does not see extremely hot summers. This is largely because of its northerly latitude and the fact that it is located on a peninsula on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Baku and the Absheron Peninsula on which it is situated, is the most arid part of Azerbaijan (precipitation here is around or less than 200 mm (8 in) a year). The majority of the light annual precipitation occurs in seasons other than summer, but none of these months are particularly wet. During Soviet times, Baku with its long hours of sunshine and dry healthy climate, was a vacation destination where citizens could enjoy beaches or relax in now-dilapidated spa complexes overlooking the Caspian Sea. The city’s past as a Soviet industrial center has left it as one of the most polluted cities in the world.
At the same time Baku is noted as a very windy city throughout the year, and gale-force winds, the cold northern windkhazri and the warm southern wind gilavar are typical here in all seasons. Indeed, the city is renowned for its fierce winter snow storms and harsh winds.
Baku is divided into eleven administrative districts (raions) and 48 townships. Among these are the townships on islands in the Baku Bay and the town of Oil Rocks built on stilts in the Caspian Sea, 60 km (37 mi) away from Baku. The Inner City of Baku along with the Shirvanshah’s Palace and Maiden Tower were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000. According to the Lonely Planet’s ranking, Baku is also among the world’s top ten destinations for urban nightlife.
The city is the scientific, cultural and industrial center of Azerbaijan. Many sizeable Azerbaijani institutions have their headquarters there, including SOCAR, one of the world’s top 100 companies and others. The Baku International Sea Trade Port, sheltered by the islands of the Baku Archipelago to the east and the Absheron Peninsula to the north, is capable of handling two million tons of general and dry bulk cargoes per year.
The architecture of Baku is not characterized by any particular architectural style, having accumulated its buildings over a long period of time.
In itself, Baku contains a wide variety of styles, progressing through Masud Ibn Davud’s 12th century Maiden Tower and the educational institutions and buildings of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic era.
Late modern and postmodern architecture began to appear in the early-2000s. With the economic development, old buildings such as Atlant House have been razed to make way for new ones. Buildings with all glass shell appear around the city, with the most prominent examples being the SOCAR Tower and Flame Towers.
There are many buildings built by the Azerbaijani at the turn of the 20th century that spot Victorian and Western influence in their designs. Another important accomplishment of Azerbaijani Democratic Republic was the establishment of Baku State University, which was the first modern-type university founded in Azerbaijan.
Geography
Baku is situated on the western coast of Caspian Sea. In the vicinity of the city there are a number of mud volcanoes(Keyraki, Bogkh-bogkha, Lokbatan and others) and salt lakes (Boyukshor, Khodasan and so on).
Climate
Baku has a subtropical semi-arid climate (Köppen climate classification: BSk) with warm and dry summers, cool and occasionally wet winters, and strong winds all year long. However, unlike many other cities with this climate, Baku does not see extremely hot summers. This is largely because of its northerly latitude and the fact that it is located on a peninsula on the shore of the Caspian Sea. Baku and the Absheron Peninsula on which it is situated, is the most arid part of Azerbaijan (precipitation here is around or less than 200 mm (8 in) a year). The majority of the light annual precipitation occurs in seasons other than summer, but none of these months are particularly wet. During Soviet times, Baku with its long hours of sunshine and dry healthy climate, was a vacation destination where citizens could enjoy beaches or relax in now-dilapidated spa complexes overlooking the Caspian Sea. The city’s past as a Soviet industrial center has left it as one of the most polluted cities in the world.
At the same time Baku is noted as a very windy city throughout the year, and gale-force winds, the cold northern windkhazri and the warm southern wind gilavar are typical here in all seasons. Indeed, the city is renowned for its fierce winter snow storms and harsh winds.
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