The national flag of the Republic of Azerbaijan is a symbol of sovereignty of the Azerbaijani state. Like the national emblem and the national anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan it is a sacred symbol and any outrage upon it is punishable by law.
     The upper stripe of the flag is blue. This colour means glory, honour, loyalty, sincerity. For Azerbaijan it is also the colour of the ancient Khazar (the Caspian Sea).
     The middle stripe is red. It symbolizes right, strength, courage, love, bravery. The red colour of the Azerbaijani flag reminds us of the heroic struggle of people led by Babak against foreign oppression. It is the colour of fire and wheat.
     The lower stripe of the flag is green. It means freedom, happiness, hope, health. Green is the favourite colour of Azerbaijani people. It is present in the names of the lakes of Azerbaijan and symbolizes spring, Novruz and reminds us of semeni - the green circle of hope.
     There is a crescent in the middle of the red stripe. For many years they tried to take it away from the heraldry of Azerbaijan. It was interpreted “as a religious symbol, alien to ideological consciousness and the sense of secular emblems”.
     A crescent is one of the most ancient symbols which was popular with the peoples of Asia who worshiped the Moon in the times of paganism. By the way, before Christianity was introduced in Caucasian Albania this state was famous for its temples devoted to this cult (it was mentioned by Strabon).
     The eight-pointed star to the right of the crescent has no “religious meaning” either. As a matter of fact it is composed of two four-pointed stars. An eight-pointed star in Azerbaijani mythology meant Sirius - the star of all travellers, a luminary creating great space and time. There is nothing mystical in the symbolism of the Azerbaijani flag: no secret meaning, no freemason’s secret, no alien signs.
     The flag entwines such symbols common to all mankind as good, hope, glory and national pride for the native land. The symbols of the spiritual culture of ancient Azerbaijan are an eight-pointed star and its semantic synonyms - Simurg and Novruz. Adoption of the ancient Azerbaijani philosophy as well as the symbols, in particular the ancient astral symbol of the goodwill of the gods - an eight-pointed star and the philosophy of the Universe by the cultures of other nations can serve as a proof to it.
     An eight-pointed star in the radial-petal and other stylized designs is present in the Azerbaijani carpets which have been woven since the beginning of the I millennium BC, as well as in national embroideries, jewellery and other objects of arts and crafts. Following the law of succession of the cultural heritage, an eight-pointed star has become a national symbol of Azerbaijan being embodied in the national emblem and the nation flag of the Republic.
     Eight-sign symbols were spread in the ancient civilizations in the East and the ancient world - in Shumera, Assyria and Babylon, Midia and Iran, India and Palestine, Greece and Rome, Britain and Russia. They were present in the tsar cylindrical seals, in bas-reliefs of palaces and in architectural designs, in land-marks and jewellery. In the history of human culture an eight-pointed star as a divine astral symbol was first met in cylindrical tsar seals, tsar bas-reliefs and in the jewellery of Shumera, Assyria and Babylon dating back to the end of the IV-the beginning of the III millennia BC.
     Thus, an eight-pointed star - the most important astral symbol of the goodwill of the gods of Shumera, Mesopotamian civilization, acquired new philosophical meaning in the culture of zoroastrism as seven stages and the foundations of the Universe which were followed by the eighth stage - a new eternal life of pious people.

2.2. Emblem

     In November 1919 a contest for designing the national emblem of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic was announced in the country (the newspaper “Azerbaijan” Nr. 246, November 14, 1919, as well as some other advertisements), and the results of the contest had to be summed up at the beginning of May 1920.
     The national emblem of Azerbaijan is shaped like a shield.
     An eight-pointed star is depicted on the blue, red and green background (the colours of the national flag) of the shield. In the centre of the star there are tongues of flame – an ancient symbol of the country of fire. The number of the points (8) of the star corresponds to the number of the letters in the word “Azerbaijan” written in the ancient (Arabic) alphabet. In the right lower part of the emblem there is an ear of wheat which symbolizes the riches of the Azerbaijani land. The branch of an oak tree depicted on the left stands for the power of the state.
     The acorns on the oak branch symbolize long life of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
     The author of the Azerbaijani emblem is the Abkhazian prince Shervatsidze. The emblem designed by Shervatsidze was approved by the government and became a symbol of the young Azerbaijani Democratic Republic in the period of 1918-1920. After the seizure of Azerbaijan by Soviet Russia and establishing Soviet power the emblem of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic was replaced with another one. In the 70’s of the XX century F. Vekilov (1886-1973), the son of the Major-General I. Vekilov (1852-1934) who once was Ambassador of the Azerbaijani Democratic Republic to Georgia, and the professor of Baku State University H. Aliyev (1900-1982) told Azerbaijani public about the old emblem of the ADR which was painted in the hall of the Azerbaijani Parliament in April 1920.
     Only in autumn 1988 the colour picture of the emblem was discovered. The editor of the newspaper “Odlar yurdu” Ramiz Asker found the cover of the magazine “Odlu jurd” (N 4, April 1930) with the picture of the colour emblem in Ankara. The editor of the magazine “Odlu yurd” was M.E. Rasulzade (1884-1955). The picture of the emblem was printed in the periodical “Gobustan” (N3,1989). In his book M.E. Rasulzade gave information about the adoption of the emblem of ADR in April 1920. A new postage stamp with the inscription “The Azerbaijani national emblem” was issued in Istanbul in 1929 and the whole world got acquainted with its image. With the restoration of state independence in 1992 the former emblem was approved by the supreme legislative body of the country - Milli Mejlis.

2.3. National Anthem

     Ilham Heydar ogli Aliyev was born in December 24, 1961 in the city of Baku.
     From 1967 till 1977 he studied in elementary and secondary schools in the city of Baku.
     After graduating from secondary school in 1977, he entered Moscow State University of International Relations (MSUIR).
     Upon graduation in 1982, he entered a post-graduate course at MSUIR.
     After graduating from the University in 1985, he received a Master's degree in History and International Relations.
     From 1985 till 1990 he was a teacher at MSUIR.
     From 1991 to 1994 he was engaged in private commercial activity in Moscow and Istanbul.
     In May 1994 he became first vice-president of State Oil Company of the Azerbaijan Republic (SOCAR),
     From 1995 until the present time he has been a member of the parliament of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
     In December 1999 he was elected to the post of Deputy Chairman, then in 2001 - First Deputy Chairman, of the "Yeni Azerbaijan" party. (governing political party of the Republic).
     From 1997 he has been president of National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Azerbaijan, a post that he continues to hold.
     In January 2003 he was elected vice-president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and Bureau member.
     In accordance with Milli Majlis decree dated August 4, 2003, he was appointed to the post of Prime Minister of the Republic of Azerbaijan.
     Elected as President of the Republic of Azerbaijan on October 15, 2003.
     He is fluent in Azerbaijani, Russian, English and French.
     He has a son and two daughters.

     4.1. Location: The Republic of Azerbaijan is situated in the eastern part of the Transcaucasus. It stretches from the north to the south, from the Greater Caucasus range to the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus and Talysh. Azerbaijan is washed by the Caspian Sea. In the west and north-west the Republic borders on Georgia and Armenia, in the south with Turkey and Iran, in the north with Russia, in the west it is washed by the Caspian Sea.

     4.2. Country Name: Azərbaycan Respublikası (Republic of Azerbaijan)

     4.3. Capital: Bakı (in USSR Baku) with a population of 2 046 100 (as of May 2009)

     4.4. State Language: Azerbaijani

     4.5. Religion: Religion is separated from the State and all religions are equal before the law

     4.6. Population:The population is 9 047 000 people (as of July, 2010)

     4.7. Monetary Unit: Manat (1 manat = 1,04 EUR and 1 Manat = 0,803 USD as of 15 September, 2010)

5. National Holidays

     5.1. Memorable Days:
     January 20 - Day of Shehids' (Martyrs) Remembrance
     February 26 - Day of Khojali Remembrance
     March 31 - Genocide of Azerbaijanis'

     6.1. Area: 86,600 sq km.

     6.2. Length of Land Boundaries: 2,646 km.

     6.3. Borders with Neighbouring Countries: Armenia - 1007 km, Georgia - 480 km, Iran - 756 km, Russia - 390 km, Turkey - 13 km.

     6.4. Administrative Division

     6.4.1. Autonomous Republic
     Naxçıvan Muxtar Respublikası (Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic)

     6.4.2. Regions: The Republic of Azerbaijan consists 65 regions, 69 cities, 13 urban regions, 130 settlements of urban type and 4354 rural settlements.
     Abşeron, Ağcabədi, Ağdam, Ağdaş, Ağstafa, Ağsu, Astara, Balakən, Beyləqan, Bərdə, Biləsuvar, Cəbrayıl, Cəlilabad, Daşkəsən, Dəvəçi, Fizuli, Gədəbəy, Goranboy, Göyçay, Hacıqabul, Xaçmaz, Xanlar, Xızı, Xocalı, Xocavənd, İmişli, İsmayıllı, Kəlbəcər, Kürdəmir, Qax, Qazax, Qəbələ, Qobustan, Quba, Qubadlı, Qusar, Laçın, Lerik, Lənkəran, Masallı, Neftçala, Oğuz, Saatlı, Sabirabad, Salyan, Samux, Siyəzən, Şamaxı, Şəki, Şəmkir, Şuşa, Tərtər, Tovuz, Ucar, Yardımlı, Yevlax, Zaqatala, Zəngilan, Zərdab.

     6.4.3. Major Cities
     Baku, Ali Bayramly, Ganja, Khankendi, Lankaran, Mingechevir, Naftalan, Sumqayit, Shaki, Shusha, Yevlakh.