| Revision as of 13:25, 10 August 2004 view sourceEd Poor (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers59,216 edits Promote language and demographics headers, leaving Development as subheading of Language← Previous edit | Revision as of 13:28, 10 August 2004 view source Ed Poor (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, Pending changes reviewers59,216 edits revise intro for smoothness & move demographics sentence down to Demographics section as intro sentenceNext edit → | ||
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| '''Azerbaijanis''', '''Azeris''', '''Azerbaijani Turks''', or '''Azeri Turks''', are commonly associated with the regions of northwestern ] (mainly the provinces of ], ], and ]) and the ], as well as neighbouring areas |
'''Azerbaijanis''', '''Azeris''', '''Azerbaijani Turks''', or '''Azeri Turks''', are a people of the ] numbering about 45 million. | ||
| They are commonly associated with the regions of northwestern ] (mainly the provinces of ], ], and ]) and the ], as well as neighbouring areas. | |||
| ==Origins== | ==Origins== | ||
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| ==Demographics== | ==Demographics== | ||
| There are about total 45 million Azerbaijanis in the world, but census figures are incomplete. | |||
| It is estimated that there are 16 million to 22 million Azerbaijanis in Iran, 4 million to 8 million in Azerbaijan, 600 thousand to 2.16 million in ], over 1 million in the ], about 500 thousand in each of ] and ], more that 300 thousand in ], 286 thousand in ], and 78.3 thousand to 200 thousand in ]. The total number is claimed to be around 45 million people. The ], ], ], the ], ], and ] also have some populations of Azerbaijanis living there. | It is estimated that there are 16 million to 22 million Azerbaijanis in Iran, 4 million to 8 million in Azerbaijan, 600 thousand to 2.16 million in ], over 1 million in the ], about 500 thousand in each of ] and ], more that 300 thousand in ], 286 thousand in ], and 78.3 thousand to 200 thousand in ]. The total number is claimed to be around 45 million people. The ], ], ], the ], ], and ] also have some populations of Azerbaijanis living there. | ||
Revision as of 13:28, 10 August 2004
Azerbaijanis, Azeris, Azerbaijani Turks, or Azeri Turks, are a people of the Caucasus numbering about 45 million. They are commonly associated with the regions of northwestern Iran (mainly the provinces of Ardabil, East Azarbaijan, and West Azarbaijan) and the Republic of Azerbaijan, as well as neighbouring areas.
Origins
Their origins are disputed, with some historians calling them descendants of Iranian and Caucasian peoples and others maintaining that they are descendants of various Turkic peoples.
Most historians agree that they are descendants of Iranian and Caucasian peoples who were linguistically assimilated by Turkic tribes (primarily Oghuz Turks and Kipchaks). A minority among professionals believe instead that they are descendants of various Turkic peoples, especially the Oghuz Turks and that they had inhabited the area since the 6th century and were a majority in the area in the 10th and 11th centuries, uniting with previous Turkic inhabitants. The controversy is unlikely to be settled, even by archaoloical evidence from controlled, professionally excavated sites, which would establish cultural connections at inhabited sites, or by population genetics, which would offer clues to the waves of human migration that have repeatedly tranformed the Caucasus. Official ideologies and local social unrest have rendered neutral, scientifically-based resolution difficult.
Language
Main article: Azerbaijani language
The Azerbaijanis speak Azerbaijani (sometimes called Azerbaijani Turkish or Azeri) which is a Turkic language, close to Turkish and Turkmen (see also Turkic peoples). The standard Azerbaijani language developed from the 10th century onwards.
Some claim that prior to the 10th century, there were various Turkic dialects spoken across the region, and that the Book of Dede Qorqud, a historic epic, was written in the Azerbaijani language in the 6th and 7th centuries. Others consider the book to be written in an early Ottoman dialect.
Development
The modern written language of the Azerbaijanis developed from the 10th to the 13th centuries, after the Oghuz Turkic migrations and the decline of the Oghuz Yabgu state in Central Asia. This is the timespan that is called Azerbaijan's cultural and linguistic "golden age".
Demographics
There are about total 45 million Azerbaijanis in the world, but census figures are incomplete.
It is estimated that there are 16 million to 22 million Azerbaijanis in Iran, 4 million to 8 million in Azerbaijan, 600 thousand to 2.16 million in Russia, over 1 million in the US, about 500 thousand in each of Ukraine and Germany, more that 300 thousand in Turkey, 286 thousand in Georgia, and 78.3 thousand to 200 thousand in Kazakhstan. The total number is claimed to be around 45 million people. The UK, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Uzbekistan, and Turkmenistan also have some populations of Azerbaijanis living there.
More than 90% of Azerbaijanis are Shia Muslims, but there are also Sunni Muslims, Eastern orthodox, and evangelical Christians, Jews, Zoroastrians, and Baha'is. Some people claim that in recent years there have been many conversions from Shia Islam to Sunni Islam.
See also: List of Azerbaijanis
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