Republic, might, for instance by means of a referendum, settle the discussion about
territory or frontiers existing between the two republics.
TERRITORY AND NUMBER OF INHABITANTS OF THE REPUBLIC OF
AZERBAIJAN
Extent o f territory.
The supplement annexed to the present memorandum contains exact
informations about the extent of the territory, statistics of the inhabitants and frontiers
of the Republic.
It will be seen, according to the annexed map, that the territory of
Azerbaijan, at present submitted to the republican government, is limited on the East
by the Caspian Sea, in the North by Daghestan, Northern Caucasus and Georgia, in
the West by Georgia and Armenia, and on the South by Persia.
The territory actually submitted to the Government of the Azerbaijanian
Republic occupies 83.278,66 square versts1 or 94.137,38 square kilometers. This
space represents 39 persents of the whole area of Transcaucasia, which is 217.408
square versts or 247.376,15 square kilometers.
If we add to this the territories not yet occupied by Azerbaijan we shall have
an extent of 132.003,25 square versts or 150.184,88 square kilometers, which is 60
persents of all Transcaucasia.
Populations.
The number of inhabitants of the Azerbaijanian Republic corresponds to the
above stated territorial data. The informations about the number of inhabitants are
taken from the Russian official statistics, which however have been frequently not
very exact and are generally published very late.
Thus the last census took place in Russia in 1897. Unfortunately we must use
the data of this document, for want of better ones, we add the approximate increase of
the population for the last twenty years, correcting the figures by 25 persents for the
province of Azerbaijan. We shall then obtain for the whole of Transcaucasia, the
number of 8.081.668 inhabitants of both sexes, more than half of which belongs to
Azerbaijan, which would make it 4.617.671 inhabitants.1
1 The verst is equal to 1067 weters
The verst is equal to 1067 meters.
This num ber com prises 3.481.889 A zerbaijanian M ussulm ans, 795.312 Armenians, 26.585 G eorgians and
310.885 people o f various nationalities (Russians, G erm ans, Jews, etc.). The statistic tables and maps
annexed, accom panied by detailed explanations, will give a ju st idea o f the num ber and ethnical
com position o f th e population o f Transcaucasia and particularly o f Azerbaijan.
These com m entaries suffer how ever from the characteristics o f the Russian official statistics.
NATURAL WEALTH OF AZERBAIJAN
The territory of Azerbaijan is so greatly provided with natural richess that
the young Republic of Azerbaijan, in normal times, is able to supply the wants of the
people and State by its own means.
Naphtha
In first place we must name such prolific source of revenue for the State as
the petroleum industry of the Baku region, so famous for the abundance and renown
of that product. Extending our area of 1500 deciatines1 (1), the present industry gives
yearly on an average 550 to 600 millions of poods2 (2) of naphtha, which is 50
persent more than the quantity produced in Pennsylvania or at Lima.
A considerable part of this quantity comes from grounds belonging to the
Azerbaijanian State, which, beside the Region of Baku, disposes still of petroliferous
lands in the district of Shemakha, Djevat, etc., petroleum fields which are hardly
exploited now and remain as reserves for the State. 76% of the naphtha is extracted on
State land. More than five scores of factories at Baku, produce more than 230 millions
of poods of oil, of which only 70 millions are exported into central Russia, the rest,
160 millions of poods, forming the third of all the imports of this product into Europe,
was exported from Baku abroad.
If we add to this the hundreds of millions of by-products of naphtha and tens
of millions of volatile essences (benzine, benzol, etc., heavy oil, lubricating oil
forming likewise matters of export, one can get an idea of the importance of that
industry for the revenues of the State. The indirect taxation collected by the
Government of Azerbaijan from naphtha are inscribed for a sum of 125 roubles in the
budget of 1919.
Cotton.
Then come the cotton plantations of Mougan and other regions of the
country, these plantations have an area of 130.000 deciatines and produce as much as
5 millions of poods of raw cotton.
One deciatine is equal to 432 square rods or 2700 acres.
One pood is equal to 36.113 pounds avoirdupois.
Sericulture, formerly very flourishing in Azerbaijan, produces even now
200.000 poods of cottons utilized by more than one hundred silk spinning mills,
which manufacture as much, 5 or 6 millions of roubles of silk threads.
Fisheries.
Fisheries practised in the Caspian Sea, from the mouth of the Samur to
Astara, a length of 600 versts of coasts, and the fisheries of the Kura and Arax
procure tens of millions of fish of different kinds, from which are procured more than
100.000 poods of expensive caviar, without speaking of dry fish, smoked fish, fish
glue, etc.
Vineyards and Orchards.
The vineyards and orchards of the districts of Elizabethpol, Noukha,
Shemakha, Baku, Kuba, etc. cover 50.000 deciatines and produce 8 to 10 millions of
poods of grapes, from which about 7 millions of pails of wine are pressed.'(l)
Corn.
In all the districts, as well as in the provinces of Baku, Gandja and other
regions of Azerbaijan there are one and a half million of deciatines growing various
kinds of corn, the production of which is sufficient for the bread consumption of the
country.
Liquorice
In some parts of the above mentioned regions, large quantities of liquorice
roots are extracted yearly; more than one half of this quantity is exported to Western
Europe and America, the rest goes to Russia.
Cattle breeding
Cattle breeding, which was formerly one of the principal national industries,
was very much reduced by the unfavourable regime of Russia. Nevertheless, even
according to official Russian statistics, the production of horned cattle reaches the
^One pail (vedro) is equal to 12,29 litres or 2,707 gallons.
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