AZERBAIJAN, (anciently, Al ro t ene ) . (See .ATROPATENE. ) The most north erly province of Persia, bounded on the south by Persian Kurdistan and Irak, east by Gillian and the Caspian Sea, north by Russian Armenia, awl west by Turkish Armenia and Turkish Kurdistan. It has an area of about 40,000 square miles. The surface of Azerbaijan is very mountainous, many of the ranges rising from 7000 to 9000 feet in height. The peak of Savalan (an extinct vol cano) reaches an elevation of 13,000 feet. Mount Ararat rises on time northwest border. The chief rivers of -Azerbaijan are the Aran or Araxes. Kara-Su, and the Kizil-Uzen. The salt lake Urtimiall (q.v.), the largest in Persia, is situated in the western part of the province. The climate of Azerbaijan is not unhealthful. but is very unsteady. In the mountainous regions. the win ters are very severe, and in the lowlands the summers are exceedingly hot. The principal prod ucts of Azerbaijan are rice, barley, wheat, maize.
flax, hemp, cotton, tobacco, honey, and saffron. Cattle-rdising is carried on extensively by the Kurds. The province is very rich in minerals, and especially in marbles. Silver, copper, iron. coal. and oil are also found. The population of the province is estimated at 1,000,000. The hulk of the natives are physically of the type of the Persians of the Teheran-Ispahan country, but speak a dialect of Turkish. offering a good field for the study of race language phenomena. Ripley (1899) considers the 'Azerbaidjan Tartars' to have been lranized by contact with the dolicho cephalic Aryans about them, while preserving their primitive speech. It is possible, however. that not a few Azerbaijanis are simply the de scendants of Persians who have intermingled with the natives and adopted their language. The capital is Tabriz. See CAUCASIAN ; TATARS.