Kurdamir (Azerbaijani: Kürdəmir) is a city and the capital of the Kurdamir District of Azerbaijan. It is located in Aran Economic Region. The city's population is 18,100 people.

Kurdamir
Kürdəmir
City and municipality
Kurdamir is located in Azerbaijan
Kurdamir
Kurdamir
Coordinates: 40°20′18″N 48°09′39″E / 40.33833°N 48.16083°E / 40.33833; 48.16083
Country Azerbaijan
DistrictKurdamir
Established1938
Elevation
−9 m (−30 ft)
Population
 (2022–2023)[1]
 • Total
18,100
Time zoneUTC+4 (AZT)
Area code+994 145

Geography

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The district shares borders with Agsu, Goychay, Ujar, Imishli, Sabirabad, Hajigabul and Zardab rayons. It has warm semi-arid climate. The relief mainly consists of lowland plains that are below the sea level. The river network is very sparse (Girdymanchay and Aghsu rivers flowing through this region), mainly Gray-Brown Earth and Gray soils are commonly found under Kserofit bushes and Tugay forests, semi-arid deserts. Wild boars, wolves, foxes, jackals, pheasants, francolins, wild ducks and geese, etc. constitute the fauna of the district. Moreover, the Shirvan collector passing through the territory of the district. The improper human activities when using irrigation, outstanding run off precipitation, as well as the wind causes soil erosion in the region.[2][3]

Climate

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Dry subtropical climate is mostly characteristic for the region. These climates tend to have hot, sometimes extremely hot, summers and warm to cool winters, with some to minimal precipitation. rainless summers and wetter winters. Rainfall ranges from 430 mm-185, relative air humidity from 50 - 60% in summer, 75 - 80% during the winter months. The average temperature is 4.6 °C in January and 28 °C in July. The average annual temperature is 15.8 °C in the region. The highest temperature ever recorded in Kurdamir was 44 °C (2000).[3]

History

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Mosque near to Kurdamir Highway

Kurdamir district was founded in 1930 as the center of the Aran economic region. In 1963, due to the creation of the party committees of the kolkhoz-sovkhoz production department, the Agsu and Kurdamir regions were united and in January of the same year the Kurdamir kolkhoz-sovkhoz party committee was established. In 1964, according to the plenum of Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Azerbaijan SSR the new system was abolished, the old structure was restored, Kurdamir and Agsu districts were separated and each started to function as an independent region. The share of industry in economy of Kurdemir began to rise in 1883 after the establishment of Baku-Tbilisi railway line. As the railway line passed through Kurdamir, it also contributed the transportation of agricultural products on time and affected positively to the development of this field in the district. As a result of it, in 1884 Kurdemir's agricultural products were already sold in Russian markets. The all above factors led to formation of Kurdamir as a new administrative center. At the beginning of the twentieth century, Kurdamir was already the administrative center of Goychay region, and included 67 villages and migratory places. During the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, Kurdamir became an active center in liberation of Baku.. In 1920, the Soviet power was established in Kurdamir as well as in the whole of Azerbaijan. Kurdemir played a major role as an economic and cultural center during the Soviet era.[4]

Economy

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“ASAN service” center in Kurdamir

The economy of the district is mainly based on agriculture. Cotton growing, grain growing, livestock, as well as viticulture and fishery are the important part of its economy. The share of poultry and livestock in the district are considered essential.[5][6]

Agriculture

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The main agricultural outputs of region sugar beet, cotton growing, grain growing, as well as viticulture, fishery and dairy products related to livestock. In the Kurdamir region, 144 million 915.5 thousand AZN agricultural products were produced in 2017. The actual cost of gross output of agriculture increased by 18 million 941 thousand AZN or 13.1 percent compared to the previous year. Thus, 40.6% of the total output of the region fell to the share of agriculture. Last year the region produced 14,795 tons of potatoes, 22,550 tons of vegetables, 69,833 tons of melons, 23 tons of groundwater, 875 tons of sugar beet, 20 tons of sunflower, 100 tons of soybeans, 103 tons of buckwheat, 26176 tons of fruit and 2967 tons of grapes. More than 3,000 hectares of pomegranate gardens have been planted in the district, and more than 500 hectares of these gardens have been cultivated. Recently, the number of cattle has increased to 64785 and the number of sheep and goats has increased to 135861. In the first half of this year, meat production increased by 17.7%, dairy production by 6.7%, egg production increased by 64.5%, wool production by 21.5%. In the fall of last year, 45040 hectares of grain, including 16072 hectares of wheat, 28,968 hectares of barley were sown.[7][8]

2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Total area of sown agricultural crops (ha)                   
Cereals and cereal legumes 33954 37372 37210 36845 39608 40372
Including wheat 14138 14591 14804 14310 13424 13256
Cotton 19 191 51 21 22 1911
Sugar beet - - 100 - - -
Sunflower for seed production 130 69 336 54 86 11
Potato 1021 1333 1262 1184 1214 1217
Vegetables 2520 2983 2960 2780 2698 2475
Viticulture 3781 4267 4195 4027 4098 4059
Fruit and berry 2787 2904 2911 2683 2697 3071
Grape 521 364 371 371 248 248
Productivity (in all categories of farming), ton
Cereals and cereal legumes 51371 75885 82476 61778 110697 104007
Including wheat 22774 29516 33401 23957 38290 36586
Cotton 21 81 26 12 10 2111
Sugar beet - - 90 - - -
Sunflower for seed production 114 84 384 75 121 19
Potato 10042 14035 13530 12858 13534 14089
Vegetables 18019 21094 21637 21818 22260 22514
Viticulture 42169 48073 48294 47916 65921 69602
Fruit and berry 20523 21381 21432 21574 22321 19384
Grape 4403 3986 3816 3994 2953 2753
Productivity (in all categories of farming), centner / ha
Cereals and cereal legumes 15,1 20,3 22,2 16,8 27,9 25,8
Including wheat 16,1 20,2 22,6 16,7 28,5 27,6
Cotton 10,8 4,3 5,1 6,1 4,6 11,6
Sugar beet - - 9 - - -
Sunflower for seed production 9,1 12,7 11,9 14,6 14,9 17,9
Potato 98 105 107 109 112 112
Vegetables 72 71 73 78 83 85
Viticulture 112 113 115 119 161 172
Fruit and berry 104,4 87,5 86,2 89,9 91,1 79,0
Grape 66,1 74,5 68,2 66,8 47,4 51,1
Number of livestock (in total)
Cattle 61353 63304 63597 62756 64098 64692
including cow and buffalo 31106 32507 33256 32889 33516 33548
Sheep and goats 129840 131428 133162 133269 131814 135562
Pigs 187 250 261 260 252 221
Birds 344272 359122 372878 372023 375903 382291
Bee Families 782 828 845 889 998 1036
Production of animal products, ton
Meat 5098 5313 5438 5490 5528 5537
Milk 32693 37400 41564 41620 41786 42786
Eggs, thousand 14242 14755 14853 15497 15544 15553
Wool 211 211 214 216 221 222

Industry

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Kurdamir branch of “Azerkhalcha” OJSC (AzerCarpet)
2010 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Number of operating enterprises total, unit 14 15 11 11 11 11
Industrial product (actual price of the relevant year), thousand AZN 37300 38419 45489 24905 55111 69963
Industrial product, relative to previous year, in percent (at comparable prices) 174,5 151,8 99,5 63,3 190,0 108,5
Share of private sector in industrial product, in percent 93,3 92,4 92,5 82,8 90,8 92,2
Price of finished goods remaining in inventory at the end of the period, thousand AZN 35,5 33,9 14,6 80,5 127,5 112,8
Average number of employees - total 485 592 677 687 527 661
Average monthly salary of employees, AZN 207,4 263,7 306,6 330,2 375,9 394,8
Availability of the main industrial and production assets (at the end of the year, at balance sheet), thousand AZN 33751 41503 46414 46411 47602 51265
Production of basic types of products in natural expression:
Flour 135432 117523 104327 58097 122181 105717
Alcohol, thousand dekaliter 13,8 30,0 23,4 15,8 2,4 0,3
Brandy (cognac), dekaliter 10,0 19,3 11,7 1,8 - 7,7
Fermented milk, ton - 273,3 2026 941,7 1545 1920
Sour cream and heavy cream, ton - - - - 30,3 345,4
Bread and bakery products, tons 177,0 265,0 206,0 193,0 141 38,8
 
Carpets Made by Azerkhalcha

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Transport

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Rail

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Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway will directly connect the city with Turkey and Georgia.

Kürdəmir sits on one of the Azerbaijani primary rail lines running east–west connecting the capital, Baku, with the rest of the country. The Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway will run along the line through the city. The railway provides both human transportation and transport of goods and commodities such as oil and gravel.

Kürdəmir's Central Railway Station is the terminus for national and international rail links to the city. The Kars–Tbilisi–Baku railway, which will directly connect Turkey, Georgia and Azerbaijan, began to be constructed in 2007 and is scheduled for completion in 2015.[9] The completed branch will connect the city with Tbilisi in Georgia, and from there trains will continue to Akhalkalaki, and Kars in Turkey.[10]

References

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  1. ^ "Population of Kürdəmir 2023". All-populations.com. 2022–2023. Retrieved 9 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Agriculture in Azerbaijan and its Development Prospects" (PDF).
  3. ^ a b "About regions - Azerbaijan". www.azerbaijans.com.
  4. ^ "Tarixi | Azərbaycan Respublikası Kürdəmir Rayon İcra Hakimiyyəti". kurdemir-ih.gov.az.
  5. ^ "Kürdəmir rayonu. Sənaye".
  6. ^ "Kur-Araz natural-economic zones. Aran (Kur-Araz) economic region". December 19, 2012.
  7. ^ "Kənd təsərrüfatı | Azərbaycan Respublikası Kürdəmir Rayon İcra Hakimiyyəti". kurdemir-ih.gov.az.
  8. ^ "Kürdəmir rayonu. Kənd təsərrüfati".
  9. ^ "Azerbaijani FM: Baku-Tbilisi-Kars railroad to be built in 2012". trend.az. Retrieved 26 January 2011.
  10. ^ Railway Gazette International February 2009 p54 with map
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40°20′18″N 48°09′39″E / 40.33833°N 48.16083°E / 40.33833; 48.16083