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MilitaryMilitary branches
Army, Navy, Air, and Air Defense Forces (2010) Military service age and obligation
Men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006) Manpower available for military service
Males age 16-49 2,354,249
Females age 16-49 2,334,632 (2010 est.) Manpower fit for military service
Males age 16-49 1,773,993
Females age 16-49 1,964,012 (2010 est.) Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
Male 76,923
Female 71,024 (2010 est.) Military expenditures World Ranking: 55
2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
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Azerbaijan (Baku):
 
GPS points from Azerbaijan (Baku)
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Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-shia Muslim population - was briefly independent (from 1918 to 1920) following the collapse of the Russian Empire; it was subsequently incorporated into the Soviet Union for seven decades. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region that Moscow recognized as part of Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the status of the territory. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also seven surrounding provinces in the territory of Azerbaijan. Corruption in the country is ubiquitous, and the government, which eliminated presidential term limits in a 2009 referendum, has been accused of authoritarianism. Although the poverty rate has been reduced in recent years due to revenue from oil production, the promise of widespread wealth resulting from the continued development of Azerbaijan's energy sector remains largely unfulfilled.