Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku It is a center for culture and education as well as the petroleum industry.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku Baku State University and Azerbaijan Technical University are in Baku, in addition to other prominent schools.http://bsu.edu.az/en/content/about_baku_state_universityhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/BakuThe name Baku may derive from the Persian name, bad kube, which means "blown upon by mountain winds."http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku

Petroleum is the basis of Baku’s economy, and oil for lamps was dug there as early as the fifteenth century.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku In 2005, a thousand-mile oil pipeline was built from Baku to Ceyhan in Turkey in order to transport Azeri oil to the West without passing through Russia or Iran.http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/4577497.stm The booming oil industry has some negative consequences, however. Baku was named the world’s dirtiest city by Forbes in 2008 due to severe air, water, and soil pollution.http://www.forbes.com/2008/02/26/pollution-baku-oil-biz-logistics-cx_tl_0226dirtycities.html

The first known written reference to Baku was made in 885 C.E.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku Archaeological evidence shows that a settlement may have existed there several centuries before.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku The Shirvan-Shahs made Baku their capital in the twelfth century.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku Peter the Great captured Baku in 1723, but the city changed hands again before it was conquered by Russia in 1906.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku In the early twentieth century, Baku became a center for petroleum mining and refinery because at that time it had the world's largest oil field.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku

With the rise of the Soviet Union, Baku became the capital of the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku Azerbaijan gained independence in 1991, and Baku remained its capital.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku

Baku is situated on the southern side of the Apseron Peninsula on the Bay of Baku at 40°23' latitude north and 49°52' longitude east.http://www.getamap.net/maps/azerbaijan/baki*/_baku/ The bay is on the western side of the Caspian Sea, sheltered by the islands of the Baku Archipelago and the Apseron peninsula to the north.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku

At the center is the Walled City of Baku, the original city fortress, which is classified as a world heritage site by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).http://www.ovpm.org/en/azerbaijan/baku The eleventh-century Maiden's Tower and the Djuma Mosque are found there.http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/49640/Baku

• Icheri-Sheher Fortress: The Old Town, which encompasses several mosques (the first built in 1078), medieval bath-houses, and the ancient market square.http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/958
• The Shirvan Dynasty Palace: A building dating from the fifteenth century C.E.http://www.advantour.com/azerbaijan/baku/shirvanshah/index.htm
• The Maiden's Tower: A Zoroastrian temple used as a fortress and a beacon for ships.http://www.advantour.com/azerbaijan/baku/sites.htm
• Ateshgah: A temple complex near Baku built at a place of burning natural gas.http://www.advantour.com/azerbaijan/tourism.htm
• The Azerbaijan History Museum and the Carpet Museum: Large collections of historical and cultural artifacts.http://www.advantour.com/azerbaijan/tourism.htm

• Garry Kasparov: Chess playerhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/313020/Garry-Kasparov
• Lev Davidovich Landau: Theoretical physicist and Nobel Prize winnerhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/329302/Lev-Davidovich-Landau
• Mstislav Rostropovich: Musicianhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/510307/Mstislav-Rostropovich
• Richard Sorge: German journalist and spyhttp://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/554896/Richard-Sorge
• Teymur Rajabov: Chess playerhttp://azer.com/aiweb/categories/magazine/74_folder/74.articles/74_teymur_rajabov.html
• Ilham Aliyev: President of Azerbaijan http://www.president.az/president/biography/?locale=en
• Muslim Magomaev: Singer http://www.russia-ic.com/news/show/7297/
• Aziza Mustafa Zadeh: Musicianhttp://azizamustafazadeh.de/
• Vagif Mustafa Zadeh: Jazz musicianhttp://vagif.musigi-dunya.az/en/biography.html
• Yuli Gusman: Film directorhttp://www.imdb.com/name/nm0348901/
• Genrich Altshuller: Inventor and writerhttp://www.aitriz.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=12&Itemid=26