Sumqayit

Sumqayit (Sumqayıt in Azerbaijani; former Russian name Sumgait) is a city in Azerbaijan, located near the Caspian Sea, about 30 kilometres away from the capital, Baku. The city has a population of 289 700, making it the third-largest city in Azerbaijan. The city has a territory of about 100 km². It was founded on November 22, 1949. Two settlements are within the city administration: Jorat and a settlement named after Haji Zeynalabdin Taghiyev.

Population: 289 700 inhabitants
Density of population, per km²: 2682
Annual population upsurge (pers): 1944
Average lifetime: 70 years
Ethnicity: Azerbaijanis 95,7%, Russians 1,7%, Ukrainians 0,3%, Tatars 0,3%, Jews 0,1%, others 1,9%.

Gross domestic product (million USD): 69, 898
Gross domestic product per head (USD): 240,6
Import (million USD): 53,1
Export (million USD): 36,7

In February of 1988 the Armenians (Christians) living in Sumqayit were massacred by the local Azeri (Muslim) population. About 33 Armenians died and over 2000 were injured in 3 days of ethnic rioting. The whole Armenian population was deported from Sumqayit. The local police allowed the rioting and killings of Armenians in Sumqayit. It was the beginning of the long-term stand-off between Armenians and Azeris that still goes on.