General information
The Autonomous Republic borders on Armenia in the north-west, Iran and Turkey in the south. The AR was established on February 9, 1924. The total area of the AR is 5.5 thousand square kilometers, and the population is 364.5 thousand people (2001, January 1). According to the information of 2001, 3983 refugees and 947 IDPs have settled in the AR. The density of population is 66 people per a square kilometer. The population inhabits unevenly throughout the territory. The most densely populated areas are lowland areas and the surrounding of water sources. Over 26% out of the population live in city and administrative district centers. There are one city (Nakhchivan) and 6 administrative districts in (Babek, Julfa, Ordubad, Sadarak, Shahbuz and Sharur) in the territory of the economic region.
Industry
35 industrial enterprises functioned in the Autonomous Republic of Nakhchivan in 2001. The number of employees engaged in the industrial enterprises reached 3889 people, the production volume constituted 56 954.3 million manats. Although average monthly wage of employees in industrial enterprises of the AR is generally low, in 1995 it reached from 50 400 to 202 100 manats, which can be evaluated positively. The value of industrial-production assets was 33 186 million manats, while in 2001 it constituted 468 491 million manats. The increase of main industrial-production facilities show that purposeful measures taken to reconstruct industrial fields will create a favourable condition for getting positive results.
Agriculture
Measures like construction of hydro-technical complex on the Araz River, Sadarak irrigation system, Arpachay and Sirab water reserves, Nakhchivan Alinja river irrigation system, Nehram water reserve, Farhad, Artoshen, Aryadzuan water canals, and rehabilitation of underground-water supplies and artesian wells facilitated the development of irrigation husbandry. Irrigation of forage fields to develop grain, vine, tobacco and fruit-vegetable growing and cattle-breeding increased the volume of production. In comparison with 1995, potato production increased 3363.4 (13 450 tons), vegetable 33.1 (41 431 tons), grain 2.3 (30 883 tons), melon and gourds 83 (33 164 tons), fruit and berries 132.7 (28 230 tons) and wheat 1.8 times (13 155 tons) in 2001. However, the decrease of vineyards and decline in vine-production in the economic region show that in comparison with 1995, vine-production decreased, but interest in this field grew over the last year. For example, in comparison with 2000, vine-production increased 1.1 times or by 887 tons. Productivity in the AR per hectare increased in comparison with the corresponding years. For example, potato increased 5,3 (75.2 tons), vegetable 1.3 (26.4 tons), grain 3.1 (or 24.2 tons, melon and gourds 4.3 times or 104.7 tons, vine 2.6 times or 24.8 tons, fruit-berry 50.6 or 138.8 tons, wheat per hectare thrice or 24,8 tons, in comparison with 1995.
