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Which ethnic minority groups live in Azerbaijan?
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Azerbaijan
Flag of Azerbaijan
The population of Azerbaijan is predominantly composed of Azerbaijanis, who account for approximately nine-tenths of the country's inhabitants. The remaining population consists of small concentrations of ethnic minority groups, which primarily include:12
- Lezgians: An ethnic group that speaks a Caucasian language.12
- Russians: A minority group with a historical presence in the region.12
- Armenians: A minority group that has historically resided in various parts of the country, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region.12
Historically, the region of Transcaucasia was home to a diverse array of groups, including Iranian speakers, nomadic Turkic tribes, Kurds, and the Caucasian Albanians. Over centuries, these populations integrated and shifted due to various migrations, such as the 11th-century Seljuq invasions, which established the linguistic dominance of Oghuz Turkic languages in the area.31