A country on the west coast of the Caspian Sea, south of Russia, north of Iran, east of Armenia. Its capital is Baku, a city of oil money and modern towers on the water. About ten million people live there. It was part of the Soviet Union and became independent in 1991.

on the west coast of the Caspian Sea裏海西岸的 A country一個國家，south of Russia在俄羅斯南邊、north of Iran伊朗北邊、east of Armenia亞美尼亞東邊。Its capital首都 is Baku是巴庫，a city of oil money and modern towers on the water一座靠石油致富、水邊有現代高樓的城市。About ten million people大約一千萬人 live there住在那裡。It was part of the Soviet Union它曾是蘇聯的一部分，and became independent in 1991在1991年獨立。

Where to put it on your mental map is genuinely awkward, and dictionaries disagree — you will see it called 'south-east Europe' and 'western Asia' with equal confidence. It sits on the Caucasus, the mountain belt where the two continents are usually said to meet, so both answers are defensible and neither is wrong. Do not let a student think there is a clean fact here.

Where to put it on your mental map把它放在心裡地圖上的哪個位置 is genuinely awkward其實很尷尬，and dictionaries disagree字典的說法也不一致——you will see it called你會看到它被稱為 'south-east Europe'『東南歐』 and也被稱為 'western Asia'『西亞』 with equal confidence兩種說法都一樣有把握。It sits on the Caucasus它位在高加索，the mountain belt where the two continents are usually said to meet一般認為兩個大陸在這裡相接的山脈地帶，so both answers are defensible所以兩種說法都站得住腳，and neither is wrong沒有哪個是錯的。Do not let a student think不要讓學生以為 there is a clean fact here這裡有個乾脆的標準答案。

The country is oil-rich, mostly Muslim but with a strongly secular state, and Turkic-speaking — its language, Azerbaijani, is close enough to Turkish that speakers can often follow each other.

The country is oil-rich這個國家盛產石油，mostly Muslim人民大多是穆斯林，but with a strongly secular state但國家體制高度世俗化，and Turkic-speaking而且說突厥語系的語言——its language, Azerbaijani它的語言亞塞拜然語 is close enough to Turkish跟土耳其語很接近，that speakers can often follow each other使得雙方常常聽得懂彼此。

It has fought a long and bitter conflict with neighbouring Armenia over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is why it appears in the news more often than its size would suggest.

with neighbouring Armenia跟鄰國亞美尼亞 over the region of Nagorno-Karabakh為了納戈爾諾-卡拉巴赫這個地區，It has fought a long and bitter conflict它打了一場又長又激烈的衝突，which is why it appears in the news more often than its size would suggest這也是為什麼它在新聞上出現的頻率比它的國土大小該有的還要高。

Always a capital A. The person and the language are Azerbaijani, or informally Azeri.

Always永遠 a capital A要大寫A。The person and the language人和語言 are Azerbaijani都叫Azerbaijani，or informally Azeri口語也可以說Azeri。