Baku

Baku is the capital and biggest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus area. It is also the most populous city in the Caucasus region. Baku is positioned 28 metres (92 feet) below sea level, making it the world's lowest-lying national capital as well as the world's biggest metropolis to be placed below sea level, according to the United Nations. Baku is located on the southern bank of the Absheron Peninsula, next to the Bay of Baku, and is the capital of the Republic of Baku. The urban population of Baku was expected to be slightly more than two million people in the beginning of 2009. According to official statistics, the Baku metropolitan region is home to around 25% of the country's total population. Baku is the only city in the country of Azerbaijan.

Baku is subdivided into twelve administrative regions and forty-eight municipal districts. Towns on islands in Baku's archipelago, such as the town of Oil Rocks, which is constructed entirely on stilts in the Caspian Sea 60 kilometres (37 miles) distant from the capital, are examples of this kind of development. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2000, together with the Shirvanshah's Palace and the Maiden Tower, which is located inside Baku's Inner City. According to the Lonely Planet's list, Baku is also one of the world's top ten places for urban nightlife, ranking ninth overall.

The city serves as Azerbaijan's scientific, cultural, and industrial epicentre, among other things. There are several large Azerbaijani institutions with their headquarters in Baku. The Baku International Sea Trade Port has the capacity to handle two million tonnes of general and dry bulk cargoes per year, according to the Port Authority. The city of Baku has grown in importance as a host city for international events in recent years. Azerbaijan has held the 57th Eurovision Song Contest in 2012, the 2015 European Games, the 4th Islamic Solidarity Games, and the Azerbaijan Grand Prix since 2016. It has also hosted the final of the 2018–19 UEFA Europa League and is one of the host cities for UEFA Euro 2020 in 2019.

As a result of the city's fierce winds, it has been dubbed "the City of Winds" by locals.