Azerbaijan (20213)

Azerbaijan, situated at the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, borders the Caspian Sea and was once part of the Soviet Union. Rich in oil and natural gas, it plays a critical role in supplying energy to Europe. However, its recent history has been marked by conflict, particularly with neighboring Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region in the Caucasus. This territorial dispute led to a war of independence that lasted until 1994. During the conflict, thousands of Azerbaijanis were forced to flee Nagorno-Karabakh. Decades later, many still live in dire conditions, with little improvement in their living standards.

Despite the country's wealth from oil, much of Azerbaijan’s population continues to struggle. The government spent billions hosting the 2015 European Games, yet many Azerbaijani families live far from luxury. In Baku, the capital, makeshift settlements have sprung up around the oilfields—places that resemble a post-apocalyptic landscape. The air is thick with toxic fumes from burning plastic and gas, carried by the wind across oil-slicked lakes surrounded by piles of burning trash and animal carcasses. The rhythmic clanking of oil pumps, known as "nodding donkeys," echoes through the area as they extract the land's remaining resources.