Coastal zone is characterized by highly-developed multy-branch industry and agriculture. Fuel-energetic machine building metallurgical chemical complexes, building materials manufacture take the leading place, as well as light and food industry. Agriculture specializes on industry of grain, cotton, vegetables, fruits, poultry farming and cattle breeding. Before 1999 economics of region underwent annual stable growth, varying within 2 to 15% in different years. Apogee of its development economics of coastal zone reached in 1985-1989.

Collapse of USSR following by break of traditionally-formed interrepublic, inter-branch and inter-production relations, exchange of commodities, market loss, caused the reason of deep economical crisis and sharp decrease of internal gross output (IGO) and other social economical performances. Rise of Caspian Sea level caused a significant harm to economics of coastal zone. Starting since 1996 in conditions realizing by economics restructuralization one can observe stabilization and subsequent growth of basic macro-economical performances by the whole region. Privatization in agricultural sector is completely realized-in industry partially.

Proceeding from the available natural-resources factors the coastal zone is divided to (from north to south) Guba-Khachmaz, Apsheron, Central-Aran and Lenkaran economic-geographical regions (EGR) distinguishing from each other by character of the territorial-production complexes, infrastructure, labour and natural resources (Fig. 37).

General map of coastal zone industry is given on Fig. 38 and agriculture - on Fig. 39.

Guba-Khachmaz EGR with area of 6.96 th.km² (24.5% of total area of the coastal zone) includes the territories of Guba, Gusar, Khachmaz and Siazan administrative regions.

The base of the economical potential is an agricultural complex. Sheep-breeding, fruit-growing, vine-growing, grain-growing, stock-breeding and poultry farming supplying 75% of the EGR gross output take a leading place in the agriculture structure.

The base one is food industry, it is represented by fruit-tinning and fish-processing factories, grain-products plants, wine and dairy factories. Fishing co-operatives act at the coastal settlements. Light industry is represented by carpet factories and small clothing enterprises. Heavy industry is represented by oil and gas production (4% of total volume of onshore production), and the plant of electrotechniocal production as well. Gross social-economical indices of the region are in Table 3-9.

Various and rich natural-climatic resources and historical-ethnographic potential provides an intensive development of tourism and the appropriated services (rest zones, holiday hotels, sanatoriums, public catering and service, retail trade).

The region is characterized by well-developed transportation network. Railway Baku - Rostov-on-Don - Moscow connects the region with Baku city and other country regions, and also with the surrounding republics of the Russian Federation as well. Road transport network is represented by solid cover roads of the state (550 km) and local (1085 km) meaning and there are numerous unmetalled roads as well. There is absence of air and sea communications.

The present EGR has a significant labour resources but their involvement into the labour activity is low. The whole able-bodied population is in agriculture, trade and service fields. Indices on population employment are in Table 3-15.

Apsheron EGR has an area of 6.64 th.km², it is 23.4% of total area of the coastal zone. It includes Khyzy and Apsheron administrative regions and also the territories subordinated to executive powers of Baku and Sumgayit. From the economical and social viewpoints Apsheron EGR is more developed region of the country, up to 60-62% of gross output falls to its lot, The base of economical potential is fuel-energetic complex and chemical and petrochemical, machine-building, metallurgic and other branches of industry, concentrated basically on the Apsheron peninsula.

Oil and gas industry represents a powerful industrial-financial complex, including oil-production enterprises, oil-processing complex with capacity of 20.6 mln.t/y., enterprises for natural gas processing with capacity 6.5 mlrd.m³/y., 8 machine-building factories, factory of deep-water basements, it builds stationary marine platforms, navy consists of 300 ships of various purposes, 5 semi-sub and 7 sub rigs, a well developed network of oil and gas pipelines of transition and local meaning.

Electroenergetics is represented by a state region electric power station (SRES) and four heat electro centres (HEC) with output 680 Mw, about 20% of the republic electro-energy is produced there. Natural gas and heating residual oil are used as fuel.

Metallurgical complex consists of the enterprises of the rolled and ready goods production from ferrous (2 factories) and non-ferrous (5 factories) metals.

Machine-building complex consists of 39 factories of petroleum machine building, electronics and instrument-making, radiotechnical and electrotechnical production, domestic electric appliences, etc. concentrated mainly within Baku city.

Chemical and petrochemical industry is represented by 10 enterprises, 3 scientific-research institutions and an engineering company. 90% of main fund and 95% of the commodity output are concentrated n Sumgayit. The main productions are: surface-active substances, caustic soda, plastics, mineral fertilizers, glass fibre and glass plastics, iodine, bromine, rubber-technical goods, pharmaceutical and medicinal materials, etc.

The branches of light and food industry have a significant production-technical potential and the developed sector structure. The enterprises of light and food industry concentrating within the EGR according to volume and the production nomenclature take a leading place in the country. Light industry enterprises produce cotton yarn, cotton and woolen fabrics, hosiery-knitted goods, and shoes.

Food industry specialized on baking of bread, macaroni goods, meat-dairy production, margarine, vegetable oil, confectionery, alcoholic and soft drinks, fish production. The industry of building materials has a developed production base operating basically on local resources. It allows providing the needs of building industry with cement, asbescement, ceramical and cast-iron sanitary-technical goods, window glass, rainforced-concrete constructions, sawing stone and facing materials, wooden, plastic and aluminum goods.

Country farms dealing in the field of meat-dairy, vegetable-growing and vine-growing take a basic place in the agriculture structure. They are spread on the whole territory of Apsheron region. Grain-growing, stock-breeding, poultry-farming and partially sheep-breeding and vine-growing are the leading ones in country zone (Apsheron and Khyzy administrative regions).

Gross social-economical indices of Apsheron EGR are in Table 3-10.

There are a lot of archeological and historical monuments - from the Neolithictill the medieval - on the region territory. Baku city is famous with the beautiful architecture monuments dated to XIX-XX century. The Caspian shore is characterized by favourable natural-climatic conditions and medical resources. All these promoted the intensive development of rest and tourism industry: there are numerous holiday hotels, sanatoriums and rest houses, hotel complexes, public cantering and service on Apsheron peninsula.

Good geographical position, great industrial potential, Baku state status are the reasons for transport infrastructure maximal development. Motor transport and railway goods traffic on corridors North-South and West-East is carried out through the territory of Apsheron EGR. Baku is the largest railway centre on the South Caucasus. Railway lines Baku - Rostov-on-Don - Moscow, Baku - Tbilisi - Batumi, Baku- Nakhchivan, Baku - Astara begin here. State routes pass in the same directions. Totally the length of roads of state meaning within Apsheron EGR reaches 380 km and about 3000 k of local meaning (including city and intersettlement).

Local (including Nakhchivan, Gyanja, etc.) international passenger and cargo air transportation are carried out through the Baku State airport.

Baku seaport takes a leading place among the Caspian Sea ports and consists of 5 terminals: two for dry cargo, oil, ferry-boat and passenger transportation. There is a communication with ports of Astrakhan, Makhachkala, Aktau, Turkmenbashi, Kianli, Bektash, Okarem, Enzeli, Nowshehr and Bender Abbas.

Apsheron EGR has the most significant labour resources over the country. Comparatively with other regions there is a high involvement into the labour activity. Basically, able-bodied population is in fuel-energetic complex, different industrial branches, retail trade and service, less in education and science, agriculture. Indices on population employment are in Table 3-15.

Central-Aran EGR (Lower Kura EGR) takes an area of 8.74 th.km² (30.7% of total area of the coastal zone) and includes Ajigabul, Sabirabad, Saatly, Salyan, Neftchala, Bilasuvar administrative regions and Ali-Bairamly town as well. Fuel-energetic complex and other branches of industry take a considerable place in EGR economics. But generally the EGR has an agricultural tend.

Oil and gas industry is represented by 4 oil-gas producing enterprises, 35-40% of total onshore oil-gas production falls to its lot. At present the explorations are conducted on offshore contract fields. The energetics is represented by Ali-Bairamly SRES with output 850 Mw, it produces up to 25% of electroenergy used in country. Heavy industry is represented by two factories of machine-building, plant of automatic devices and telemechanics, plastic processing factory and iodine-bromine factory. Light industry is represented by ginning house, cotton goods and artificial leather-ware production. Food industry deals in the field of making of bread, confectionery, meat-dairy production, greengrocery tins and soft drinks production.

In the lower waters and mouth of Kura river there is a developed fish trade, fish-processing factory and two fish-breeding factories work there.

Building materials industry supplies the local consumers with sawing stone and rainforced-concrete constructions.

Agriculture prevails in the production structure of EGR and based on the irrigated crop-growing. The leading role belongs to grain-growing, cotton-growing and stock-breeding, water-melons, melons and gourds and vegetable crops, potatoes, grapes are grown here.

Gross social-economical indices of the Central-Aran EGR are in Table 3-11.

Poor natural-climatic resources don't promote the tourism and rest industry development.

Railway lines and state routes towards Baku - Tbilisi - Batumi, Baku -Astara, Baku - Nakhchivan pass through EGR territory. Generally over 500 km of state roads and over 900 km of local roads as well as unmetalled roads has been built on EGR territory. Onshore, not far from Neftchala town there is oil, pier where the load of crude oil into tankers takes place.

Considerably the labour resources are involved into the labour activity being in all fields of economics. Indices of population employment are in Table 3-15.

Lenkaran EGR of area 6.07 th.km² (21.4% of total area of the coastal zone) includes the territories of Jalilabad, Masalli, Lenkaran, Yardymly, Lerik and Astara administrative regions. The base of economic potential is the agroindustrial complex, basically specialized on plants growing and processing.

In agriculture structure the leading role belongs to vegetable-growing, tea-plantation growing, vine-growing, grain-crops growing (including rice) and citrus. 100% of tealeaf growing, citrus and rice, 25-30% of vegetables and grounds, meat-dairy production of the total volume of production of the country agriculture falls to this EGR lot.

Industrial enterprises locate according to principal of close position to resources, labour resources and consumers. Food industry is the base of the whole industry. There are tea plants, greengrocery and fish-processing factories, timed fish plant, meat-dairy production processing factories. Over 90% of the EGR industrial production fall to their lot. Fish trades function on the shore. There are also the enterprises of wood-processing, machine-building and metal-working branches (autorepair and mechanic repair factories, agriculture machinery repair enterprises, instrument-making factory), and also of building materials industry (rainforced-concrete and brick factories). The explorations are carried out on "Lenkaran-Talysh", "Inam", "Kyur-Dashy" offshore contract fields.

Gross social-economical indices of Lenkaran EGR are in Table 3-12.

The variety of natural-climatic resources (subtropical climate, seaside beaches, large foothill and mountain forest areas, mineral and thermal sources and springs) and historical-ethnographical monuments make favourable conditions for tourism and sanatorium treatment of population and promote the service development (rest zones, public cantering and service, retail trade).

The region is characterized by developed network of transport routes. Railway connects EGR with Baku and other regions of the country, Georgia, Russian Federation. Autoroad network is represented by roads of state (430 km) and local (1680 km) meaning, and the unmetalled roads as well. There is absence of air and sea communication.

In spite of high level of labour resources their involvement into labour activity is low. In addition the main part of employed population is in branches of material production, basically agriculture. Indices of population employment are in Table 3-15.

Due to incresae of sea level a part of terruitory of the coastal zone turned to be flooded. Abrasive processes had activated on the whole coast. Damage brought to the country by the sea level incresase is given in Tables 3-13 and 3-14.

The labour resources formation is in direct dependence upon the dynamics and size of the population. More significant natural increment of labour resources falls to 1970-1990. It is connected with over two-folded natural growth of population caused by post-war demographic "outburst" and achievement of that generation the able-bodied age to the mentioned period. In addition there were regular changes in attitude to the persons of able-bodied age in countries and cities. In 60s-70s the majority of able-bodied population was concentrated in country then later due to intensive development of city agglomerations with strong industrial potential the specific weight of urban able-bodied population had increased greatly and at present it is 35-40% of total volume of the labour resources.

In spite of high level of the labour resources making over 50% of the total size of he population of the coastal zone, their involvement into the labour activity in different EGR is uneven. In the administrative regions it varies in wide ranges: 50-75% in Guba-Khachmaz EGR, 58-59% in Baku and Sumgayit ad 15-74% in countries of Apsheron EGR, 42-95% in the Central-Aran EGR, 16-88% in Lenkaran EGR. Generally, on the coastal zone the involvement of labour resources into labour activity in 1999 was 59%. At the same time the main part of employment population is in branches of material production - industry, agriculture, building, material-technical provision, etc. From 11-12% up to 45-47% of population in different regions are in non-production branches - education, culture, art, science, health service, social security, housing-municipal services, service, physical culture, transport and communication, executive powers, credit and insurance. The exception are large cities and towns - Baku, Sumgayit, Ali-Bairamly - where employment in non-production branches prevails - up to 62-68% of the employment population. It is explained by crisis in main branches of industry concentrated in these cities and towns. Non-employment able-bodied population earn a little extra on the black market of labour power, small trade, earn their living leaving the country. Thus the official level of unemployment (registered unemployment) is low enough.

Social pressure on labour market in Baku and Sumgayit increases for free labour resources among the refugees from Armenia and occupied territories of Karabakh. Besides there is agreat migration of labour resources from other regions of the coastal zone and countries into the cities.

Characteristics of distribution of labour resources and employment population are in Table 3-15.

The legislation base of protection of labour and safety devices consist of Constitution of Azerbaijan Republic, Labour Code, normative-legal acts passed in frames of their powers by the appropriating bodies of executive powers, and also the international treaties ratified or the part of which the Azerbaijan Republic is, e.g. Convection of Labour International Organization. According to the mentioned above every employee has a right to work in safe and healthy conditions. The employer is a responsible for performance of norms and rules of protection of labour on workplace by he employees. The employer must provide the protection of buildings, constructions, technological processes and devices, keeping the normal regime of labour and holiday, training organization, examination of employees in the field of protection of labour, issuing a special cloth, individual protection means, free milk and medical-prophylactic food for employees engaged in industry bad for the health.

Prevention and periodical medical examinations of the employees are carried out without fail at employers' expense in cases passed by legislation.

The service for protection of labour carries out the operation arrangement of protection of labour and control for employees' performance of the legislation requirements of protection of labour on the enterprises.

Employees engaged in operations with high risk for life must be personally insured by employer against the accident on production personal disease. All accidents caused on production are registered and investigated by State Labour Inspection. Employees got an injury as a result of accident on production or professional disease are paid compensation at the employers' expense in order and amount fixed by Legislation.

The supervision over the condition of protection of health, the appropriation of workplace and industrial spaces to sanitary norms is carried out by urban and regional Centres of Hygiene and Epidemiology.

State supervision over the observance of legislation rights and norms of protection of labour carries out by State Labour Inspection and public control - by trade unions as well. Al the normative acts in the field of protection of labour must be agreed with trade unions.

There are some privileges and compensations provided by legislation for employees engaged in industry bad for the health. They are as follows: the increased basic wage rates and salaries, reduced work day, additional vacation, retire on pension having the definite work experience in the mentioned conditions of labour. Employees performing the operation on low temperature and strong winds on open air, in close unwarming buildings in cold seasons and while working on open air on temperature over 45⁰C have the paid breaks in work.

Reference

1. Intrarepublican economical regions of Azerbaijan SSR (azerb. lang.). – Baku; "Maarif", 1989.

2. Mamedov R.G., Ibadzadeh M.A. Water economics of Azerbaijan and prospects of its development. – Baku; "Azerneshr", 1988.

3. Reports of Committee of Housing and Municipal Services for 1995-2000.

4. Reports of Committee of Reclamation and Water Economics for 1995-2000.

5. Reports of Ministry of Labour and Social Defense of Population for 1995-2000.

6. Reports of Ministry of Economics for 1995-2000.

7. Azerbaijan economics (azer lang.). – Baku; "Agrydag", 1999.

8. Economical and social geography of Azerbaijan Republic (azerb. lang.). – Baku; "Maarif", 1996.

9. Statistical Yearbook of Azerbaijan for 1999. – State Statistical Committee, Baku, 2000.

INTRODUCTION

SECTION 1

SECTION 2

SECTION 3

SECTION 4

SECTION 5

APPENDIX 15

APPENDIX 16

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