Absheron

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This article is about the peninsula. For the rayon of Azerbaijan see Absheron (Rayon).

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**Absheron Peninsula (Abşeron yarımadası)**

The Absheron peninsula, (Azerbaijani: Abşeron yarımadası, Russian: Апшерон полуостров), also spelled Apsheron, is a prominent geographical feature of Azerbaijan. It extends 37 miles (60 km) eastward into the Caspian Sea and reaches a maximum width of 19 miles (30 km). Though technically the easternmost extension of the Caucasus Mountains, the landscape is only mildly hilly, a gently undulating plain that ends in a long spit of sand dunes known as Shah Dili, and now declared the Absheron National Park. In part the peninsula is dissected by ravines and characterized by frequent salt lakes.

Although there is a rayon called Absheron, much of the Absheron Peninsula falls administratively within the limits of Baku City.

[edit] Origin of the name

The name Absheron is Persian and comes from the Persian word Abshuran (آبشوران) meaning "The place of the Salty Waters".

[edit] Economy

The Absheron peninsula was the site of some of the world's earliest petroleum production, beginning in the 1870s. Much of the landscape remains scarred with rusting oil derricks. Despite serious problems with environmental damage and pollution, the Absheron is known for its flowers, horticulture, mulberries and figs. The northern coast has wide though less-than-pristine beaches which are popular local tourist attractions.