SPACEPHOTOS

Baku, Apsheron Peninsula, Azerbaijan Winter/Spring, 1997. The Apsheron Peninsula and city of Baku are discernible in this east-looking view. The city of Baku, which means “city of winds”, is 56 feet (17 meters) below sea level and is located on the northern shore of the Bay of Baku (right center and bottom right of the image). The city was once a leading industrial, cultural and commercial center in the Former USSR. Until World War II, Baku was one of the leading petroleum centers in the Former USSR. Its port handled great volumes of freight, mainly oil and oil products. Oil drilling as a major economic activity has declined over the last few decades. An influx of British and American investment during the 1990’s has not stemmed the overall decline. Apsheron Peninsula juts out into the Caspian Sea (upper left portion of the image), the world’s largest inland body of water. The climate is harsh, dry, and windy. Severe cold temperatures with strong north and northwesterly winds are predominant during the winter months. Hot temperatures and dry conditions prevail during the summer months. Many of the recreation beaches around Apsheron Peninsula are considered hazardous due to the polluted waters surrounding the peninsula from abandoned oil wells and drilling platforms and closed oil refineries