Nakhchivan is an exclave of which country?

Nakhchivan is an exclave of Azerbaijan.

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is separated from Azerbaijan’s main territory by Armenia. It is landlocked and borders Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, and Turkey along a short northwestern frontier. Because it belongs to Azerbaijan but cannot be reached from the country’s main area without crossing another country, it is a true exclave.

Nakhchivan’s modern status was shaped after the First World War and the division of the South Caucasus. The 1921 Treaty of Moscow and Treaty of Kars established it as an autonomous territory under Azerbaijan’s protection; in 1924 it became an autonomous republic within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.

Today, Nakhchivan remains Azerbaijan’s sole autonomous republic, with its own legislature and capital at Nakhchivan City. It is often confused with Armenia because Armenia surrounds much of it, but surrounding geography does not determine sovereignty. The region’s status is Azerbaijani, while its isolation is geographic and political rather than a change of ownership.