Which Asian country includes the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic exclave?

The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is an exclave of Azerbaijan.

Nakhchivan is separated from Azerbaijan’s main territory by Armenia, making it a true exclave: a piece of a country surrounded by foreign territory. It lies between Armenia, Iran, and Turkey, with only a short 8-kilometre border connecting it to Turkey. Its capital is Nakhchivan City.

The region has a long and complicated history involving Persian, Armenian, Russian, Ottoman, and Azerbaijani rule. After the Treaty of Moscow in 1921 and the Treaty of Kars later that year, Nakhchivan was established as an autonomous territory associated with Azerbaijan. The Soviet Union formally made it an autonomous republic within the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic in 1924.

A common mix-up is confusing Nakhchivan with an independent country. It is not sovereign; it is an autonomous republic internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. The word “exclave” describes its relationship to Azerbaijan, while “enclave” emphasizes that it is surrounded by other territory.