Gadabay District () is one of the 66 districts of Azerbaijan. It is located in the west of the country and belongs to the Gazakh-Tovuz Economic Region. The district borders the districts of Dashkasan, Shamkir, Tovuz, and the Gegharkunik and Tavush provinces of Armenia. The Artsvashen exclave of Armenia is surrounded by the Gadabay District and is de facto controlled by Azerbaijan, administrated as part of Goranboy District. Its capital and largest city is Gadabay. As of 2020, the district had a population of 109,900.
German philologist Heinrich Hübschmann hypothesized the toponym comes from the Armenian "get" (գետ) - river and "bak" (բակ) - yard. At present there is opened a factory producing gold, where work about 2000 workers. Gadabay District is also famous for its mineral waters, such as “Narzan”, “Mor-Mor”, “Chaldash”, “Turshsu” and “Soyudlu narzani” (in Soyudlu village).
Gadabay is within the middle and high mountain ranges of the Small Caucasus. The region of Gadabay covers the northern incline of the Shahdagh Ridge, the Bashkand-Dastafur basin and some part of the Shamkir mountain range. Goshabulak (3549 m.), Gocadagh (3317 m.) and others are the highest peaks. Within the area Jurassic, Tabashir, Paleogene and Anthropogenic sediments are spread. There are black and white marble stones. Summer is dry and there is mild heat and in the winter there is a dry mountainous tundra climate. The waterway network is tight. The Akhyncachay and Zayam waterways stream through this region. Within the south-western border of the area, the upper stream of Shamkirchay flows through. Gray mountain forest, meadow soils are spread. The region contains a well-known Red State Nature Reserve and four natural monuments - Govdu, Godakdara, Gamish and Shamlik. There is a beautiful waterfall at Kechidarasi cliff. Goat, sparrows, roe deer and Ayubbulaq as well as Chaldash, Gizilca Narzan, Mor-Mor mineral water springs can also be observed. Within the mountains, in the forests and valleys of the locale, animal and plant life is very rich. Gadabay locale is in the middle and high mountain ranges of the Small Caucasus. The district is located in the northern part of the Shahdagh ridge, the Bashkend-Dizafur depression and the Shamkir mountain range.
History
center|thumb|Gədəbəy - Siemens Bridge ( 1872)
As an administrative unit, Gadabay District originated on August 8, 1930, under the name of Rustam Aliyev. In 1938, it was renamed to Gadabay District.
In July 2020, Gadabay became a site for the clashes with Armenia.
Geological structure
Jurassic, Tabashir, Paleogene and Anthropogenic sediments are spread. The granite-rich metamorphic rocks, Gadabayit, was first studied in Gadabay Copper-Cholerite bed (1903).
Population
{| class="wikitable"
|+Population of the district by the year (at the beginning of the year, thsd. persons)
|
|2000
|2001
|2002
|2003
|2004
|2005
|2006
|2007
|2008
|2009
|2010
|2011
|2012
|2013
|2014
|2015
|2016
|2017
|2018
|2019
|2020
|2021
|-
|Gadabay region
|87,1
|88,0
|88,5
|89,1
|89,9
|90,6
|91,4
|92,1
|92,8
|93,6
|94,2
|95,0
|95,4
|96,0
|96,8
|97,6
|98,4
|99,2
|99,8
|100,4
|100,9
|101,1
|-
|urban population
|8,7
|8,8
|9,0
|9,2
|9,4
|9,7
|9,8
|9,9
|10,0
|10,2
|10,1
|10,6
|11,0
|11,2
|11,3
|11,4
|11,6
|11,6
|11,7
|11,7
|11,7
|11,7
|-
|rural population
|78,4
|79,2
|79,5
|79,9
|80,5
|80,9
|81,6
|82,2
|82,8
|83,4
|84,1
|84,4
|84,4
|84,8
|85,5
|86,2
|86,8
|87,6
|88,1
|88,7
|89,2
|89,4
|}
Demographics
Ethnic groups
- Azerbaijanis 99.29%
- Other 0.71% (mostly ethnic Russians, some of whom belong to the Molokan and Doukhobor religious minorities, living in villages such as Slavyanka)
Religion
- Muslim 99.9%
- Other 0.1%
Language
- Azerbaijani Language 99%
- Russian 0.9%
- Other 0.1%