An oil worker cleans pipes on an oil field in the Caspian Sea near Baku Azerbaijan in January 2003 Today life in Azerbaijan is
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Contributor:
Ami Vitale / Alamy Stock PhotoImage ID:
AA6911File size:
16.9 MB (4.1 MB Compressed download)Releases:
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3008 x 1960 px | 25.5 x 16.6 cm | 10 x 6.5 inches | 300dpiDate taken:
1 January 2003More information:
An oil worker cleans pipes on an oil field in the Caspian Sea near Baku Azerbaijan in January 2003 Today life in Azerbaijan is suffering from the hangover of its aborted oil boom Much of the reserves have been exhausted and drilling has had to extend outward and into the sea The beaches are hideously polluted and years of neglect have left the sea and surrounding region in a precarious environmental position Most daunting is the Azeris dependence on foreign investments In 1994 nearly two dozen major oil contracts were signed with international companies and drilling rights were bought for a modest price In September 2002 a 3 5 billion pipeline beginning on the outskirts of Baku and partly financed by the U S government broke ground It will cross more than 1000 miles of terrain and when it is completed it is expected to provide Western markets with 1 million barrels of oil a day But few observers expect the project to help two thirds of the Azeri population Like the first oil rush that attracted gangsters and mafia looking for quick profits the story of modern Baku may be just as tempestuous as its past Photo by Ami Vitale