Before the Artsakh republic was established, the territory was organized by the Republic of Azerbaijan into a number of
rayons (districts). Artsakh extended its provinces across the border of the former
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO), removing the administrative distinction between the two areas. The following districts, which were not part of the NKAO but were in Azerbaijan proper, were completely within the
de facto borders of Artsakh before the
2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war:
Lachin,
Qubadli,
Zangilan,
Jabrayil,
Kalbajar. Additionally, parts of the following districts were partly under the control of Artsakh:
Agdam District and
Fuzuli District.
Pre-2020 war and
Shahumyan Region. Horizontal dashed lines indicate territory under the control of Azerbaijan before the war.) Before the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, there were seven provinces. The
districts of Azerbaijan surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh that were administered by Artsakh were:
Lachin District,
Qubadli District,
Zangilan District,
Jabrayil District and
Kalbajar District, as well as parts of
Agdam, and
Fuzuli District. On the other hand, the eastern ends of Martakert and Martuni were under Azerbaijani control. ==See also==