An oil platform in Baku pumps out the black gold.

The excellent Marginal Revolution pointed me to a Forbes story that lists the 25 dirtiest cities in the world. Never swear by a science-related article in Forbes or any other consumer magazine, but it wouldn’t be completely stunning if Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan, is truly the dirtiest city in the world. (Actually, poor Port-au-Prince, which ranked fourth dirtiest, would likely easily top the list if it had been compiled post-earthquake.)

Baku is awarded a total of 27.6 on the Health and Sanitation Index, which is slightly worse than the 131.7 scored by Calgary, which the magazine identifies as the cleanest urban area. What makes Baku so dirty is, unsurprisingly, its heavy reliance on a booming oil industry, particularly over the last two decades.

As Forbes explains, the city “suffers from life-threatening levels of air pollution emitted from oil drilling and shipping.” I guess it’s not bumming out the locals too much. Last year Lonely Planet voted Baku as one of the world’s top ten party cities. “The cash injection from energy projects, enhanced by the presence of thousands of international oil workers and wealthy consultants, has turned Baku into an oasis of excess,” boasts the travel guide. Party till you drop, indeed.