Armenia today

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OFFICIAL NAME: Republic of Armenia CAPITAL:  Yerevan (population 1,091,235) LOCATION: Southwestern Asia SIZE: slightly smaller than Maryland POPULATION: 2,976,372 ETHNIC GROUPS: Armenian 98%, Heidi (Kurd) 1%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.5% RELIGIONS: Armenian Apostolic 94%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (Zoroastrian/animist) 2% LANGUAGES: Armenian 98%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.5% LITERACY: 98.6% CLIMATE: hot summers, cold winters BORDERING COUNTRIES: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey COASTLINE:  0 km (landlocked) TERRAIN: Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras river valley NATURAL RESOURCES: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, aluminum CURRENCY: dram (AMD) Source:  World Factbook 2006 (CIA)

A Brief History of Armenia

An ancient kingdom at the crossroads of civilization

Armenia dates back as far as the sixth century B.C., originating in the cradle of civilization, the Euphrates valley, and spreading to Asia Minor, in which it became the successor to Urartu in the eighth century B.C. Once spanning the Caucasus region from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean, Armenia has stood the test of time as a distinctive culture and unique people, despite numerous conquests over time—from Alexander the Great and Mark Antony to the Syrians, Persians, Byzantines, Mongols, and many more.

The first Christian state

Because of its geographical position at the crossroads between east and west, Armenia was introduced to Christianity early by the apostles Bartholemew and Thaddeus. In A.D. 301, it became the first nation to adopt Christianity as the state religion.

Centuries of Roman, Persian and Turkish influence

Having been under Roman influence after Alexander the Great, Armenia became a monarchy when Nero appointed Tiridates, a Parthian prince, king of Armenia in A.D. 66. In the third century the Persian king Ardashir I came to power and overran Armenia, beginning several hundred years of Persian rule of the region. Though in the tenth century Armenia gained brief autonomy under native rulers, it again came under outside rule when the Byzantines and later the Seljuk Turks reconquered Armenia. The last Armenian king died in 1375. Thereafter, the Ottoman Turks ruled much of Armenia, though the territory was constantly in dispute between the Turks and Persians.

Armenia becomes a Russian province

Russia acquired Armenia from Persia in 1828 and made it into a province. The Congress of Berlin in 1878 assigned the Kars, Ardahan and Batumi districts to Russia. Russia later ceded Kars and Ardahan back to Turkey in 1921.

First genocide of the 20th century

After Armenia was conquered by the Ottoman Turks, Christians became a minority, and many were subjected to trials and persecutions. Between 1894 and 1915, the Ottomans made a concentrated effort to destroy them. More than 300,000 Armenians were killed between 1894 and 1896 and more than 1.5 million were massacred in 1915, in what is now recognized as the first genocide of the 20th century.

70 years under Soviet rule

In the aftermath of World War I, Armenia was given its independence, which lasted only two years until it was overtaken by the Soviets and became a republic of the USSR. In 1988, the Armenian republic suffered a devastating earthquake, which killed more than 25,000 and left more than 100,000 homeless.

An independent state in transition

With the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia again became an independent state, but almost immediately, it became embroiled in a conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan, in a dispute over the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabagh in that country. A cease-fire has held since 1994, but Armenia is still recovering from the effects of both the earthquake and the Azeri war. An estimated 100,000 landmines and unexploded ordnances daily kill or maim Armenian men, women and children. These serious problems are what prompted the founding of Children of Armenia Fund in 2000.