Title: Armenia Content: Armenia (Armenian: Հայաստան, Hayastan), officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country located in the Armenian Highlands of Western Asia.The UN classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia; the CIA World Factbook , , and Oxford Reference Online also place Armenia in Asia. ==History== Hayasa-Azzi may have played a significant role in the ethnicity of Armenians. It has an ancient cultural heritage. One of the earliest Armenian kingdoms such as Urartu was established in 860 BC and by the 6th century BC it was replaced by the Satrapy of Armenia. The Kingdom of Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great in the 1st century BC and became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion in the late 3rd or early 4th century AD.Smaller nations that have claimed a prior official adoption of Christianity include Osroene, the Silures, and San Marino. See Timeline of official adoptions of Christianity. The official date of state adoption of Christianity is 301.. Estimated dates vary from 284 to 314. Garsoïan (op.cit. p. 82), following the research of Ananian, favours the latter. ===Foreign invasion=== Between the 16th century and 19th century, the traditional Armenian homeland composed of Eastern Armenia and Western Armenia came under the rule of the Ottoman and Iranian empires, repeatedly ruled by either of the two over the centuries. By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been conquered by the Russian Empire, while most of the western parts of the traditional Armenian homeland remained under Ottoman rule. ===20th century=== During World War I, Armenians living in their ancestral lands in the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated in the Armenian Genocide. Around 1.5 million people died. In 1918, following the Russian Revolution, all non- Russian countries declared their independence after the Russian Empire ceased to exist, leading to the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia. By 1920, the state was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, and in 1922 became a founding member of the Soviet Union. In 1936, the Transcaucasian state was dissolved, transforming its constituent states, including the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, into full Union republics. The modern Republic of Armenia became independent in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union. ===21st century=== ==Administrative divisions== Armenia is divided into ten provinces, with the city of Yerevan having special administrative status as the country's capital. The chief executive in each of the ten provinces is the marzpet (marz governor), appointed by the government of Armenia. In Yerevan, the chief executive is the mayor, appointed by the president. , Armenia includes 915 communities, of which 49 are considered urban and 866 are considered rural.  † 2011 census Sources: Area and population of provinces. ==Culture== The Republic of Armenia recognises the Armenian Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church, as the country's primary religious establishment.The republic has separation of church and state The unique Armenian alphabet was invented by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD. Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, the Council of Europe and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Armenia supports the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh, which was proclaimed in 1991. ==Gallery== Yerevan-Cascade-36-Stadtblick-2019-gje.jpg|Yerevan Geghard- Kathogike-08-2019-gje.jpg|Geghard Vagharshapat-St Hripsime-26-Kuppel-2019-gje.jpg|Vagharshapat Khor Virap- Muttergotteskirche-08-2019-gje.jpg|Khor Virap Sevanavank- Apostelkirche-06-2019-gje.jpg|Sevanavank Zvartnots-04-2019-gje.jpg|Zvartnots Etchmiadzin-68-Kreuzstein-2019-gje.jpg|Etchmiadzin Armenian dancers. HlushenkovFolkFest in Khmelnytskyi, Ukraine. Photo 64.jpg|Armenian dancers.