Armenia

**Armenia** (,  _Hayastān_), officially the **Republic of Armenia**, is a landlocked country located in the Armenian Highlands in the Caucasus, spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia.

## History

The Hittites and 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 861 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 state religion in the late 3rd or early 4th century AD. The official date of state adoption of Christianity is 301.

### 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, perpetrated by Ottoman Young Turks. Around 1.5 million people were slaughtered and many more deported. In 1918, following the Russian Revolution, the Russian Empire ceased to exist and all non-Russian countries declared their independence. This led 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.

## 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.

|colspan="2"|Province|colspan="2"|Capital|Area (km²)|Population †|||
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
|Aragatsotn||Ashtarak||style="text-align:right"|2,756|style="text-align:right"|132,925|
|Ararat||Artashat||style="text-align:right"|2,090|style="text-align:right"|260,367|
|Armavir||Armavir||style="text-align:right"|1,242|style="text-align:right"|265,770|
|Gegharkunik||Gavar||style="text-align:right"|5,349|style="text-align:right"|235,075|
|Kotayk||Hrazdan||style="text-align:right"|2,086|style="text-align:right"|254,397|
|Lori||Vanadzor||style="text-align:right"|3,799|style="text-align:right"|235,537|
|Shirak||Gyumri||style="text-align:right"|2,680|style="text-align:right"|251,941|
|Syunik||Kapan||style="text-align:right"|4,506|style="text-align:right"|141,771|
|Tavush||Ijevan||style="text-align:right"|2,704|style="text-align:right"|128,609|
|Vayots Dzor||Yeghegnadzor||style="text-align:right"|2,308|style="text-align:right"|52,324|
|Yerevan||–|–|style="text-align:right"|223|style="text-align:right"|1,060,138|
† 2011 census
Sources: Area and population of provinces.

## Culture

Armenia is a majority Christian country, with European and some wider Eurasian cultural influences. The Republic of Armenia recognizes the Armenian Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church, as the country's primary religious establishment. The unique Armenian alphabet was invented by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD. Armenia also has a minority of Yazidis who settled in the country after fleeing persecution and have long established themselves into the wider Armenian society and have been integrated into the country. They speak both Armenian and their native Kurmanji.

Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe, the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Armenia supports the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh, which was proclaimed in 1991.

## Infobox (country)

- **conventional long name**: Republic of Armenia
- **common name**: Armenia
- **native name**: Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն
- **image flag**: Flag of Armenia.svg
- **image coat**: Coat of arms of Armenia.svg
- **national motto**: Մեկ Ազգ, Մեկ Մշակույթ
_Mek Azg, Mek Mshakuyt_
"One Nation, One Culture"
- **national anthem**: Մեր Հայրենիք
_Mer Hayrenik_
"Our Fatherland"

- **image map**: Armenia locator map.svg
- **map caption**: Location of Armenia (green)
- **capital**: Yerevan
- **largest city**: capital
- **languages type**: State language
- **languages**: Armenian language, Armenian
Persian language, Persian
- **ethnic groups year**: 2011
- **demonym**: Armenian
- **government type**: Unitary parliamentary republic
- **leader title1**: President
- **leader name1**: Vahagn Khachaturyan
- **leader title2**: Prime Minister
- **leader name2**: Nikol Pashinyan
- **leader title3**: President of the National Assembly
- **leader name3**: Alan Simonyan
- **legislature**: National Assembly
- **sovereignty type**: Establishment history
- **established event1**: Patriarch Hayk
- **established date1**: 2492 BC
- **established event2**: Kingdom of Urartu
- **established date2**: 860 BC–590 BC
- **established event3**: Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity)
- **established date3**: 321 BC–428 AD
- **established event4**: Kingdom of Armenia (medieval)
- **established date4**: 885–1045
- **established event5**: Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia
- **established date5**: 1198–1375
- **established event6**: First Republic of Armenia
- **established date6**: 28 May 1918
- **established event7**: Soviet conquest
- **established date7**: 29 November 1920
- **established event8**: Indepence restored
- **established date8**: 23 September 1991
- **established event9**: CIS Accesion
- **established date9**: 21 December 1991
- **established event10**: Admitted to the United Nations
- **established date10**: 2 March 1992
- **established event11**: Current constitution
- **established date11**: 5 July 1995
- **area km2**: 29,743
- **area rank**: 147th
- **population estimate**: 3,000,756
- **population census**: 3,018,854
- **population estimate year**: CIA 2022
- **population estimate rank**: 138th
- **population census year**: 2011
- **population density km2**: 101.5
- **population density sq mi**: 262.9
- **population density rank**: 99th
- **gdp ppp year**: 2021
- **gdp ppp per capita**: $14,701
- **gdp nominal year**: 2021
- **gdp nominal rank**: 127th
- **gdp nominal per capita**: $4,595
- **gdp nominal per capita rank**: 104th
- **gini**: 29.9
- **gini year**: 2019
- **gini change**: decrease
- **hdi**: 0.776
- **hdi year**: 2019
- **hdi change**: increase
- **hdi rank**: 81st
- **currency**: Armenian dram, Dram (Armenian dram sign, ֏)
- **currency code**: AMD
- **time zone**: Armenia Time, AMT
- **utc offset**: +4
- **drives on**: right
- **calling code**: Telephone numbers in Armenia, +374
- **patron saint**: Gregory the Illuminator, St. Gregory
- **religion year**: 2011
- **area land km2**: 28,203
- **area water km2**: 1,540