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.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
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.()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, 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.

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.

ProvinceCapital Area (km²) Population †Aragatsotn Ashtarak 2,756132,925Ararat Artashat 2,090260,367Armavir Armavir 1,242265,770Gegharkunik     Gavar 5,349235,075Kotayk Hrazdan 2,086254,397Lori Vanadzor 3,799235,537Shirak Gyumri 2,680251,941Syunik Kapan 4,506141,771Tavush Ijevan 2,704128,609Vayots Dzor Yeghegnadzor     2,30852,324Yerevan – –2231,060,138
† 2011 censusSources: 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 republic has separation of church and state 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.

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Category:Armenia
Category:Caucasus