Armenia: The Meeting Place of East and West.Visit Armenica.org to read about 2,800 years of creation, war,devestation, sorrow, and resurrection.

Data about Armenia

• Governemt type: Republic• Flag: Three equal horizontal bands of red, blue, and orange• Capital: Yerevan• Location: Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey and northwest of Iran• Climate: highland continental, hot summers, cold winters • Area: 29,800 km2 (land: 28,400 km2; water: 1,400 km2)• Population: 2,976,372 (July 2006 est.)• Language: Armenian• Religion: Armenian Apostolic Church

www.armenica.org

I S L A M I C R E P U B L I C o f I R A N

R E P . o f G E O R G I A G E O R G I A

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Autonomous Republic

(A

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PU

BL

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RK

EY

REPUBLIC

of

KARABAKH

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ER

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PU

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S h i ra k

L o r i

Tavo u s h

Ko t ay k

G e g h a rko u n i k

A ra g a t z o t n

A r m av i rA r a r a t

Vayo t s d z o r

Yerevan

S y u n i k

M a rd a ke r t

Shahoumyan

A s ke ra n

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M a r t o u n i

Shushi

L. Sevan

L. TCHILDIR

Araxes

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Kur

Kars

TCHILDIR

KARS

ARPA TCHAI

ARTIK

TALIN

ASHTARAK

MARALIK

DIGORARAGATZ

AMASIA

GYUMRI

ASHOTSKTASHIR

ALAVERDI

STEPANAVAN

VANADZOR

SPITAK

DILIJAN

SEVANHRAZDAN

BERD

CHAMBARAK

ARTSVASHEN

KHANLAR

MARDAKERT

SHAHOUMYAN

KELBAJARAGHDAM

MARTOUNI

SHUSHI

LATCHIN

STEPANAKERT

FIZOULI

HADROUT

HORADIZ

JEBRAILKUBATLY

ZANGELAN

MEGHRIJOULFA

JOULFA

KAJARAN

KAPAN

GORIS

SISIAN

JERMOUK

VAYK

YEGHEGNADZOR

MARTUNIVARDENIS

KAMO

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Republic of Armenia (independent since 1991)

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History of Armenia in brief

Armenia is the name of the highland which stretches from the present-day Armenia in Transcaucasuswestward to Sivas in present-day eastern Turkey. Armenia, as a country, is mentioned for the first timein the history by the Persian King Darius I, year 512 B.C. The unique geographical location of Armenia,as the meeting place between East and West, has deeply affected the culture and the mentalitywhich are a fusion of these two worlds. But this geopolitical situation has also resulted in the factthat the country has been a war scene during longer periods and has been invaded by among othersPersian, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Mongols, Turks and Russians.

Four royal dynasties, however, have been emerged in Armenia despite the countless threats:Artashisian (190-12 B.C.), Arshakouni (53-423), Bagratouni (862-1045), and Roubinian (1187-1375).During the Bagratouni era Armenia reached its cultural peak and Armenian merchants were one ofthe major figures in the trade between East and West, Armenian architecture influenced theWestern transition to the Gothic period and reached all the way up to Scandinavia with buildings inBohuslän and Blekinge, while Armenian officials achieved high positions within the ByzantineEmpire and even contributed with their own emperors and dynasties. The subsequent ArmenianRoubinian Kingdom of Cilicia, at the shores of Mediterranean Sea, came to be one of the importantallies to the Crusaders. It was from this kingdom that Marco Polo, year 1271, disembarked at the portcity of Lajazzo in order to begin his epic journey on the infamous Silk Road.

The proclamation of Christianity as official state religion in year 301 makes Armenia to world's firstChristian state. Year 405 the Armenian alphabet was invented, today existing of 30 consonants and8 vowels, and resulted in a flourishing literally era, the Golden period of the Armenian cultural his-tory.

Turkish conquest of Armenia in the 11th century and the incorporation of the highland into theOttoman Empire by the end of the 16th century set the country into a deep cultural and social let-hargy which lasted until mid-19th century. The demands of the Armenian nation for reforms and amore decent life within the disintegrating Ottoman Empire was in parallel with the liberation strugg-le of other Christian nations under Turkish yoke. The loss of the Christian territories in Balkan and thepersistence Armenian demands for reforms made the Ottoman leaders to realise of the existence ofan "Armenian Question". The fear of losing also Armenia and the mirage of uniting all Turkish peop-le under one united gigantic Ottoman Empire, the dream of Pan-Turanism, necessitated the annihi-lation of the only nation which posed an obstacle for this vision: the Armenians. The ArmenianGenocide of 1915 was realised in the midst of the ongoing World War and left an Armenia withoutArmenians.

The Republic of Armenian of 1918-1920 gave place to the Soviet Republic of Armenia which in herturn, year 1991, became independent in the wake of an disintegrating Soviet Union. Despite pro-blems such as the conflict of Karabakh, an Armenian enclave inside neighbouring Republic ofAzerbaijan, the 1988 earthquake, the Turkish blockade, Armenia has continued to develop and groweconomically and socially.

Armenica.org attempts to inform about the above mentioned events and concepts in more detailand introduce the small Armenia and its ancient history to the world. Our goal is to present Armenia,its history and culture with accurate facts and reference sources, thereby promoting the generalknowledge about Armenia and the Armenian nation.

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Empire of Tigran the Great 70 B.C.

Cilician Armenia (Kilikia), 1080-1375

The first Armenian Republic,

1918-1920

The Soviet Armenia (1920-1991)

and the Third Republic of Armenia

(since 1991)

Historic Armenia (Armenian

Highland)

Wilsonian Armenia (According to

the Sevres Treaty, 1920, including

the first republic)

Armenia through out the history

The Babylonian clay tablet, the oldest world mapknown to usSixth century BCBritish Museum - London, Near Eastern