Greater Armenia (political concept)
Encyclopedia
Greater Armenia or United Armenia (TAO
: Միացեալ Հայաստան, RAO: Միացյալ Հայաստան; Miatsyal Hayastan or Miadzyal Hayasdan) refers to an irredentist concept of the territory claimed by some Armenian nationalist
groups outside the Republic of Armenia which are considered part of national homeland by Armenians
, based on the present-day and historical presence of Armenian populations in the Armenian Highland
.
This term should not be confused with the geographical concept of Greater Armenia, which was used to designate the largest of several Armenian states which existed in ancient times, and contrast it with another geographical concept - Lesser Armenia
.
The term incorporates claims to Nagorno-Karabakh
(Artsakh), as well as eastern Turkey (Western Armenia
), northwestern Azerbaijan
(Northern Artsakh
), landlocked exclave Nakhichevan
of Azerbaijan
and Javakhk
region of Georgia
.
was divided between Russian Empire
(Eastern Armenia
) and Ottoman Empire
(Western Armenia
).
, the parts of historic Armenia under Persian control, centering on Yerevan
and Lake Sevan
, were incorporated into Russia
. Under Russian rule, the area corresponding approximately to modern-day Armenian territory was called Erivan Governorate
. The Armenian subjects of the Russian Empire
lived in relative safety, compared to their Ottoman kin, albeit clashes with Tatars and Kurds were frequent in the early 20th century.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the ambitious Russians sought out to continue their expansion into Armenian land in order to reach the warm waters of the Mediterranean. This caused conflict between the Russian and Ottoman Empires eventually culminating in the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829
. In the aftermath of the war, the Ottoman Empire ceded a small part of the traditional Armenian homeland (Kars Oblast
) to the Russian Empire, known as Eastern Armenia following the while Western Armenia remained under Ottoman sovereignty.
. Since Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829
that term is referred to the Armenian
-populated historical regions of the Ottoman Empire that remained under Ottoman
rule after the eastern part
was ceded
to the Russian Empire
.
In late 19th century and early 20th century, the Armenian-populated eastern regions of the Ottoman Empire (called Turkish Armenia or Western Armenia by Armenians) was divided into "Six Armenian provinces/vilayets": Erzurum, Van, Bitlis
, Diyarbekir, Kharput, and Sivas.
Western Armenia remained under Turkish
rule, and in 1894–96
and 1915–1923
the Ottoman Empire perpetrated systematic massacres and forced deportations of Armenians resulting in "Armenia without Armenians".
During the World War I Western Armenia was occupied by Russian Empire as part of the Caucasian Campaign. In the occupied areas the Administration for Western Armenia
(Free Vaspurakan) was established until 1918, when the Russian army left the region, because of the Revolution of 1917.
On February 23, 1917, the Russian advance was halted following the Russian Revolution
, and later the disintegrated Russian Caucasus Army was replaced by the forces of the newly established Armenian state, comprised from the previous Armenian volunteer units
and the Armenian irregular units
. During 1918 the region also saw the establishment of the Central Caspian Dictatorship, the Republic of Mountainous Armenia
and an Allied force named Dunsterforce
which was composed of elite troops drawn from the Mesopotamian and Western Fronts. The Ottoman Empire and German Empire had a hot conflict at Batumi with the arrival of German Caucasus Expedition
whose prime aim was to secure oil supplies.
On March 3, 1918, the campaign terminated between the Ottoman Empire and Russia with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
and on June 4, 1918, the Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Batum
with Armenia. However, the armed conflicts extended as Ottoman Empire continued to engage with Central Caspian Dictatorship, Republic of Mountainous Armenia
and Dunsterforce of British Empire until the Armistice of Mudros
signed on October 30, 1918.
After the World War I, the United State gained the madate of Armenia and the right to draw the border between Armenia and Turkey. Wilsonian Armenia
refers to the boundary configuration for Armenian state
drawn up by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
for the Treaty of Sèvres
. The Treaty of Sèvres
was a peace treaty
signed by some of the Allies of World War I
, on August 10, 1920. The proposed state incorporated the vilayets (provinces) of Van, Bitlis
, and Erzurum, which were parts of the region referred to as Ottoman Armenia (also referred to as Western Armenia
). This region was extended to the north, up to the west side of Trebizond Vilayet to provide the Democratic Republic of Armenia
with an outlet to the Black Sea
at the port of Trabzon
. It was initially granted to Armenia to provide them with an outlet to the sea.
was thus signed on December 2/3, 1920.
The 11th Red Army began its virtually unopposed advance into Armenia on November 29, 1920. The actual transfer of power took place on December 2 in Yerevan. The Armenian leadership approved an ultimatum, presented to it by the Soviet plenipotentiary Boris Legran
. Armenia decided to join the Soviet sphere, while Soviet Russia agreed to protect its remaining territory from the advancing Turkish army. The Soviets also pledged to take steps to rebuild the army, protect the Armenians and to not pursue non-communist Armenians, although the final condition of this pledge was reneged when the Dashnaks were forced out of the country.
, presented territorial claims to Turkey in 1945.
During the period of 1945 and 1953, there were presented 3 different plans.
It was also known that the Soviet government wanted to settle that areas with Armenian repatriates from diaspora. In three years (1946–1948) after the World War II about 100,000 ethnic Armenians (mostly Western Armenians and their descedants) from Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, France, USA and China had repatriated to Soviet Armenia.
The Soviet Union rejected these claims when Turkey joined NATO in 1953.
).
The Karabakh movement started in Armenia in 1988, during the relative freedom of speech era called perestroika
and glasnost
by Mikhail Gorbachev
in the Soviet Union
. Armenians demanded the Soviet Union to transfer NKAO to Armenia, but instead the Soviet government organized the deportation of Shahumyan district Armenian during the Operation Ring
in 1991.
Ethnic tensions rose to a military conflict in 1992. During the Karabakh War (1992–1994) the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
and adjacent districts of Azerbaijan fell to the control of Armenian forces. De facto Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
is independent and is united with Armenia, although de-jure it is part of Azerbaijan.
. It is an opposition now with 16 seats out of 131 in the National Assembly of Armenia
.
The modern use of this term by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
encompass the following areas:
, other ethnic groups migrated to the Armenian Highland
.
Presently, various ethnic groups, such as the Kurds and Turks
(in Western Armenia
), Georgians
(in Javakhk
) and Azerbaijanis (in Nakhijevan and Northern Artsakh
) live in this region.
Armenians
form majority in the Republic of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
and Javakhk
.
If all Armenians
were to return to their ancestral homeland, they would hold the majority population of over 11 million.
.
In Republic of Armenia, Armenians compass about 98% of the total population. The largest minorities are Yezidis
(about 40,000), Russians
(15,000) and Assyrians
(4,000).
established contorol over most of the territory of former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
and adjacent rayons (districts) of Azerbaijan as a buffer zone, which is mostly uninhabited, with the city of Lachin
/Berdzor being exception. An estimated 658,000 Azeris were displaced from the occupied zone
's Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli
regions. In the districts of Akhalkalak
and Ninotsminda
(Samtskhe-Javakheti) and Tsalka
(Kvemo Kartli) Armenians form majority. The Akhaltsikhe District
has mixed Armenian (about 37%) and Georgian (about 62%) population.
There are some Armenian-inhabited villages in Borjomi
and Aspindza
districts.
there were, according to some sources, from 1,300,000 up to 2,500,000 Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
.
During the Armenian Genocide
, most Armenian were either massacred or escaped to Eastern Armenia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, France, United States, Greece, etc.
According to the census of 1927, 123,602 Armenians lived in Turkey, mostly in Istanbul.
Today, Kurds (including the Zaza people
) form majority in the eastern provinces of Turkey
. Turks are the second ethnic group by number. The minorities include Azerbaijanis (mainly in the provinces of Kars
and Iğdır
) and Laz people
(Muslim Georgians). Along with the Hamshenis (Muslim Armenians), Laz people form the majority of the population of two Black Sea coast provinces of Artvin
and Rize
.
About 45,000 Armenians lived in the city of Kirovabad
(now Ganja, historical Gandzak) and about 40,000 in the villages and towns of 4 rayons (Shahumian
, Dashkesan, Shamkor and Khanlar). Armenians formed majority (about 80%) in Shahumian
. In other rayons Armenians formed about ¼ to ½ of the total population. The Armenian population of Shahumian
was deported during the Operation Ring
in 1991 by .
province of the Kingdom of Armenia.
In the 16th century, control of Nakhchivan passed to the Safavid dynasty
of Persia. Because of its geographic position, it frequently suffered during the wars between Persia and the Ottoman Empire
in the 14th to 18th centuries. In 1604, Shah Abbas I
Safavi, concerned that the lands of Nakhchevan and the surrounding areas would pass into Ottoman hands, decided to institute a scorched earth
policy. He forced the entire local population, Armenians, Jews and Muslims alike, to leave their homes and move to the Persian provinces south of the Aras River. Many of the deportees were settled in the neighborhood of Isfahan that was named New Julfa
since most of the residents were from the original Julfa (a predominantly Armenian town).
Armenians of Nakhijevan were forced to left their homes, because of the anti-Armenian
policy of Azerbaijani (1917–1920) and later Soviet Azerbaijani
(1920–1991).
The remaining approximately 2,000 Armenians were expelled by Azerbaijani forces during the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
as part of the forceful exchange of population between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
Traditional Armenian orthography
Traditional Armenian orthography is the orthography developed during the early 19th century for the two modern dialects of the Armenian language - Eastern Armenian and Western Armenian...
: Միացեալ Հայաստան, RAO: Միացյալ Հայաստան; Miatsyal Hayastan or Miadzyal Hayasdan) refers to an irredentist concept of the territory claimed by some Armenian nationalist
Armenian nationalism
Armenian nationalism in the modern period has its roots in the romantic nationalism of Mikayel Chamchian and generally defined as the creation of a free, independent and united Armenia formulated as the Armenian Cause . Armenian national awakening developed in the 1880s in the context of the...
groups outside the Republic of Armenia which are considered part of national homeland by Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
, based on the present-day and historical presence of Armenian populations in the Armenian Highland
Armenian Highland
The Armenian Highland is the central-most and highest of three land-locked plateaus that together form the northern sector of the Middle East...
.
This term should not be confused with the geographical concept of Greater Armenia, which was used to designate the largest of several Armenian states which existed in ancient times, and contrast it with another geographical concept - Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia
Lesser Armenia , also known as Armenia Minor and Armenia Inferior, refers to the Armenian populated regions, primarily to the West and North-West of the ancient Armenian Kingdom...
.
The term incorporates claims to Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
(Artsakh), as well as eastern Turkey (Western Armenia
Western Armenia
Western Armenia is a term, primarily used by Armenians, to refer to Armenian-inhabited areas of the Armenian Highland that were part of the Ottoman Empire and now are part of the Republic of Turkey....
), northwestern Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
(Northern Artsakh
Northern Artsakh
Northern Artsakh is a political concept used in the Republic of Armenia to refer the region in north-western Azerbaijan, lying north of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and between the Kura river and the border of the Republic of Armenia, which had a significant Armenian population from antiquity up to...
), landlocked exclave Nakhichevan
Nakhichevan
The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic is a landlocked exclave of Azerbaijan. The region covers 5,363 km² and borders Armenia to the east and north, Iran to the south and west, and Turkey to the northwest...
of Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
and Javakhk
Javakhk
Javakhk was a historical region of Kingdom of Armenia and a canton of Gugark province . It is currently located in the territory of modern Georgia roughly corresponding to the Javakheti region.-Antiquity:...
region of Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
.
History
The term "United Armenia" was born during the second half of the 19th century, when historical ArmeniaArmenian Highland
The Armenian Highland is the central-most and highest of three land-locked plateaus that together form the northern sector of the Middle East...
was divided between Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
(Eastern Armenia
Eastern Armenia
Eastern Armenia or Caucasian Armenia was the portion of Ottoman Armenia and Persian Armenia that was ceded to the Russian Empire following the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829...
) and Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
(Western Armenia
Western Armenia
Western Armenia is a term, primarily used by Armenians, to refer to Armenian-inhabited areas of the Armenian Highland that were part of the Ottoman Empire and now are part of the Republic of Turkey....
).
Russian Armenia
In the aftermath of the Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828Russo-Persian War, 1826-1828
The Russo-Persian War of 1826-1828 was the last major military conflict between the Russian Empire and the Persian Empire.After the Treaty of Gulistan concluded the previous Russo-Persian War in 1813, peace reigned in the Caucasus for thirteen years...
, the parts of historic Armenia under Persian control, centering on Yerevan
Yerevan
Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country...
and Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan
Lake Sevan is the largest lake in Armenia and the Caucasus region. It is one of the largest high-altitude lakes in the world.Lake Sevan is situated in the central part of the Republic of Armenia, inside the Gegharkunik Province, at the altitude of 1,900m above sea level...
, were incorporated into Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. Under Russian rule, the area corresponding approximately to modern-day Armenian territory was called Erivan Governorate
Erivan Governorate
Erivan Governorate was one of the guberniyas of the Russian Empire, with its centre in Erivan . Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometres. It roughly corresponded to what is now most of central Armenia, the Iğdır Province of Turkey, and Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave...
. The Armenian subjects of the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
lived in relative safety, compared to their Ottoman kin, albeit clashes with Tatars and Kurds were frequent in the early 20th century.
During the 19th and early 20th centuries, the ambitious Russians sought out to continue their expansion into Armenian land in order to reach the warm waters of the Mediterranean. This caused conflict between the Russian and Ottoman Empires eventually culminating in the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829
Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829
The Russo–Turkish War of 1828–1829 was sparked by the Greek War of Independence. The war broke out after the Sultan, incensed by the Russian participation in the Battle of Navarino, closed the Dardanelles for Russian ships and revoked the Akkerman Convention....
. In the aftermath of the war, the Ottoman Empire ceded a small part of the traditional Armenian homeland (Kars Oblast
Kars Oblast
Kars Oblast was one of Transcaucasian governorates of Russian Empire between 1878 and 1917. Its capital was in the city of Kars, presently in the Republic of Turkey. The governorate bordered with the Ottoman Empire, Batum Oblast, Tiflis Governorate, Erivan Governorate, and from 1883 to 1903 with...
) to the Russian Empire, known as Eastern Armenia following the while Western Armenia remained under Ottoman sovereignty.
Ottoman Armenia
After Turkish-Persian wars of 1602–1639 Western Armenia became part of Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
. Since Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829
Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829
The Russo–Turkish War of 1828–1829 was sparked by the Greek War of Independence. The war broke out after the Sultan, incensed by the Russian participation in the Battle of Navarino, closed the Dardanelles for Russian ships and revoked the Akkerman Convention....
that term is referred to the Armenian
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
-populated historical regions of the Ottoman Empire that remained under Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule after the eastern part
Eastern Armenia
Eastern Armenia or Caucasian Armenia was the portion of Ottoman Armenia and Persian Armenia that was ceded to the Russian Empire following the Russo-Turkish War, 1828-1829...
was ceded
Annexation
Annexation is the de jure incorporation of some territory into another geo-political entity . Usually, it is implied that the territory and population being annexed is the smaller, more peripheral, and weaker of the two merging entities, barring physical size...
to the Russian Empire
Russian Empire
The Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
.
In late 19th century and early 20th century, the Armenian-populated eastern regions of the Ottoman Empire (called Turkish Armenia or Western Armenia by Armenians) was divided into "Six Armenian provinces/vilayets": Erzurum, Van, Bitlis
Bitlis Vilayet
Bitlis Vilayet was one of the Six vilayets of the Ottoman Empire. Before the Russo-Turkish War it had been part of the Erzurum Vilayet, it was then made a separate vilayet by the Porte....
, Diyarbekir, Kharput, and Sivas.
World War I and aftermath
During the collapse of Ottoman EmpireOttoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
Western Armenia remained under Turkish
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
rule, and in 1894–96
Hamidian massacres
The Hamidian massacres , also referred to as the Armenian Massacres of 1894–1896, refers to the massacring of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire, with estimates of the dead ranging from anywhere between 80,000 to 300,000, and at least 50,000 orphans as a result...
and 1915–1923
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
the Ottoman Empire perpetrated systematic massacres and forced deportations of Armenians resulting in "Armenia without Armenians".
During the World War I Western Armenia was occupied by Russian Empire as part of the Caucasian Campaign. In the occupied areas the Administration for Western Armenia
Administration for Western Armenia
The Administration for Western Armenia was an temporary Armenian provisional government between 1915 and 1918, with the autonomous region initially set up around Lake Van after the Siege of Van of the Caucasus Campaign, with the leadership of Aram Manukian of Armenian Revolutionary Federation. It...
(Free Vaspurakan) was established until 1918, when the Russian army left the region, because of the Revolution of 1917.
On February 23, 1917, the Russian advance was halted following the Russian Revolution
Russian Revolution of 1917
The Russian Revolution is the collective term for a series of revolutions in Russia in 1917, which destroyed the Tsarist autocracy and led to the creation of the Soviet Union. The Tsar was deposed and replaced by a provisional government in the first revolution of February 1917...
, and later the disintegrated Russian Caucasus Army was replaced by the forces of the newly established Armenian state, comprised from the previous Armenian volunteer units
Armenian volunteer units
Armenian volunteer units, also known the Armenian volunteer corps were Armenian battalions in Russian and British armies during the World War I. Majority of these units support the military activities at the Middle Eastern theatre of World War I. The origin of these units were varied. Some units...
and the Armenian irregular units
Armenian irregular units
Armenian irregular units, also known as Fedayees were Armenian civilians who left their families to form armed brigades. Armenian fedayees were volunteers and, literally, "one who is ready to sacrifice his life" for his people)...
. During 1918 the region also saw the establishment of the Central Caspian Dictatorship, the Republic of Mountainous Armenia
Republic of Mountainous Armenia
The Republic of Mountainous Armenia was a short-lived and unrecognized state in the South Caucasus, roughly corresponding with the territory that is now the present-day Armenian provinces of Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and parts of the present-day Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.- Turkish–Armenian War :On...
and an Allied force named Dunsterforce
Dunsterforce
Established in 1917, Dunsterforce was an Allied military mission of under 1,000 Australian, New Zealand, British, and Canadian troops , accompanied by armoured cars, deployed from Hamadan some 350 km across Qajar Persia. It was named after its commander General Lionel Dunsterville...
which was composed of elite troops drawn from the Mesopotamian and Western Fronts. The Ottoman Empire and German Empire had a hot conflict at Batumi with the arrival of German Caucasus Expedition
German Caucasus Expedition
The German Caucasus Expedition was a military expedition sent by the German Empire to the formerly Russian Transcaucasia during the Caucasus Campaign of the World War I...
whose prime aim was to secure oil supplies.
On March 3, 1918, the campaign terminated between the Ottoman Empire and Russia with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
Treaty of Brest-Litovsk
The Treaty of Brest-Litovsk was a peace treaty signed on March 3, 1918, mediated by South African Andrik Fuller, at Brest-Litovsk between Russia and the Central Powers, headed by Germany, marking Russia's exit from World War I.While the treaty was practically obsolete before the end of the year,...
and on June 4, 1918, the Ottoman Empire signed the Treaty of Batum
Treaty of Batum
Treaty of Batum was signed in Batum between the Democratic Republic of Armenia and the Ottoman Empire on June 4 1918. It was the first treaty of the Democratic Republic of Armenia. It consisted of 14 articles...
with Armenia. However, the armed conflicts extended as Ottoman Empire continued to engage with Central Caspian Dictatorship, Republic of Mountainous Armenia
Republic of Mountainous Armenia
The Republic of Mountainous Armenia was a short-lived and unrecognized state in the South Caucasus, roughly corresponding with the territory that is now the present-day Armenian provinces of Vayots Dzor and Syunik, and parts of the present-day Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.- Turkish–Armenian War :On...
and Dunsterforce of British Empire until the Armistice of Mudros
Armistice of Mudros
The Armistice of Moudros , concluded on 30 October 1918, ended the hostilities in the Middle Eastern theatre between the Ottoman Empire and the Allies of World War I...
signed on October 30, 1918.
After the World War I, the United State gained the madate of Armenia and the right to draw the border between Armenia and Turkey. Wilsonian Armenia
Wilsonian Armenia
Wilsonian Armenia refers to the boundary configuration of the Armenian state in the Treaty of Sèvres, drawn by US President Woodrow Wilson State Department. The Treaty of Sèvres was a peace treaty that had been drafted and signed between the Western Allied Powers and the defeated government of the...
refers to the boundary configuration for Armenian state
Armenia
Armenia , officially the Republic of Armenia , is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia...
drawn up by U.S. President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
for the Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...
. The Treaty of Sèvres
Treaty of Sèvres
The Treaty of Sèvres was the peace treaty between the Ottoman Empire and Allies at the end of World War I. The Treaty of Versailles was signed with Germany before this treaty to annul the German concessions including the economic rights and enterprises. Also, France, Great Britain and Italy...
was a peace treaty
Peace treaty
A peace treaty is an agreement between two or more hostile parties, usually countries or governments, that formally ends a state of war between the parties...
signed by some of the Allies of World War I
Allies of World War I
The Entente Powers were the countries at war with the Central Powers during World War I. The members of the Triple Entente were the United Kingdom, France, and the Russian Empire; Italy entered the war on their side in 1915...
, on August 10, 1920. The proposed state incorporated the vilayets (provinces) of Van, Bitlis
Bitlis Vilayet
Bitlis Vilayet was one of the Six vilayets of the Ottoman Empire. Before the Russo-Turkish War it had been part of the Erzurum Vilayet, it was then made a separate vilayet by the Porte....
, and Erzurum, which were parts of the region referred to as Ottoman Armenia (also referred to as Western Armenia
Western Armenia
Western Armenia is a term, primarily used by Armenians, to refer to Armenian-inhabited areas of the Armenian Highland that were part of the Ottoman Empire and now are part of the Republic of Turkey....
). This region was extended to the north, up to the west side of Trebizond Vilayet to provide the Democratic Republic of Armenia
Democratic Republic of Armenia
The Democratic Republic of Armenia was the first modern establishment of an Armenian state...
with an outlet to the Black Sea
Black Sea
The Black Sea is bounded by Europe, Anatolia and the Caucasus and is ultimately connected to the Atlantic Ocean via the Mediterranean and the Aegean seas and various straits. The Bosphorus strait connects it to the Sea of Marmara, and the strait of the Dardanelles connects that sea to the Aegean...
at the port of Trabzon
Trabzon
Trabzon is a city on the Black Sea coast of north-eastern Turkey and the capital of Trabzon Province. Trabzon, located on the historical Silk Road, became a melting pot of religions, languages and culture for centuries and a trade gateway to Iran in the southeast and the Caucasus to the northeast...
. It was initially granted to Armenia to provide them with an outlet to the sea.
Sovietization
Armenia gave way to communist power in late 1920. In November 1920, the Turkish revolutionaries captured Alexandropol and were poised to move in on the capital. A cease fire was concluded on November 18. Negotiations were then carried out between Karabekir and a peace delegation led by Alexander Khatisian in Alexandropol; although Karabekir’s terms were extremely harsh the Armenian delegation had little recourse but to agree to them. The Treaty of AlexandropolTreaty of Alexandropol
The Treaty of Alexandropol was a peace treaty between the Democratic Republic of Armenia and the Grand National Assembly of Turkey ending the Turkish-Armenian War, signed on December 2, 1920, before the declaration of the Republic of Turkey. It was the first treaty signed by Turkish...
was thus signed on December 2/3, 1920.
The 11th Red Army began its virtually unopposed advance into Armenia on November 29, 1920. The actual transfer of power took place on December 2 in Yerevan. The Armenian leadership approved an ultimatum, presented to it by the Soviet plenipotentiary Boris Legran
Boris Legran
Boris Vasilyevich Legran or Legrand was a Bolshevik revolutionary and Soviet official who represented the interests of the Russian SFSR in Armenia and Transcaucasia, during the 1920s and worked as a consular official in China during the 1920s.He also was the director of the State Hermitage Museum...
. Armenia decided to join the Soviet sphere, while Soviet Russia agreed to protect its remaining territory from the advancing Turkish army. The Soviets also pledged to take steps to rebuild the army, protect the Armenians and to not pursue non-communist Armenians, although the final condition of this pledge was reneged when the Dashnaks were forced out of the country.
Soviet claims to Turkey
Soviet Union with the leadership of Joseph StalinJoseph Stalin
Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin was the Premier of the Soviet Union from 6 May 1941 to 5 March 1953. He was among the Bolshevik revolutionaries who brought about the October Revolution and had held the position of first General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union's Central Committee...
, presented territorial claims to Turkey in 1945.
During the period of 1945 and 1953, there were presented 3 different plans.
- First plan included the territory of former Kars OblastKars OblastKars Oblast was one of Transcaucasian governorates of Russian Empire between 1878 and 1917. Its capital was in the city of Kars, presently in the Republic of Turkey. The governorate bordered with the Ottoman Empire, Batum Oblast, Tiflis Governorate, Erivan Governorate, and from 1883 to 1903 with...
and Surmalu uyezd of Erivan GovernorateErivan GovernorateErivan Governorate was one of the guberniyas of the Russian Empire, with its centre in Erivan . Its area was 27,830 sq. kilometres. It roughly corresponded to what is now most of central Armenia, the Iğdır Province of Turkey, and Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan exclave...
(city of IğdırIgdirIğdır is the capital of Iğdır Province in the Eastern Anatolia Region, Turkey, and borders Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran. The border with Armenia is formed by the Aras River...
and surroundings) that were part of the Russian EmpireRussian EmpireThe Russian Empire was a state that existed from 1721 until the Russian Revolution of 1917. It was the successor to the Tsardom of Russia and the predecessor of the Soviet Union...
from 1878 until 1918 and then part of the Democratic Republic of ArmeniaDemocratic Republic of ArmeniaThe Democratic Republic of Armenia was the first modern establishment of an Armenian state...
in 1918–1920. - Second plan included the Alashkert plain and the city of Bayazet added to Kars and Surmalu.
- Third plan included most of Western ArmeniaWestern ArmeniaWestern Armenia is a term, primarily used by Armenians, to refer to Armenian-inhabited areas of the Armenian Highland that were part of the Ottoman Empire and now are part of the Republic of Turkey....
(Erzurum, Van, Mush, Bitlis) added to Kars, Surmalu and Alashkert plain.
It was also known that the Soviet government wanted to settle that areas with Armenian repatriates from diaspora. In three years (1946–1948) after the World War II about 100,000 ethnic Armenians (mostly Western Armenians and their descedants) from Syria, Lebanon, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Cyprus, Palestine, Iraq, Egypt, France, USA and China had repatriated to Soviet Armenia.
The Soviet Union rejected these claims when Turkey joined NATO in 1953.
Independent Armenia
The history of independent Armenia is closely related to the problem of Artsakh (Nagorno-KarabakhNagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains...
).
The Karabakh movement started in Armenia in 1988, during the relative freedom of speech era called perestroika
Perestroika
Perestroika was a political movement within the Communist Party of the Soviet Union during 1980s, widely associated with the Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev...
and glasnost
Glasnost
Glasnost was the policy of maximal publicity, openness, and transparency in the activities of all government institutions in the Soviet Union, together with freedom of information, introduced by Mikhail Gorbachev in the second half of the 1980s...
by Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Gorbachev
Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev is a former Soviet statesman, having served as General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union from 1985 until 1991, and as the last head of state of the USSR, having served from 1988 until its dissolution in 1991...
in the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
. Armenians demanded the Soviet Union to transfer NKAO to Armenia, but instead the Soviet government organized the deportation of Shahumyan district Armenian during the Operation Ring
Operation Ring
Operation Ring was the code name given to the May 1991 military operation conducted by Soviet Internal Security Forces and OMON units in the region of Shahumyan, north of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijan SSR...
in 1991.
Ethnic tensions rose to a military conflict in 1992. During the Karabakh War (1992–1994) the former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was an autonomous oblast within the borders of the Azerbaijan SSR, mostly inhabited by ethnic Armenians and created on July 7, 1923. According to Karl R. DeRouen it was created as an enclave so that a narrow strip of land would separate it from Armenia proper....
and adjacent districts of Azerbaijan fell to the control of Armenian forces. De facto Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia...
is independent and is united with Armenia, although de-jure it is part of Azerbaijan.
Current use
Currently, the only significant political party in Armenia that claims these land is the Armenian Revolutionary FederationArmenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
. It is an opposition now with 16 seats out of 131 in the National Assembly of Armenia
National Assembly of Armenia
The Azgayin Zhoghov of Armenia is the official name of the legislative branch of the government of Armenia.-History:Until the promulgation of the Hatt-i Sharif of 1839, the patriarch and his clients, within limits, possessed authority over Armenian people in the Ottoman Empire...
.
The modern use of this term by the Armenian Revolutionary Federation
Armenian Revolutionary Federation
The Armenian Revolutionary Federation is an Armenian political party founded in Tiflis in 1890 by Christapor Mikaelian, Stepan Zorian, and Simon Zavarian...
encompass the following areas:
| Region (Armenian name) |
Location | Area (km²) | Capital (historical center / largest city) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն) |
 Republic of Armenia |
|
Yerevan Yerevan Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country... |
| Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh Nagorno-Karabakh is a landlocked region in the South Caucasus, lying between Lower Karabakh and Zangezur and covering the southeastern range of the Lesser Caucasus mountains... (Լեռնային Արցախ) |
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh Republic The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia... (de facto)  AzerbaijanAzerbaijan Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to... (de-jure) |
|
Stepanakert Stepanakert Stepanakert is the largest city and capital of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent republic, though is internationally recognized as a part of Azerbaijan... (Khankendi) |
| Western Armenia Western Armenia Western Armenia is a term, primarily used by Armenians, to refer to Armenian-inhabited areas of the Armenian Highland that were part of the Ottoman Empire and now are part of the Republic of Turkey.... (Արևմտյան Հայաստան) |
 East Anatolia |
|
Van Van, Turkey Van is a city in southeastern Turkey and the seat of the Kurdish-majority Van Province, and is located on the eastern shore of Lake Van. The city's official population in 2010 was 367,419, but many estimates put this as much higher with a 1996 estimate stating 500,000 and former Mayor Burhan... |
| Northern Artsakh Northern Artsakh Northern Artsakh is a political concept used in the Republic of Armenia to refer the region in north-western Azerbaijan, lying north of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and between the Kura river and the border of the Republic of Armenia, which had a significant Armenian population from antiquity up to... (Դաշտային Արցախ) |
Mountainous area bordering Armenia north of NKR Nagorno-Karabakh Republic The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia... and west to Kura River Kura River Kura is a river, also known from the Greek as the Cyrus in the Caucasus Mountains. Starting in north-eastern Turkey, it flows through Turkey to Georgia, then to Azerbaijan, where it receives the Aras River as a right tributary, and enters the Caspian Sea... |
|
Gandzak Ganja, Azerbaijan Ganja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and... (Ganja) |
| Nakhijevan (Նախիջևան) |
Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic |
|
Nakhijevan (Nakhchivan) |
| Javakhk Javakhk Javakhk was a historical region of Kingdom of Armenia and a canton of Gugark province . It is currently located in the territory of modern Georgia roughly corresponding to the Javakheti region.-Antiquity:... (Ջավախք) |
 AkhalkalakiAkhalkalaki Akhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians... , Ninotsminda Ninotsminda Ninotsminda is a town and a rayon located in Georgia's southern district of Samtskhe-Javakheti. The rayon has a population of 34,305 according to 2002 Census. The Armenians number 32,856, Georgians 476 and Russians 943... , Aspindza Aspindza Aspindza is a town in southern Georgia's region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 13,010, mostly ethnic Georgians. It is located at around .-History:The word "Aspindza" derives from a Persian word, which meant "a hotel on a big road"... , Akhaltsikhe Akhaltsikhe Akhaltsikhe is a small city in Georgia's southwestern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. It is situated on the both banks of a small river Potskhovi, which separates the city to the old city in the north and new in the south. The name of the city translates from Georgian as "new fortress".- History... (Samtskhe-Javakheti) Tsalka Tsalka - Population :The district had a population of 22,000. According to the 2002 census 55% of its population is Armenian, 22% Greek, 12% Georgian, and 9.5% Azerbaijanis... (Kvemo Kartli Kvemo Kartli Kvemo Kartli is a historic province and current administrative region in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is a regional capital. The population is mixed between Azeris and Georgians .The current governor is Davit Kirkitadze.- External links :* *... ) |
|
Akhalkalaki Akhalkalaki Akhalkalaki is a small city in Georgia's southern region of Samtskhe-Javakheti with a population of 60,975. Akhalkalaki lies on the edge of the Javakheti Volcanic Plateau. The city is located about 30 km from the border with Turkey. 90 percent of the city's population are ethnic Armenians... |
| |
|
|
Yerevan Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country... |
| 1 the area of Wilsonian Armenia Wilsonian Armenia Wilsonian Armenia refers to the boundary configuration of the Armenian state in the Treaty of Sèvres, drawn by US President Woodrow Wilson State Department. The Treaty of Sèvres was a peace treaty that had been drafted and signed between the Western Allied Powers and the defeated government of the... , given to Armenia by an arbitral award of US President Woodrow Wilson Woodrow Wilson Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913... between Armenia and Turkey. 2 de facto controlled by the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh Republic The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia... 3 including all or parts of the territories of following rayons (districts): Dashkasan (Karhat), Goygol (former Khanlar), Gadabay (Getabek), Goranboy (former Shahumyan), Shamkir (Shamkor) |
|||
Demography
Since the Middle AgesMiddle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
, other ethnic groups migrated to the Armenian Highland
Armenian Highland
The Armenian Highland is the central-most and highest of three land-locked plateaus that together form the northern sector of the Middle East...
.
Presently, various ethnic groups, such as the Kurds and Turks
Turkish people
Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania...
(in Western Armenia
Western Armenia
Western Armenia is a term, primarily used by Armenians, to refer to Armenian-inhabited areas of the Armenian Highland that were part of the Ottoman Empire and now are part of the Republic of Turkey....
), Georgians
Georgians
The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America....
(in Javakhk
Javakhk
Javakhk was a historical region of Kingdom of Armenia and a canton of Gugark province . It is currently located in the territory of modern Georgia roughly corresponding to the Javakheti region.-Antiquity:...
) and Azerbaijanis (in Nakhijevan and Northern Artsakh
Northern Artsakh
Northern Artsakh is a political concept used in the Republic of Armenia to refer the region in north-western Azerbaijan, lying north of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and between the Kura river and the border of the Republic of Armenia, which had a significant Armenian population from antiquity up to...
) live in this region.
Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
form majority in the Republic of Armenia, Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia...
and Javakhk
Javakhk
Javakhk was a historical region of Kingdom of Armenia and a canton of Gugark province . It is currently located in the territory of modern Georgia roughly corresponding to the Javakheti region.-Antiquity:...
.
If all Armenians
Armenians
Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian....
were to return to their ancestral homeland, they would hold the majority population of over 11 million.
| Region | Total population | Ethnic groups (largest in bold) |
Armenians | Armenian % | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republic of Armenia |
3,262,200 | Armenians Armenians Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian.... , Yezidis, Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
3,145,354 | 97.9 | |||
| Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Nagorno-Karabakh Republic The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic , or Artsakh Republic is a de facto independent republic located in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia... |
141,400 | Armenians Armenians Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian.... , Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
141,400 | 99.7 | |||
| Javakhk Javakhk Javakhk was a historical region of Kingdom of Armenia and a canton of Gugark province . It is currently located in the territory of modern Georgia roughly corresponding to the Javakheti region.-Antiquity:... |
175,312 | Armenians Armenians Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian.... , Georgians Georgians The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America.... , Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
121,009 | 69% | |||
| Western Armenia Western Armenia Western Armenia is a term, primarily used by Armenians, to refer to Armenian-inhabited areas of the Armenian Highland that were part of the Ottoman Empire and now are part of the Republic of Turkey.... |
~5,000,000 | Kurds (~2/3), Turks Turkish people Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania... (~1/3), Azerbaijanis (~5%) |
up to 44,000 (Hamshenis Hamshenis The Hemshin Peoples or Hemshinli are a diverse group of people who in the past history or present have been affiliated with the Hemşin district in the province of Rize, Turkey. They are called as Hemshinli , Hamshenis, Homshentsi meaning resident of Hemshin in the relevant language... ) 1 |
~1% (Hamshenis Hamshenis The Hemshin Peoples or Hemshinli are a diverse group of people who in the past history or present have been affiliated with the Hemşin district in the province of Rize, Turkey. They are called as Hemshinli , Hamshenis, Homshentsi meaning resident of Hemshin in the relevant language... ) |
|||
| Northern Artsakh Northern Artsakh Northern Artsakh is a political concept used in the Republic of Armenia to refer the region in north-western Azerbaijan, lying north of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and between the Kura river and the border of the Republic of Armenia, which had a significant Armenian population from antiquity up to... |
~1,325,000 | Azerbaijanis | 119 2 | 0.01% | |||
| Nakhijevan | 402,400 | Azerbaijanis, Kurds, Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... |
17 | 0.005% | |||
| Greater Armenia | ~11,300,000 | Armenians Armenians Armenian people or Armenians are a nation and ethnic group native to the Armenian Highland.The largest concentration is in Armenia having a nearly-homogeneous population with 97.9% or 3,145,354 being ethnic Armenian.... , Kurds, Turks Turkish people Turkish people, also known as the "Turks" , are an ethnic group primarily living in Turkey and in the former lands of the Ottoman Empire where Turkish minorities had been established in Bulgaria, Cyprus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Greece, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Romania... , Azerbaijanis Russians Russians The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries.... , Georgians Georgians The Georgians are an ethnic group that have originated in Georgia, where they constitute a majority of the population. Large Georgian communities are also present throughout Russia, European Union, United States, and South America.... , Yezidis, Greeks Greeks The Greeks, also known as the Hellenes , are a nation and ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighboring regions. They also form a significant diaspora, with Greek communities established around the world.... , etc. |
~3,500,000 | 30% | |||
| 1 mainly in the provinces of Artvin Artvin Province Artvin Province is a province in Turkey, on the Black Sea coast in the north-eastern corner of the country, on the border with Georgia.The provincial capital is the city of Artvin.-Geography:... and Rize Rize Province Rize Province is a province of north-east Turkey, on the eastern Black Sea coast between Trabzon and Artvin. Its capital is the city of Rize.-Geography:... 2 in Ganja-Qazakh Economic Region Economic regions and districts of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan is divided into the following economic regions and districts:*10 economic regions, subdivided into:**59 districts ,**11 cities ,... |
|||||||
Republic of Armenia
De facto Republic of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh Republic are united, although NKR territory is de jure part of AzerbaijanAzerbaijan
Azerbaijan , officially the Republic of Azerbaijan is the largest country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to...
.
In Republic of Armenia, Armenians compass about 98% of the total population. The largest minorities are Yezidis
Yazidis in Armenia
The Yazidis are the largest ethnic and religious minority in Armenia.Yazidis are well integrated minority. They have freedom of religion and non-interference in their cultural traditions .-Early 20th century:Many Yazidis came to Armenia and Georgia during the 19th and early...
(about 40,000), Russians
Russians in Armenia
Russians in Armenia are ethnic Russian living in the Republic of Armenia, where they make up the largest minority besides the Yazidi Kurds. Roughly 12,500 Russians are believed to live in the country today, concentrated around Yerevan and Gumri where Russian border guard bases are located. They...
(15,000) and Assyrians
Assyrians in Armenia
Assyrians in Armenia make up the country's third largest ethnic minority, after Yazidis and Russians. According to the 2001 census, there are 3,409 Assyrians living in Armenia, and Armenia is home to some of the last surviving Assyrian communities in the Caucasus...
(4,000).
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is even more monoethnic than Republic of Armenia, with 99.7% of population being Armenian. There is a small Russian community there. Main reason of monoethnicity of the region was the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, during which Armenian armyArmenian Army
The Armenian Army is the largest branch of the Armed Forces of Armenia and consists of the ground forces responsible for the country's land-based operations. It was established in conjunction with the other components of Armenia's military on January 28, 1992, several months after the republic...
established contorol over most of the territory of former Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast
The Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast was an autonomous oblast within the borders of the Azerbaijan SSR, mostly inhabited by ethnic Armenians and created on July 7, 1923. According to Karl R. DeRouen it was created as an enclave so that a narrow strip of land would separate it from Armenia proper....
and adjacent rayons (districts) of Azerbaijan as a buffer zone, which is mostly uninhabited, with the city of Lachin
Lachin
Lachin is a town in Azerbaijan and the regional center of the Lachin Rayon. Since 1992 the area has been under the control of the de facto independent unrecognized Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which has renamed the town Berdzor . The town and its surrounding region serve as the strategic Lachin...
/Berdzor being exception. An estimated 658,000 Azeris were displaced from the occupied zone
Javakhk
Today, Javakhk is part of GeorgiaGeorgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
's Samtskhe-Javakheti and Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli
Kvemo Kartli is a historic province and current administrative region in southeastern Georgia. The city of Rustavi is a regional capital. The population is mixed between Azeris and Georgians .The current governor is Davit Kirkitadze.- External links :* *...
regions. In the districts of Akhalkalak
Akhalkalaki District
Akhalkalaki is a district of Georgia, in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Its main town is Akhalkalaki.Population: 60,975 Area: 1235 km²- External links :* , Statoids.com...
and Ninotsminda
Ninotsminda District
Ninotsminda is a district of Georgia, in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Its main town is Ninotsminda.Population: 34,305 Area: 1,354 km²- External links :* , Statoids.com...
(Samtskhe-Javakheti) and Tsalka
Tsalka District
Tsalka is a district of Georgia, in the region of Kvemo Kartli. Its main town is Tsalka.Population: 20,888 Area: 1,051 km²- External links :* , Statoids.com...
(Kvemo Kartli) Armenians form majority. The Akhaltsikhe District
Akhaltsikhe District
Akhaltsikhe is a district of Georgia, in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Its main town is Akhaltsikhe.Population: 46,134 Area: 1,010 km²- External links :* , Statoids.com...
has mixed Armenian (about 37%) and Georgian (about 62%) population.
There are some Armenian-inhabited villages in Borjomi
Borjomi District
Borjomi is a district of Georgia, in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Its main town is Borjomi.Population: 32,422 Area: 1,189 km²- External links :* , Statoids.com...
and Aspindza
Aspindza District
Aspindza is a district of Georgia, in the region of Samtskhe-Javakheti. Its main town is Aspindza.Population: 13,010 Area: 825 km²- External links :* , Statoids.com...
districts.
Western Armenia
Before the Armenian GenocideArmenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
there were, according to some sources, from 1,300,000 up to 2,500,000 Armenians in the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
.
During the Armenian Genocide
Armenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
, most Armenian were either massacred or escaped to Eastern Armenia, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, France, United States, Greece, etc.
According to the census of 1927, 123,602 Armenians lived in Turkey, mostly in Istanbul.
Today, Kurds (including the Zaza people
Zaza people
The Zazas, Kird, Kirmanc or Dimilis are an ethnic Iranic people whose native language is Zazaki spoken in eastern Anatolia. They primarily live in the eastern Anatolian provinces, such as Adıyaman, Aksaray, Batman, Bingöl, Diyarbakır, Elazığ, Erzurum, Erzincan , Gumushane, Kars, Malatya, Mus,...
) form majority in the eastern provinces of Turkey
Eastern Anatolia Region
The Eastern Anatolia Region is one of seven non-administrative subdivisions of Turkey and encompasses its eastern provinces.The region and the name "Doğu Anadolu Bölgesi" were first defined at the First Geography Congress in 1941. It has the highest average altitude, largest geographical area, and...
. Turks are the second ethnic group by number. The minorities include Azerbaijanis (mainly in the provinces of Kars
Kars Province
Kars Province is a province of Turkey, located in the northeastern part of the country. It shares part of its border with the Republic of Armenia.The provinces of Ardahan and Iğdır were until the 1990s part of Kars Province.-History:...
and Iğdır
Igdir Province
Iğdır Province is a province in eastern Turkey, located along the border with Armenia, Azerbaijan , and Iran. Its adjacent provinces are Kars to the northwest and Ağrı to the west and south...
) and Laz people
Laz people
The Laz are an ethnic group native to the Black Sea coastal regions of Turkey and Georgia...
(Muslim Georgians). Along with the Hamshenis (Muslim Armenians), Laz people form the majority of the population of two Black Sea coast provinces of Artvin
Artvin Province
Artvin Province is a province in Turkey, on the Black Sea coast in the north-eastern corner of the country, on the border with Georgia.The provincial capital is the city of Artvin.-Geography:...
and Rize
Rize Province
Rize Province is a province of north-east Turkey, on the eastern Black Sea coast between Trabzon and Artvin. Its capital is the city of Rize.-Geography:...
.
Northern Artsakh
About 85,000 Armenians of Northern Artsakh left their homes since the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict broke out in 1988.About 45,000 Armenians lived in the city of Kirovabad
Ganja, Azerbaijan
Ganja is Azerbaijan's second-largest city with a population of around 313,300. It was named Yelizavetpol in the Russian Empire period. The city regained its original name—Ganja—from 1920–1935 during the first part of its incorporation into the Soviet Union. However, its name was changed again and...
(now Ganja, historical Gandzak) and about 40,000 in the villages and towns of 4 rayons (Shahumian
Shahumian
The Shahumian Region is a disputed region, formerly a district of Azerbaijan SSR outside of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. Before the Nagorno-Karabakh War of the 1990s, the region had a substantial Armenian population...
, Dashkesan, Shamkor and Khanlar). Armenians formed majority (about 80%) in Shahumian
Shahumian
The Shahumian Region is a disputed region, formerly a district of Azerbaijan SSR outside of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. Before the Nagorno-Karabakh War of the 1990s, the region had a substantial Armenian population...
. In other rayons Armenians formed about ¼ to ½ of the total population. The Armenian population of Shahumian
Shahumian
The Shahumian Region is a disputed region, formerly a district of Azerbaijan SSR outside of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. Before the Nagorno-Karabakh War of the 1990s, the region had a substantial Armenian population...
was deported during the Operation Ring
Operation Ring
Operation Ring was the code name given to the May 1991 military operation conducted by Soviet Internal Security Forces and OMON units in the region of Shahumyan, north of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast of the Azerbaijan SSR...
in 1991 by .
| Year | Armenians | % | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1831 | |
68.4 | 54,100 |
| 1896 | |
42.2 | 86,878 |
| 1897 | |
34.4 | 100,771 |
| 1917 | |
40 | 135,000 |
| 1926 | |
10.8 | 104,656 |
| 1935 | |
10.8 | 124,000 |
| 1959 | |
6.7 | 141,800 |
| 1970 | |
2.9 | 200,000 |
| 1979 | |
1.4 | 242,900 |
| 1999 | |
0 | 354,072 |
Nakhijevan
Armenians have been living in Nakhijevan since ancient times. It was one of gavars of VaspurakanVaspurakan
Vaspurakan was the first and biggest province of Greater Armenia, which later became an independent kingdom during the Middle Ages, centered around Lake Van...
province of the Kingdom of Armenia.
In the 16th century, control of Nakhchivan passed to the Safavid dynasty
Safavid dynasty
The Safavid dynasty was one of the most significant ruling dynasties of Iran. They ruled one of the greatest Persian empires since the Muslim conquest of Persia and established the Twelver school of Shi'a Islam as the official religion of their empire, marking one of the most important turning...
of Persia. Because of its geographic position, it frequently suffered during the wars between Persia and the Ottoman Empire
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
in the 14th to 18th centuries. In 1604, Shah Abbas I
Abbas I of Persia
Shāh ‘Abbās the Great was Shah of Iran, and generally considered the greatest ruler of the Safavid dynasty. He was the third son of Shah Mohammad....
Safavi, concerned that the lands of Nakhchevan and the surrounding areas would pass into Ottoman hands, decided to institute a scorched earth
Scorched earth
A scorched earth policy is a military strategy or operational method which involves destroying anything that might be useful to the enemy while advancing through or withdrawing from an area...
policy. He forced the entire local population, Armenians, Jews and Muslims alike, to leave their homes and move to the Persian provinces south of the Aras River. Many of the deportees were settled in the neighborhood of Isfahan that was named New Julfa
New Julfa
New Julfa is the Armenian quarter of Isfahan, Iran, located along the south bank of the river Zayandeh River....
since most of the residents were from the original Julfa (a predominantly Armenian town).
Armenians of Nakhijevan were forced to left their homes, because of the anti-Armenian
Anti-Armenianism
Armenophobia is the fear, dislike of, hatred or aversion to the Armenians, Republic of Armenia and the Armenian culture, which can range in expression from individual hatred to institutionalized persecution...
policy of Azerbaijani (1917–1920) and later Soviet Azerbaijani
Azerbaijan SSR
The Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Azerbaijan SSR for short, was one of the republics that made up the former Soviet Union....
(1920–1991).
The remaining approximately 2,000 Armenians were expelled by Azerbaijani forces during the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
Nagorno-Karabakh War
The Nagorno-Karabakh War was an armed conflict that took place from February 1988 to May 1994, in the small enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in southwestern Azerbaijan, between the majority ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh backed by the Republic of Armenia, and the Republic of Azerbaijan...
as part of the forceful exchange of population between Armenia and Azerbaijan.
See also
- Armenian HighlandArmenian HighlandThe Armenian Highland is the central-most and highest of three land-locked plateaus that together form the northern sector of the Middle East...
- Wilsonian ArmeniaWilsonian ArmeniaWilsonian Armenia refers to the boundary configuration of the Armenian state in the Treaty of Sèvres, drawn by US President Woodrow Wilson State Department. The Treaty of Sèvres was a peace treaty that had been drafted and signed between the Western Allied Powers and the defeated government of the...
- Foreign relations of ArmeniaForeign relations of ArmeniaSince its independence, Armenia has maintained a policy of complementarism by trying to have friendly relations both with Iran, Russia, and the West, including the United States and Europe. However, the dispute over the Armenian Genocide and the recent war over Nagorno-Karabakh have created tense...
- CiliciaCiliciaIn antiquity, Cilicia was the south coastal region of Asia Minor, south of the central Anatolian plateau. It existed as a political entity from Hittite times into the Byzantine empire...
- Other irredentist ideas:
- Megali IdeaMegali IdeaThe Megali Idea was an irredentist concept of Greek nationalism that expressed the goal of establishing a Greek state that would encompass all ethnic Greek-inhabited areas, since large Greek populations after the restoration of Greek independence in 1830 still lived under Ottoman rule.The term...
- Republic of PontusRepublic of PontusThe Republic of Pontus was a proposed Pontian Greek state in the north-eastern part of modern Turkey from 1917 to 1922. The Republic of Pontus was never officially proclaimed, but a central government of an embryonic state existed, though not occupying all the claimed areas...
and PontusPontusPontus or Pontos is a historical Greek designation for a region on the southern coast of the Black Sea, located in modern-day northeastern Turkey. The name was applied to the coastal region in antiquity by the Greeks who colonized the area, and derived from the Greek name of the Black Sea: Πόντος... - Whole AzerbaijanWhole AzerbaijanWhole Azerbaijan is an irredentist Azerbaijani concept that propagates the political union of territories currently inhabited by Azerbaijanis or historically controlled by them. -History:...
- Megali Idea