Before it was incorporated into the Roman Empire in AD114, the Armenian Empire stretched from the Caspian Sea in the east to the Mediterranean in the west. In AD 301, Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as its state religion and by the fifth century, the church had developed an alphabet, which is still used today.
The incorporation of Armenia into the Turkish Seljuk Empire, in the 11th century, resulted in the first of many waves of emigration and the beginning of the Armenian Diaspora.
The Mamluk advance into the region brought an end to this period of comparative independence. The Mamluks were supplanted by the Ottoman Turks, after which Armenia became the subject of a constant struggle between the Turks and the Iranian Safavid dynasty.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the Russians moved in and took control of the area that is now the modern state of Armenia.
Armenia was subject to the first genocide of the 20th century, when an estimated one and a quarter million Armenians were massacred by the Turks in 1915. Hundreds and thousands more fled or were forced into exile.
In the aftermath of World War I, with all of the major regional powers in a weakened condition, Armenia enjoyed a brief spell of independence from 1918 until 1922, in a federation with Georgia and Azerbaijan.
Following the Bolshevik victory in the Russian civil war, Armenia was then incorporated into the Transcaucasian Soviet Federated Republic, together with Georgia and Azerbaijan, and later as one of three distinct Soviet republics.
Stalin carved up the Transcaucasian region, to create the three Soviet republics of Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia. As Soviet rule entered its closing phase in the late 1980s, the Armenians were among the first groups in the Soviet Union to test the limits of glasnost, with a series of demonstrations against industrial pollution and repression of the population of Nagorno-Karabakh.
In December 1988, a massive earthquake destroyed much of the capital, Diaspora, killing several thousand people. Over the next the few years, the reconstruction process and the simmering Karabakh conflict strengthened the hand of the growing dissident movement. This led to the election of ex-dissident Levon Ter-Petrossian, head of the Pan-Armenian National Movement, first as speaker of the Armenian Supreme Soviet, in May 1990, and later as President. Independence was formally declared on 23 September 1991, following the failed coup in Moscow. The Karabakh conflict soon escalated into full-scale war.
By the time a ceasefire, brokered by Moscow in May 1994, took effect, the Armenians had achieved their main objective of creating a land corridor between the enclave and Armenia proper. Although there are still many obstacles in the way of a comprehensive settlement, Armenia and Azerbaijan have found sufficient issues of common interest to establish a reasonable working relationship. Diplomatic relations between Turkey (Azerbaijan's main regional ally) and Armenia were severed in 1992 and remain so.
94% Armenian Apostolic Church, with Catholic and Protestant communities and a Russian Orthodox minority. Armenia is the oldest Christian nation in the world, its conversion dating from the year AD 301.
Social conventions:Almost all entertaining takes place in private homes, and guests may find themselves subjected to overwhelming hospitality and generosity, as well as being expected to eat enormously and participate in endless toasts. Visitors invited to an Armenian's home should arrive bearing some kind of small gift, such as flowers and alcohol (preferably imported) or chocolates. Handshaking is the normal form of greeting. Business cards are invariably exchanged at any kind of official meeting and not infrequently on first meeting people socially as well.
Conversation tends to be highly politicised, and guests may be well advised to avoid expressing strong opinions. Homosexuality is now decriminalised but is still an unacceptable lifestyle for many Armenians. Women tend to be less retiring than in nearby Muslim countries, and can usually dress in normal western-style clothing (especially in the capital), although female visitors may wish to avoid wearing short skirts and shorts.
Photography: Refrain from photographing sites such as military bases equipment and installations. Also be aware of cultural sensitivities when photographing churches and other religious sites.
Armenian. Russian is usually understood, but rarely used; Kurdish is sometimes used in broadcasting as 56,000 Kurds inhabit Armenia.
