Armenia
An ancient Christian nation in the highlands of the Caucasus
Armenia is a small, landlocked nation of volcanic highlands in the South Caucasus, heir to one of the world's oldest continuous cultures and the first state to adopt Christianity as its religion. Monasteries cling to gorges beneath the snowcapped cone of Mount Ararat, the national symbol that now lies just across the closed Turkish border. A distinctive alphabet, a global diaspora, and the long shadow of the 1915 genocide shape an enduring sense of identity.
The country is almost entirely mountainous, a plateau of extinct volcanoes, deep river canyons, and the high alpine lake of Sevan, one of the largest in the Caucasus. Mount Aragats is the highest point within Armenia's borders. The climate is highland continental, with cold winters and warm summers. Mining of copper and molybdenum, agriculture, brandy, and a growing technology sector underpin an economy hemmed in by closed borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan.
Armenian kingdoms rose and fell across the highlands for over two millennia, adopting Christianity around 301 AD and developing a unique script in the fifth century. Centuries under Persian, Ottoman, and Russian rule preceded a brief independent republic and absorption into the Soviet Union. Armenia regained independence in 1991. Conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh has defined its recent decades. The capital, Yerevan, is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.