Armenia

The Republic of Armenia, or Armenia (Armenian:

Demographics

Armenia is the second most densely populated of the former Soviet republics.

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Yet, it has a problem of population decline. Widespread emigration is one of the most serious problems Armenia has been facing since the break-up of the USSR. A drastically reduced birth rate is not nearly sufficient to keep the population from dropping in the long term. Some observers estimate that as many as one-third of Armenia's population lives in Russia illegally, and that Armenia has no more than about two million residents. This would appear to pose an existential threat to the Armenian nation, especially if Azerbaijan, which has had a much lesser problem with demographic decline, seeks to regain its lost territory.

Related Topics:
Emigration - Azerbaijan

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The predominant religion in Armenia is Christianity. The roots of the Armenian Church go back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. Armenia is considered the first nation to have adopted Christianity as a state religion, in 301. Over 95% of Armenian Christians belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, a form of Oriental (Non-Chalcedonian) Orthodoxy, which is a very ritualistic, conservative church, roughly comparable to the Coptic and Syrian churches. Armenia also has a population of evangelical Protestants, Catholics and believers of the Armenian traditional religion. The Yazidi Kurds, who live in the western part of the country, practice Yazidism. The Armenian Catholic Church is headquartered in Bzoummar, Lebanon.

Related Topics:
Christianity - Armenian Church - 3rd - 4th - 301 - Armenian Apostolic Church - Chalcedonian - Coptic - Syrian - Yazidi - Kurds - Yazidism

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Ethnic Azeris and Kurds who lived in the country before the Karabakh conflict practiced Islam, but most Azeris were driven out of Armenia into Azerbaijan in 1988-1991 at the beginning of the conflict. During the same period, Armenia also received a large influx of Armenians scattered throughout Azerbaijan.

Related Topics:
Azeris - Kurds - Karabakh - Islam - 1991

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