Armenia, country in the southern Caucasus, bordered by Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Turkey to the west and south, and Iran to the south. Formerly the smallest republic of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Armenia is a mountainous country with population concentrated in river valleys, especially along the River Hrazdan, where Yerevan, the capital and largest city, is located. In September 1991, Armenia gained its independence from the Soviet Union.

Armenian language is a member of the Thraco-Phrygian subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. Armenian is an old, rich, and vital language. Although spoken in antiquity, it was not recorded in writing until the early 5th cent. A.D. At that time an alphabet of 36 letters was specially designed for Armenian by Mesrop Mashtots, who used Greek and Iranian letters as a basis. Then another 3 letters were added, thus the modern Armenian alphabet has 39 letters. 96% of the people in the country speak Armenian, while 75.8% of the population speaks Russian as well. Two standard dialects exist: Eastern Armenian is an official language of the Republic of Armenia. Western Armenian is used by Armenian Diaspora, spread all over the world.

Today Armenian is the mother tongue of more than 7 million people, of whom over 3 million live in Armenia and use the Eastern dialect. The other part of Armenian speakers, also known as Armenian Diaspora, today live outside their historic homeland, primarily in the former Soviet Union region, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Turkey, France, the United States and Canada.

Official Name - Republic of Armenia
Capital City - Yerevan
Languages - Armenian, Russian
Official Currency - Dram
Religions - Chistianity

Russian is a Slavic language in the Indo-European family. Russian is primarily spoken in Russia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics of the USSR. Until 1917, it was the sole official language of the Russian Empire. During the Soviet period, the policy toward the languages of the various other ethnic groups fluctuated in practice. Though each of the constituent republics had its own official language, the unifying role and superior status was reserved for Russian. Sizeable Russian-speaking communities also exist in North America (especially in large urban centers of the US and Canada such as New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago and Toronto). Germany, Britain, Spain, France, Italy, Israel, Belgium, and Greece have significant Russian-speaking communities.