Nagorno-Karabakh 65220 224533247 2008-07-09T08:07:46Z Epbr123 1395162 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/Timur123|Timur123]] to last version by ClueBot (using [[WP:HG|Huggle]]) {{tooshort}} {{Infobox Country <!----Non-political information----> |native_name = {{hy icon}} Լեռնային Ղարաբաղ<br/>{{az icon}} ''Dağlıq Qarabağ''<br/></span> |conventional_long_name = Nagorno-Karabakh</span> |common_name = Nagorno-Karabakh |image_map = |image_map2 = Location_Nagorno-Karabakh2.png |map_caption2 = Location of Nagorno-Karabakh <br/>within [[South Caucasus]] |area_rank = |area_magnitude = |area_km2 = 4,400 |area_sq_mi = 1,699 |percent_water = negligible |population_estimate = |population_estimate_rank = 138,000 |population_estimate_year = 2006 |population_census = |population_census_year = 2003 |population_density_km2 = 29 |population_density_sq_mi = |population_density_rank = |time_zone = |utc_offset = +4 |time_zone_DST = |utc_offset_DST = }} :''For the republic, see [[Nagorno-Karabakh Republic]]'' '''Nagorno-Karabakh''' is a [[region]] in the [[South Caucasus]]. It encompasses the [[Nagorno-Karabakh Republic]], a [[List of unrecognized countries|''de facto'' independent]] [[republic]], and is officially part of the Republic of [[Azerbaijan]]<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/aj.html CIA official site]</ref>, about 270 kilometers (170 miles) west of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and close to the border with [[Armenia]]. ==Name== The word ''Nagorno'' is transliterated from the [[Russian language|Russian]] word ''Нагорный'', meaning "highland". The word is not used in either [[Armenian language|Armenian]] or [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]], but was used in the official name of the region under the [[Soviet Union]]. Due to this, it was the most commonly-known name, though many languages may use their own word for ''mountainous'' or ''upper'' or ''highland''; for example, the official name used by the [[Nagorno-Karabakh Republic]] in France is ''Haut-Karabakh'', meaning "upper Karabakh". The word ''[[Karabakh]]'' originated from [[Turkic language|Turkic]] and [[Persian language|Persian]], literally meaning "black garden"<ref name= "bbc2005">The BBC World News. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/3658938.stm BBC News — Regions and territories: Nagorno-Karabakh]. [[BBC News]]. Last updated [[October 3]], [[2007]]. Retrieved [[November 21]], [[2007]].</ref><ref name ="SovArm2">{{hy icon}} Ulubabyan, Bagrat. ''Karabagh'' (Ղարաբաղ). The [[Soviet Armenian Encyclopedia]], vol. vii, Yerevan, Armenian SSR, 1981 p. 26</ref> The name first appears in [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] and Persian sources in the 13th and 14th centuries.<ref name ="SovArm2"/> The related term ''Karabagh'' is described by the [[Oxford English Dictionary]] as being used to denote a kind of patterned [[Karabakh carpet|rug]] originally produced in the area, and is an acceptable alternate spelling of ''Karabakh''. Likewise, the names for the region in the various local languages all translate to "mountainous Karabakh", or "mountainous black garden": * [[Armenian language|Armenian]]: {{lang|hy|Լեռնային Ղարաբաղ}}, [[Transliteration|transliterated]] ''Lernayin Gharabagh'' * [[Azerbaijani language|Azerbaijani]]: ''Dağlıq Qarabağ'' (mountainous Karabakh) or ''Yuxarı Qarabağ'' (upper Karabakh) * [[Russian language|Russian]]: Нагорный Карабах, [[Transliteration of Russian into English|transliterated]] ''Nagornyj Karabah'' It is often referred to by the [[Armenians]] living in the area as [[Artsakh]] (Armenian: {{lang|hy|Արցախ}}; Russian: Арцах), designating the 10th province of the ancient [[Kingdom of Armenia]] and a province of the Kingdom of [[Caucasian Albania]]. In [[Urartian]] inscriptions (9th–7th cc BC), the name ''Urtekhini'' is used for the region.<ref>PanArmenian Network. [http://www.panarmenian.net/library/eng/?nid=33&cid=8 Artsakh: From Ancient Time to 1918]. PanArmenian.net. [[June 9]], [[2003]]. Retrieved [[November 21]], [[2007]].</ref> [[Ancient Greek]] sources called the area ''Orkhistene''.<ref>[[Strabo]] (ed. H.C. Hamilton, Esq., W. Falconer, M.A.) . [http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus:text:1999.01.0198&loc=11.14.1 Geography]. The Perseus Digital Library. 11.14.4. Retrieved [[November 21]], [[2007]].</ref> ==History== ===Early history=== {{main|History of Nagorno-Karabakh}} [[Image:Noble-shushavian1.jpg|thumb|left|upright|A Shushavian from a noble family. Picture by [[V.V. Vereschagin]], a Russian traveller to Shusha in 1865.]] Nagorno-Karabakh falls within the lands occupied by peoples known to modern archaeologists as the [[Kura-Araxes culture]], who lived between the two rivers [[Kura River|Kura]] and [[Araxes River|Araxes]]. The native population of Karabakh were various tribes of non-Armenian and non-[[Indo-European people|Indo-European]] origin, mostly speakers of the Caucasian languages.<ref>Hewsen, Robert H., Ethno-History and the Armenian Influence upon the Caucasian Albanians, in: Samuelian, Thomas J. (Hg.), Classical Armenian Culture. Influences and Creativity, Chico: 1982, 27-40.</ref> In the beginning of the 2 century B.C. Karabakh became a part of [[Armenian Kingdom]] as a of province of [[Artsakh]]. After the partition of Armenia between Byzantium and Persia in 387 A.D., Artsakh became a part of [[Caucasian Albania]].<ref>[http://www.kulichki.com/~gumilev/HE2/he2103.htm Istorija Vostoka. V 6 t. T. 2, Vostok v srednije veka] Moskva, «Vostochnaya Literatura», 2002. ISBN: 5-02-017711-3</ref> Armenians have lived in the Karabakh region since [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] times. In the early [[Middle Ages]], the native [[Caucasian_Albania#Ancient_population_of_Caucasian_Albania|Albanian]] population of upper Karabakh merged into the Armenian population after 1300 [[Islam]]ic [[Turkic peoples|Turks]] moved into the [[steppe]]s of lower Karabakh.<ref>Rutland, Peter. "Democracy and Nationalism in Armenia". Europe-Asia Studies 46:'''841'''</ref> In the 7th and 8th centuries, the region was ruled by [[Caliphate]]-appointed governors. According to ancient and medieval Armenian sources, the Albanian church was founded by [[Gregory the Illuminator|Catholicos Grigor]]--the head of the Armenian Church--in the 4th c. AD. It was later fully absorbed by the Armenian Church.<ref>{{ru icon}} [[Movses Kaghankatvatsi]]. [http://www.vehi.net/istoriya/armenia/kagantv/aluank1.html History of Albania]. Institute of Ancient Manuscripts ([[Matenadaran]]). Yerevan, Armenian SSR 1984, 1.9. Retrieved [[November 21]], [[2007]].</ref><ref>Tchilingirian, Hratch. "Nagorno Karabagh: Transition and the Elite." Central Asian Survey. 18:'''4''', winter 1999.</ref> In the 11th century, the [[Khachin principality]] was established in [[Artsakh]]. In the 15th century, the territory of Karabakh was part of the states of [[Kara Koyunlu]] and [[Ak Koyunlu]]. [[Image:Gandzasar monastic complex NKR.jpg|thumb|right|The monastery at [[Gandzasar monastery|Gandzasar]] was commissioned by the [[House of Hasan-Jalalyan|Hasan Jalalyan]] family and completed in 1240.]] In the early 16th century, after the fall of the Ak Koyunlu state, control of the region passed to the [[Safavids|Safavid]] dynasty of [[Persia]], which created the [[Ganja-Karabakh province]] (''beglarbekdom'', bəylərbəyliyi). Despite these conquests, the population of Upper Karabakh remained largely Armenian.<ref name="Cornell">Cornell, Svante E. [http://www.silkroadstudies.org/new/inside/publications/1999_NK_Book.pdf The Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict]. Uppsala: Department of East European Studies, April 1999.</ref> In the 14th century, a local Armenian leadership emerged, consisting of five noble dynasties led by princes, who held the titles of ''[[melik|meliks]]'' and were referred to as [[Khamsa]] (''five'' in [[Arabic language|Arabic]]). Out of those five melikdoms, only the meliks of Khachen were natives to Karabakh, the other four were founded by migrants from other parts of the South Caucasus.<ref name="meliks">{{ru icon}} [http://www.armenianhouse.org/raffi/also-ru/ulubabyan.html Raffi. Melikdoms of Khamsa]</ref><ref name="Adigezal">{{ru icon}} [http://www.vostlit.info/Texts/rus14/Karabag_name/text1.phtml?id=945 Mirza Adigezal bey. Karabakh-name, p. 48]</ref> Initially under the control of the [[Ganja Khanate]] of the Persian Empire, the Armenian meliks were granted a wide degree of autonomy by the Safavid Empire over Upper Karabakh. The Armenian meliks maintained control over the region until the 18th century.<ref name="Cornell"/> In the early 18th century, Persia's [[Nader Shah]] took Karabakh out of control of the Ganja khans in punishment for their support of the [[Safavid]]s, and placed it under his own control<ref>{{ru icon}} [http://vostlit.info/Texts/rus2/Bakihanov/frametext5.htm Abbas-gulu Aga Bakikhanov. Golestan-i Iram]; according to a 18th c. local Turkic-Muslim writer Mirza Adigezal bey, Nadir shah placed Karabakh under his own control, while a 19th c. local Turkic Muslim writer Abbas-gulu Aga Bakikhanov states that the shah placed Karabakh under the control of the governor of Tabriz.</ref><ref name="Adigezal"/> At the same time, the Armenian meliks were granted supreme command over neighboring Armenian principalities and Muslim khans in the Caucasus, in return for the meliks' victories over the invading [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Ottoman Turks|Turks]] in the 1720s.<ref>Walker, Christopher J. ''Armenia: Survival of a Nation''. London: Routledge, 1990 p. 40 ISBN 0-415-04684-X</ref> In the mid-18th century, as internal conflicts between the meliks led to their weakening,<ref name="Cornell"/> the [[Karabakh khanate]] was formed.<ref>[http://www.azer.org/aiweb/categories/karabakh/karabakh_current/keywest_history.html azer.org - For the Resolution of the Karabakh Conflict]</ref> Karabakh passed to [[Imperial Russia]] by the [[Kurekchay Treaty]], signed between the Khan of Karabakh and Tsar [[Alexander I of Russia]] in 1805, and later further formalized by the Russo-Persian [[Treaty of Gulistan]] in 1813, before the rest of [[Transcaucasia]] was incorporated into the Empire in 1828 by the [[Treaty of Turkmenchay]]. In 1822, the Karabakh khanate was dissolved, and the area became part of the [[Elisabethpol Governorate]] within the [[Russian Empire]]. After the transfer of the Karabakh khanate to Russia, many Muslim families emigrated to Persia, while many Armenians were induced by the Russian government to emigrate from Persia to Karabakh.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?vid=OCLC02041456&id=lD97QrsCTIMC&pg=PA175&lpg=PA175&dq=Penny+cyclopaedia+karabagh The penny cyclopædia of the Society for the diffusion of useful knowledge. 1833. «Georgia».]</ref> ===Soviet era=== [[Image:Apartments in NKR.JPG|thumb|left|A view of [[Stepanakert]]'s Soviet-era apartments from the Nairi Hotel.]] The present-day conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh has its roots in the decisions made by [[Joseph Stalin]] and the Caucasian Bureau (Kavburo) during the [[Sovietization]] of [[Transcaucasia]]. Stalin was the acting [[Narkomnats|Commissar of Nationalities]] for the Soviet Union during the early 1920s, the branch of the government which the Kavburo was created under. After the [[Russian Revolution of 1917]], Karabakh became part of the [[Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic]], but this soon dissolved into separate [[Armenia]]n, [[Azerbaijan]]i, and [[Georgia (country)|Georgian]] states. Over the next two years (1918-1920), there were a series of short [[Armenian-Azerbaijani War|wars]] between Armenian and Azerbaijan over several regions, including Karabakh. In July 1918, the First Armenian Assembly of Nagorno-Karabakh declared the region self-governing and created a National Council and government.<ref>http://www.nesl.edu/center/pubs/nagorno.pdf The Nagorno-Karabagh Crisis: A Blueprint for Resolution, New England Center for International Law & Policy</ref> Later, Ottoman troops entered Karabakh, meeting armed resistance by Armenians. After the defeat of [[Ottoman empire]] in [[World War I]], [[United Kingdom|British]] troops occupied Karabakh.<ref name="Cornell"/> The British command provisionally affirmed Khosrov bey Sultanov (appointed by the Azerbaijani government) as the governor-general of Karabakh and [[Zangezur]], pending final decision by the [[Paris Peace Conference, 1919|Paris Peace Conference]].<ref>[http://www.armeniaforeignministry.com/fr/nk/nk_file/article/3.html Circular by colonel D. I. Shuttleworth of the British Command]</ref> The decision was opposed by Karabakh Armenians. In February 1920, the Karabakh National Council preliminarily agreed to Azerbaijani jurisdiction, while Armenians elsewhere in Karabakh continued guerrilla fighting, never accepting the agreement.<ref>http://www.nesl.edu/center/pubs/nagorno.pdf The Nagorno-Karabagh Crisis: A Blueprint for Resolution, New England Center for International Law & Policy</ref><ref name="Cornell"/> The agreement itself was soon annulled by the Ninth Karabagh Assembly, which declared union with Armenia in April.<ref>http://www.nesl.edu/center/pubs/nagorno.pdf The Nagorno-Karabagh Crisis: A Blueprint for Resolution, New England Center for International Law & Policy</ref><ref>Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, and South Ossetia: A Legal Appraisal by Tim Potier. ISBN 90-411-1477-7</ref><ref name="Cornell"/> In April 1920, while the Azerbaijani army was locked in Karabakh fighting local Armenian forces, Azerbaijan was taken over by [[Bolshevik]]s.<ref name="Cornell"/> Subsequently, the disputed areas of Karabakh, Zangezur, and [[Nakhchivan]] came under the control of Armenia.{{Fact|date=September 2007}} During July and August, however, the [[Red Army]] occupied Karabakh, Zangezur, and part of Nakhchivan.{{Fact|date=April 2007}} On [[August 10]] [[1920]], Armenia signed a preliminary agreement with the Bolsheviks, agreeing to a temporary Bolshevik occupation of these areas until final settlement would be reached.<ref>Walker. ''The Survival of a Nation''. pp. 285-290</ref> In 1921, Armenia and Georgia were also taken over by the [[Bolsheviks]] who, in order to attract public support, promised they would allot Karabakh to Armenia, along with [[Nakhchivan]] and Zangezur (the strip of land separating Nakhchivan from Azerbaijan proper). However, the Soviet Union also had far-reaching plans concerning [[Turkey]], hoping that it would, with a little help from them, develop along [[Communist]] lines. Needing to placate Turkey, the Soviet Union agreed to a division under which Zangezur would fall under the control of Armenia, while Karabakh and Nakhchivan would be under the control of Azerbaijan. Had Turkey not been an issue, Stalin would likely have left Karabakh under Armenian control.<ref>[[Robert Service|Service, Robert]]. ''Stalin: A Biography''. Cambridge: Harvard University Press, 2006 p. 204 ISBN 0-6740-2258-0</ref> As a result, the [[Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast]] was established within the [[Azerbaijan SSR]] on [[July 7]], [[1923]]. With the Soviet Union firmly in control of the region, the conflict over the region died down for several decades. With the beginning of the dissolution of the Soviet Union in the late 1980s and early 1990s, the question of Nagorno-Karabakh re-emerged. Accusing the Azerbaijani SSR government of conducting forced azerification of the region, the majority Armenian population, with ideological and material support from the [[Armenian SSR]], started a movement to have the autonomous oblast transferred to the Armenian SSR. ===War and independence=== {{main|Nagorno-Karabakh War}} [[Image:Tank memorial Stepanakert.JPG|thumb|right|A restored Armenian [[T-72]], knocked out of commission while attacking Azeri positions in [[Askeran]], serves as a war memorial on the outskirts of Stepanakert.]] On [[February 20]], [[1988]], Armenian deputies to the National Council of Nagorno-Karabakh voted to unify the region with the Armenian SSR{{Fact|date=December 2007}}. On [[February 22]], [[1988]], the first direct confrontation of the conflict occurred as a large group of Azeris marched from [[Agdam (rayon)|Agdam]] against the Armenian populated town of [[Askeran]], "wreaking destruction en route." The confrontation between the Azeris and the police near [[Askeran]] degenerated into the [[Askeran clash]], which left two Azeris dead, one of them reportedly killed by an Azeri police officer, as well as 50 Armenian villagers, and an unknown number of Azerbaijanis and police, injured<ref>Elizabeth Fuller, "Nagorno-Karabakh: The Death and Casualty Toll to Date," RL 531/88, Dec. 14, 1988, pp. 1–2</ref><ref name="dewaal"/>. Large numbers of refugees left Armenia and Azerbaijan as violence began against the minority populations of the respective countries.<ref>{{cite book | last =Lieberman | first = Benjamin | title = Terrible Fate: Ethnic Cleansing in the Making of Modern Europe | publisher = Ivan R. Dee | date = 2006 | location = Chicago | pages = 284–292 | isbn = 1-5666-3646-9}}</ref> In the fall of 1989, intensified inter-ethnic conflict in and around Nagorno-Karabakh led the Soviet Union to grant Azerbaijani authorities greater leeway in controlling the region.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} The Soviet policy backfired, however, when a joint session of the Armenian [[Supreme Soviet]] and the National Council, the legislative body of Nagorno-Karabakh, proclaimed the unification of Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} [[Image:Free Artsakh Sign.JPG|thumb|left|A sign reading "''Free Artsakh Welcomes You"'' on the main road leading to Stepanakert.]] On [[December 10]], [[1991]] in a referendum boycotted by local Azerbaijanis,<ref name="dewaal"/> Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh approved the creation of an independent state. A Soviet proposal for enhanced autonomy for Nagorno-Karabakh within Azerbaijan satisfied neither side, and [[Nagorno-Karabakh War|a full-scale war]] subsequently erupted between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, the latter receiving support from Armenia.<ref>[[Human Rights Watch]]. [http://hrw.org/reports/1995/communal/ Playing the "Communal Card". Communal Violence and Human Rights.] ("By early 1992 full-scale fighting broke out between Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijani authorities.") / ("...Karabakh Armenian forces -often with the support of forces from the Republic of Armenia- conducted large-scale operations...") / ("Because 1993 witnessed unrelenting Karabakh Armenian offensives against the Azerbaijani provinces surrounding Nagorno-Karabakh...") / ("Since late 1993, the conflict has also clearly become internationalized: in addition to Azerbaijani and Karabakh Armenian forces, troops from the Republic of Armenia participate on the Karabakh side in fighting inside Azerbaijan and in Nagorno-Karabakh.")</ref><ref>[[Human Rights Watch]]. [http://www.hrw.org/reports/1993/WR93/Hsw-07.htm The former Soviet Union. Human Rights Developments.] ("In 1992 the conflict grew far more lethal as both sides -the Azerbaijani National Army and free-lance militias fighting along with it, and ethnic Armenians and mercenaries fighting in the Popular Liberation Army of Artsakh- began...")</ref><ref>[[United States Institute of Peace]]. [http://www.usip.org/pubs/peaceworks/pwks25/forewrd25.html Nagorno-Karabakh Searching for a Solution. Foreword.] ("Nagorno-Karabakh’s armed forces have not only fortified their region, but have also occupied a large swath of surrounding Azeri territory in the hopes of linking the enclave to Armenia.")</ref><ref>[[United States Institute of Peace]]. [http://www.usip.org/pubs/peaceworks/pwks19/chap3_19.html Sovereignty after Empire. Self-Determination Movements in the Former Soviet Union. Hopes and Disappointments: Case Studies.] ("Meanwhile, the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh was gradually transforming into a full-scale war between Azeri and Karabakh irregulars, the latter receiving support from Armenia.") / ("Azerbaijan's objective advantage in terms of human and economic potential has so far been offset by the superior fighting skills and discipline of Nagorno-Karabakh's forces. After a series of offensives, retreats, and counteroffensives, Nagorno-Karabakh now controls a sizable portion of Azerbaijan proper (...), including the Lachin corridor.")</ref>. The struggle over Nagorno-Karabakh escalated after both Armenia and Azerbaijan attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. In the post-Soviet [[power vacuum]], military action between Azerbaijan and Armenia was heavily influenced by the [[Military of Russia|Russian military]]. Furthermore, both the Armenian and Azerbajani military employed a large number of mercenaries from [[Ukraine]] and [[Russia]].<ref name=ratios/> As many as one thousand [[Afghanistan|Afghan]] [[mujahideen]] participated in the fighting on Azerbaijan's side.<ref name="dewaal"/> There were also fighters from [[Chechnya]] fighting on the side of Azerbaijan.<ref name="dewaal"/>. Many survivors from Azerbaijani side found shelters in 12 emergency camps set up in other parts of Azerbaijan to cope with the growing number of internally displaced people due to Nagorno-Karabakh war.<ref>[http://www.unhcr.org/news/NEWS/47aaf6734.html UNHCR-Azerbaijan closes last of emergency camps]</ref>. By the end of 1993, the conflict had caused thousands of casualties and created hundreds of thousands of refugees on both sides. By May 1994, the Armenians were in control of 14% of the territory of Azerbaijan. At that stage, the Azerbaijani government for the first time during the conflict recognised Nagorno-Karabakh as a third party in the war, and started direct negotiations with the Karabakh authorities.<ref name="Cornell"/> As a result, an unofficial cease-fire was reached on [[May 12]] [[1994]] through Russian negotiation, and continues today. {{quotation|Armenians feared that in Karabakh, Armenians would one day be a minority as they were in Nakhichevan, another lost part of historic Armenia ... yet now part of Azerbaijan.<ref>[[Robert D. Kaplan|Kaplan, Robert D]]. ''Eastward to Tartary: Travels in the Balkans, the Middle East, and the Caucasus''. New York: Vintage, 2001 p. 324 ISBN 0-3757-0576-7</ref>}} ==Geography== [[Image:NK Mountains.JPG|thumb|left|A view of the forested mountains of Nagorno-Karabakh.]] {{Refimprove|date=December 2007}} <!-- Does this information apply for all of the NKR, or only the former NKAO? i.e. does it include Shahumian or not? --> Nagorno-Karabakh has a total area of 4,400 square kilometers (1,699&nbsp;sq&nbsp;mi) and is an [[enclave]] surrounded entirely by Azerbaijan; its nearest point to Armenia is across the [[Lachin corridor]], roughly 4 kilometers across.<ref>[http://www.nkrusa.org/country_profile/overview.shtml Country Overview]</ref> In 1989, it had a population of 192,000.<ref name=populaton>Miller, Donald E. and Lorna Touryan Miller. ''Armenia: Portraits of Survival and Hope''. Berkley: [[University of California Press]], 2003 p. 7 ISBN 0-5202-3492-8</ref> The population at that time was 76% Armenian and 23% [[Azerbaijani people|Azerbaijanis]], with [[Russia]]n and [[Kurds|Kurdish]] minorities.<ref name=populaton>Armenia: portraits of survival and hope - Page 7 by Donald E. Miller, Lorna Touryan Miller - 2003</ref> The capital is [[Stepanakert]] (known in Azerbaijan as Xankəndi, ''Khankendi''). Its other major city, today lying partially in ruins, is [[Shushi]] (known in Azerbaijan as ''Shusha''). [[Image:Vank Village Martakert.jpg|thumb|The village of Vank as seen from the [[Gandzasar monastery]].]] The borders of Nagorno-Karabakh resemble a [[kidney bean]] with the indentation on the east side. It has tall mountain ridges along the northern edge and along the west and a mountainous south. The part near the indentation of the kidney bean itself is a relatively flat valley, with the two edges of the bean, the provinces of [[Martakert]] and [[Martuni]], having flat lands as well. Other flatter valleys exist around the [[Sarsang reservoir]], [[Hadrut]], and the south. Much of Nagorno-Karabakh is [[forest]]ed, especially the mountains.<ref>Searle-White, Joshua. ''The Psychology of Nationalism''. New York: Palgrave Macmillan, 2001 p. 33 ISBN 0-3122-3369-8</ref> The territory of modern Nagorno-Karabakh forms a portion of the historic region of [[Karabakh]], which lies between the rivers [[Kura River|Kura]] and [[Araxes River|Araxes]], and the modern Armenia-Azerbaijan border. In the ancient and medieval times, this larger region consisted of the historic provinces of [[Artsakh]] and [[Utik]], which at various times alternated between the kingdoms of [[Kingdom of Armenia|Armenia]] and [[Caucasian Albania]]. Beginning with the 13th and 14th centuries, the Artsakh-Utik area received the name Karabakh. The eastern portion of Karabakh (roughly corresponding to Utik) lies on a lower and flatter surface, and has traditionally been called Lower Karabakh, while the western, mountainous portion (roughly corresponding to Artsakh) has been referred to as Mountainous, Upper, or High Karabakh. Nagorno-Karabakh in its modern borders is part of the larger region of Upper Karabakh. ==Demographics== {{quote|"The Soviet Union created the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Region within Azerbaijan in 1924, when over 94 percent of the region's population was Armenian. (The term Nagorno-Karabakh originates from the Russian for "mountainous Karabakh.") As the Azerbaijani population grew, the Karabakh Armenians chafed under discriminatory rule, and by 1960 hostilities had begun between the two populations of the region."|Azerbaijan, A Country Study. ISBN 141910862X|''[[http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+az0024) US Library of Congress Federal Research Division]]''}} Nearing the collapse of the [[Soviet Union]] in 1989, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast boasted a population of 145,593 Armenians (76.4%), 42,871 Azerbaijanis (22.4%),<ref name=ratios>Human Rights Watch. "''Seven Years of Conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh''". December 1994, p. xiii, ISBN 1-56432-142-8, citing: Natsional'nyi Sostav Naseleniya SSSR, po dannym Vsesoyuznyi Perepisi Naseleniya 1989 g., Moskva, "Finansy i Statistika"</ref> and several thousand [[Kurds]], [[Russian people|Russians]], [[Greek people|Greeks]], and [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]]. Most of the Azerbaijani and Kurdish populations fled the region during the heaviest years of fighting in the war from 1992 to 1993. The main language spoken in Nagorno-Karabakh is [[Armenian language|Armenian]]; however, Karabakh Armenians speak a dialect of Armenian which is considerably different from that which is spoken in Armenia as it is layered with [[Russian language|Russian]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]] and [[Farsi|Persian]] words.<ref name="dewaal">{{cite book| last =de Waal | first = Thomas | authorlink = Thomas de Waal| title = Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War| publisher = [[New York University Press]]| date = 2003 | location = New York| isbn = 0-8147-1945-7}}</ref> In 2001, the NKR's reported population was 95% Armenian, with the remaining total including Assyrians, Greeks, and Kurds.<ref name="NKRpop">[http://www.nkrusa.org/country_profile/overview.shtml Ethnic composition of the region as provided by the government] </ref> In March 2007, the local government announced that its population had grown to 138,000. The annual birth rate was recorded at 2,200-2,300 per year, an increase from nearly 1,500 in 1999. Until 2000, the country's net migration was at a negative.<ref>Regnum News Agency. [http://www.regnum.ru/english/793359.html Nagorno Karabakh prime minister: We need to have at least 300,000 population]. Regnum. [[March 9]], [[2007]]. Retrieved [[March 9]], [[2007]].</ref> For the first half of 2007, 1,010 births and 659 deaths were reported, with a net emigration of 27.<ref>[http://demoscope.ru/weekly/2007/0297/panorm01.php Евразийская панорама]</ref> Most of the Armenian population is [[Christianity|Christian]] and belongs to the [[Armenian Apostolic Church]]. Certain [[Orthodox Christianity|Orthodox Christian]] and [[Evangelical Christian]] denominations also exist; other religions include [[Judaism]].<ref name="NKRpop"/> ==See also== * [[Artsakh]] * [[Asta Karabagi]] * [[Bagh (garden)|Bāgh]] * [[Janapar]] - the hiking trail across Karabakh * [[Landmine situation in Nagorno Karabakh]] ==References== {{reflist|2}} ==External links== {{sisterlinks|Nagorno-Karabakh}} ===Non-partisan sources=== * [http://www.state.gov/p/eur/rls/or/13508.htm All UN Security Council resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh, courtesy U.S. State department] * [http://www.russiaprofile.org/international/2006/12/12/4879.wbp Article on the Dec. 10 Referendum from Russia Profile] * [http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/WorkingDocs/doc04/EDOC10364.htm COE — "The conflict over the Nagorno-Karabakh region dealt with by the OSCE Minsk Conference"] Report by rapporteur David Atkinson presented to Political Affairs Committee of the [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe]] * [http://www.c-r.org/our-work/accord/nagorny-karabakh/contents.php Conciliation Resources - Accord issue: ''The limits of leadership - Elites and societies in the Nagorny Karabakh peace process''] also key texts & agreements and chronology (in English & Russian) * [http://www.turkishweekly.net/comments.php?id=2886 Independence of Kosovo and the Nagorno-Karabakh Issue] * [http://www.armenianreporteronline.com/old/27072002/br-dewaal.htm Interview with Thomas De Waal] * [http://www.rferl.org/featuresarticle/2006/02/908366e9-f535-4958-9383-09f351a1ef0c.html Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Nagorno-Karabakh: Timeline Of The Long Road To Peace] * [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/country_profiles/3658938.stm Regions and territories: Nagorno-Karabakh] from the [[BBC]] * [http://assembly.coe.int/Documents/AdoptedText/TA05/ERES1416.htm Resolution #1416] from the [[Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe]] * [http://www.usip.org/pubs/peaceworks/pwks25/keypts25.html USIP — Nagorno-Karabakh Searching for a Solution: Key points], by Patricia Carley, Publication of the [[United States Institute of Peace]] (USIP) * [http://www.usip.org/pubs/peaceworks/pwks19/chap3_19.html USIP — Sovereignty after Empire Self-Determination Movements in the Former Soviet Union. Case Studies: Nagorno-Karabakh.] by [[Galina Starovoitova]], Publication of the [[United States Institute of Peace]] (USIP) ===Armenian perspective=== * [http://www.artsakhtert.com "Azat Artsakh" Daily Newspaper in Nagorno-Karabakh] * [http://nkrusa.org/ NKR Office in Washington, DC] * [http://www.karabakh.net/engl/gov?id=1 Official site of the Nagorno-Karabakh government] * [http://www.nkr.am/en/ Official site of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic Ministry of Foreign Affairs] ===Azerbaijani perspective=== * [http://www.artsakh.com/ Artsakh.com] * [http://www.mfa.gov.az/eng/armenian_aggresion/history.shtml Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan republic] * [http://karabakh.co.uk/ Karabakh.co.uk] * [http://www.karabakh.org Karabakh.org] <br/>{{Nagorno-Karabakh Conflict}} {{Non-sovereign territories of Europe}} <!--Categories--> [[Category:Nagorno-Karabakh| ]] [[Category:Caucasus]] [[Category:Foreign relations of Armenia]] [[Category:Subdivisions of Azerbaijan]] <!--Other languages--> [[ar:قرة باغ]] [[az:Dağlıq Qarabağ]] [[bs:Nagorni Karabah]] [[br:Nagorno-Karabac'h]] [[bg:Нагорни Карабах]] [[ca:Alt Karabagh]] [[cs:Náhorní Karabach]] [[de:Bergkarabach]] [[dv:ނަގޯނޯ-ކަރަބަކް]] [[el:Ναγκόρνο-Καραμπάχ]] [[et:Mägi-Karabahh]] [[es:Alto Karabaj]] [[eo:Montara Karabaĥo]] [[fa:قره‌باغ]] [[fo:Nagorno-Karabakk]] [[fr:Haut-Karabagh]] [[gl:Nagorno-Karabakh]] [[hi:नागोर्नो-काराबाख]] [[ko:나고르노카라바흐]] [[hy:Լեռնային Ղարաբաղ]] [[hr:Gorski Karabah]] [[io:Nagorno-Karabakh]] [[id:Nagorno-Karabakh]] [[it:Nagorno-Karabakh]] [[he:נגורנו קרבאך]] [[jv:Nagorno Karabakh]] [[ka:მთიანი ყარაბაღი]] [[kk:Қарабақ]] [[lt:Kalnų Karabachas]] [[hu:Hegyi-Karabah]] [[nl:Nagorno-Karabach]] [[ja:ナゴルノ・カラバフ]] [[no:Nagorno-Karabakh]] [[nn:Nagorno-Karabakh]] [[pl:Górski Karabach]] [[pt:Nagorno-Karabakh]] [[ro:Nagorno-Karabah]] [[ru:Нагорный Карабах]] [[simple:Nagorno-Karabakh]] [[sk:Náhorný Karabach]] [[sl:Gorski Karabah]] [[sr:Нагорно-Карабах]] [[fi:Vuoristo-Karabah]] [[sv:Nagorno-Karabach]] [[ta:நகோர்னோ கரபாக்]] [[tr:Dağlık Karabağ]] [[zh:納戈爾諾-卡拉巴赫]]