Republic of Artsakh

The Artsakh Republic has a lot of mountains. It is 4,440 square miles in area, and borders Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Iran.

The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic or Artsakh Republic calls itself an independent country in the South Caucasus. But almost every country says it is really part of Azerbaijan.

The region has had many Armenians living there for a long time. The area has been disputed by Armenia and Azerbaijan since 1918. After the Soviet Union took over the area, in 1923 it formed the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast within the Azerbaijan Republic. When the Soviet Union was ending, Armenia and Azerbaijan fought the Nagorno-Karabakh War from 1988 to 1994.

In 1991, a vote by the people living there was held. The Artsakh Republic declared independence from Azerbaijan. The country is not recognized by any United Nations member, including Armenia. Representatives of the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan have since been holding peace talks.