1. First things first: Armenia is a small, mountainous country in the South Caucasus.
Grigory Gusev CC BY-ND / Via Flickr: gusevg
It borders Turkey, Iran, Azerbaijan and Georgia. (No, not that Georgia — this one.)
2. Before gaining independence in 1991, Armenians lived under Ottoman and Russian rule, and the country was part of the Soviet Union.
young shanahan CC BY / Via Flickr: youngshanahan
The Soviet-era Mother Armenia statue that looks over Yerevan, the capital, symbolizes peace through strength, according to Armenian lore.
3. The Kardashian sisters visited to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a defining event in Armenian history and identity.
Karen Minasyan / Getty Images
On Friday, Kim, Khloe and Kanye visited the memorial to the 1915 massacre of more than a million Armenians under the Ottoman Empire. Turkey does not acknowledge the tragedy as genocide. Also, the U.S. has yet to publicly commemorate the event.
4. They aren’t the only famous diaspora Armenians to stop by.
Chris Pizzello / AP
Cher, whose dad was Armenian-American, traveled to Armenia in 1993.
5. Armenia has a chilly relationship with some of its neighbors.
Karen Minasyan / AFP / Getty Images
Armenia and Turkey aren’t on good terms, given the whole not-recognizing-the-genocide thing. Armenia and Azerbaijan fought a bloody war after the breakup of the Soviet Union, and both sides claim rights to Nagorno-Karabakh, an Armenian-controlled enclave that technically lies within Azerbaijan. Foreign policy experts call this a “frozen conflict,” but skirmishes on the border continue to claim lives.
6. It was the first country in the world to officially adopt Christianity back in 301 AD.
Shaun Dunphy CC BY-SA / Via Flickr: sjdunphy
Pope Francis recognized the genocide in remarks Sunday, prompting Turkey to recall its ambassador to the Vatican.
7. It has some beautiful centuries-old churches.
…your local connection CC BY-NC-SA / Via Flickr: whltravel
11. But Armenia can do modern, too. Anyone who’s been there knows its public fountain game is on point.
my Life, the Universe and Everything CC BY-NC-SA / Via Flickr: beefortytwo
In case Kanye wants to take another dip…
12. Armenians are REALLY into chess.
Bayandur Pogosyan CC BY-NC-SA / Via Flickr: songoffall
It’s a required subject in the elementary schools, and tiny Armenia has more grandmasters per capita than most other countries.
14. So cool there’s an actual monument dedicated to it…
Nina Stössinger CC BY-SA / Via Flickr: ninastoessinger
16. Armenia is well known throughout the region for its cognac…
Arthur Chapman CC BY / Via Flickr: arthur_chapman
Free idea for the Armenian business community: someone better get a branded Kanye-ak deal out of this trip.
18. …and its traditional flatbread, called lavash.
ale_speciale CC BY-ND / Via Flickr: alessandrospeciale
19. The Armenian diaspora stretches across the globe.
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