Because Armenia is strategically located between Europe and Asia, it has been part of many of the great empires throughout the history of the world. These include the Greeks, Romans, Assyrians, Arabs, Persians, the Ottoman Empire, and the Turkish Emipire.
In 800 BC the area that is now Armenia became part of the Kingdom of Urartu. which flourished until 600 BC. At this time the Kingdom of Armenia was established under the Orontid Dynasty. Between 95 and 66 BC Tigranes the Great ruled the Kingdon of Armenia. During this time Armenia reached the peak of its power becoming a great and powerful nation.
In 301 AD, Armenia became the first country to adopt Christianity as an official state religion. The church it established still exists and is not part of either the Roman Catholic or the Eastern Orthodox churches
After being ruled by many different empires and nations, Armenia became an independent state between 1918 and 1920. However, in late 1920, the Soviet Union invaded. In 1922 Armenia was made part of Soviet Socialist Republic. With the fall of the Soviet Union, Armenia was once again able to declare its independence. It once again became an independent country on September 21, 1991.
