a landlocked republic in southwestern Asia; formerly an Asian soviet; modern Armenia is but a fragment of ancient Armenia which was one of the world's oldest civilizations; throughout 2500 years the Armenian people have been invaded and oppressed by their neighbors
"Armenia, once a vast ancient civilization that endured over two millennia of invasion and oppression, now exists as a small landlocked republic in southwestern Asia."
Ancient kingdom in the Armenian Highland southeast of Black Sea and southwest of Caspian Sea; area now divided between Turkey, Republic of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Iran.
"The ancient kingdom of Armenia once stretched across a vast region that is now shared by five modern countries including Turkey and Iran."
The word Armenia comes from Latin and Ancient Greek, which borrowed it from Old Persian around the 6th century BC to refer to the region. This is an external name used by outsiders, distinct from the native Armenian term for themselves.