Armenian diaspora

Map of the Armenian Diaspora.

The Armenian diaspora is a term used to describe the communities that have been founded by Armenians living outside of Armenia and Upper Karabakh. Of the total Armenian population living in the world (in 2004 it was estimated at just over 12,000,000 people), only about 3,300,000 live in Armenia and about 140,000 in the Upper Karabakh region. The Armenian diaspora is estimated to have a population of approximately 8,000,000 people. Only one fifth of the world's Armenian population lives in the former Soviet Republic of Armenia, including the pre-World War I and 1920 Armenian territories., which covered a territory five or six times the size of present-day Armenia, including the eastern regions of Turkey, parts of Iran and parts of Syria.

Origin

Jachkar on the wall of the Armenian church of San Sergio, in Theodosia, Crimea.

Although an Armenian diaspora has existed since the loss of statehood in 1375, when the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia fell under the control of the Mamluks, the exile population grew exponentially after the Armenian genocide. Although many Armenians died, others managed to escape and settled in various countries in Eastern Europe, the Balkans, the Middle East and cities such as Moscow and Sochi in Russia, Odessa, Sevastopol and Crimea in the Ukraine, Tbilisi and Batumi in Georgia, Plovdiv in Bulgaria, Athens in Greece, Beirut in Lebanon and Aleppo in Syria. Israel is home to a small and very old Armenian community centered on the so-called Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem.

Several million Armenians settled in Western Europe (i.e., France, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands) and in America (North and South), beginning in the 1890s. Some significant Armenian communities exist as well. in the Far East of Russia, as well as in the former Soviet republics of Central Asia. Some of these groups were encouraged to settle in the area by the Tsarist and Soviet authorities, while others have no choice, being part of the population deported by Stalin. Small Armenian communities can be found in India, Australia, New Zealand, Sub-Saharan Africa (Sudan, South Africa, and Ethiopia), and in the Far East: Singapore, Burma, and Hong Kong. Armenian exile communities existed in China, Japan, and the Philippines, but Armenian culture in these countries has virtually disappeared.

After the genocide

Armenian refugee and her son (1919).

Immediately after the Armenian genocide, large numbers of Diaspora Armenians lived in refugee camps. However, with the improvement of the financial situation, the camps were converted into cities. This was the case in many of the Armenian-populated regions in Lebanon, such as Anjar and Bourj Hammoud. Over time, Armenians organized themselves by building churches, schools, community centers, etc. Various political parties and charitable unions, such as the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (FRA or Dashnaktsutiun), the Henchakian Social-Democratic Party and the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU), established themselves where there were a number of considerable amount of Armenians.

Between the 1940s and 1950s, the Soviet Union tried to extend its influence throughout the world, and especially in the Middle East. The Henchakian Social Democratic Party, ideologically close to communism, supported the Soviet Union in its effort to expand its sphere of influence in the Middle East. The ASEAN Regional Forum, despite its socialist background, was a nationalist party, and it was opposed, as it stood for the idea of a free, independent, united and Armenian country. The FRA fought to preserve the flag, coat of arms and national anthem of the Independent Republic of Armenia from 1918-1922, while other groups opted for Soviet support, seeing it as the only place in the world where Armenians could live with security.

Article of the New York Times about genocide and Armenian diaspora.

There is also a conflict at the level of the Armenian Apostolic Church, which has two Catholicos. The Catholicos of all Armenians has its headquarters in Echmiadzin, Armenia, while the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia resides in Antelias, Lebanon. During the "cold war" era, the Echmiadzin Catholicosate was under Soviet control and had the support of the Henchakian and Ramgavar parties, while from 1956 the F.R.A. he sided with the Catholicosate of Cilicia, as he thought that the Catholicosate of Echmiadzin was a tool for the propagation of communism. In 1958, during the height of this conflict, there were armed clashes between supporters of both sides, including assassinations and desertions, in Lebanon. However, the tensions ended in 1975, during the Lebanese civil war, when the Armenians had to unite in order to survive between both fires. Armenian citizens of Iraq and Iran fought in both armies during the Iran-Iraq war between 1980 and 1988.

Second Diaspora

After the pan-Arab expansion in Egypt and Syria, Islamism in Iran, and civil war in Lebanon, tens of thousands of Armenians emigrated from the Middle East, settling in the United States, Canada, France, and elsewhere, where they founded pressure groups to support the Republic of Armenia and spread international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian genocide. Today, the countries with the largest number of Armenians (excluding Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh) are Russia, the United States, France, Iran (although its community has been greatly reduced since the 1970s), Lebanon, Georgia, Syria, Argentina, Canada and Ukraine.

Armenian population in the world

Order	Country	Capital	Armenian Population Centres	No. of Armenians	Dialect(s) spoken(s)	Additional information
1	ArmeniaArmenia	Yerevan	The whole country	3 001 643 (estimated in 2018)	Eastern Armenian language
2	Russia	Moscow	Moscow, St. Petersburg, North Caucasus, Vladivostok	2,250,000 / 2,500.000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Russia
3	United States	Washington D.C.	Los Angeles, Glendale, Fresno, Boston, Watertown, Detroit, New York, San Francisco, Miami, Chicago, Phoenix, Philadelphia, Cleveland	1.400.000 / PHP 1.800.000	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Academias de idiomas en Estados Unidos
4	France	Paris	Paris, Marseille, Lyon, Nice, Valence, Vienne, Saint-Chamond, Toulouse	900.000 / 2005	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in France
5	IranIran	Tehran	Tehran, Isfahan, New Julfa, Tabriz, Urmia, Northern Iran	560.000 / PHP 700.000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Iran
6	Ukraine Ukraine	Kiev	Kiev, Odessa, Crimea, Dnipropetrovsk, Donetsk, Zaporizhia, Lugansk, Járkov	130.000/105.000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Ukraine
7	GeorgiaGeorgia	Tiflis	Tiflis, Samtskhe-Javakheti, Adjaria, Abkhazia	350,000 (cense of 2004)/purchase 400.000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Georgia
8	SyriaSyria	Damascus	Damascus, Aleppo, Kamishli	190.000/105	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Syria
9	LebanonLebanon	Beirut	Beirut, Bourj Hammoud, Anjar	254,000 / 2005 300.000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Lebanon
10	Republic of Upper Karabakh (The Upper Karabakh region is currently controlled by Armenian militias; although de jure belongs to Azerbaijan.)	Stepanakert	The whole region	138,000	Eastern Armenian language
11	Argentina	Buenos Aires	Buenos Aires, Córdoba, Rosario, Mendoza, Mar del Plata	135,000 /	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenios en Argentina
12	PolandPoland	Warsaw		92,000 / 100,000	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in Poland
13	SpainSpain	Madrid	Barcelona, Valencia, Madrid, Alicante, Malaga, Albacete	50,000 / 50,000	Eastern Armenian Language and Western Armenian Language	Armenios in Spain
14	JordanJordan	Haman		70,000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Jordan
15	UzbekistanUzbekistan	Taskent		70,000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Uzbekistan
16	GreeceGreece	Athens	Athens, Thessalonica, El Pireo, Kavala	36,000 / 2005	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in Greece
17	CanadaCanada	Ottawa	Montreal, Laval, Toronto, Cambridge, Vancouver	91,500 (cense 2006) / plan 100,000	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in Canada
18	Australia	Canberra	Sydney, Melbourne	60,000 / 60,000	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in Australia
19	GermanyGermany	Berlin		45,000 / 2005	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in Germany
20	BrazilBrazil	Brasilia	São Paulo Metropolitan Region	42,000/negative 80.000-90.000	Western Armenian language	Armenios in Brazil
21	TurkeyTurkey	Ankara	Istanbul, with communities in Vakıflı and Sason as well as the Hamshenis who have preserved their own Armenian dialect (Homshetsi) in the Province of Artvin.	80,000 (the Hamshenis are not included) / approximately 400 000 hamshenis Armenians. 480 000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Turkey
22	BulgariaBulgaria	Sofia	Sofia, Plovdiv	30 000 / 000 47,000	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in Bulgaria
23	Turkmenistan	Asjabad		30 000 / 2005	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Turkmenistan
24	BelarusBelarus	Minsk		30 000 / 50 000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Belarus
25	Kazakhstan Kazakhstan	Assassination		25,000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Kazakhstan
26	IraqIraq	Baghdad	Baghdad, Mosul, Zakho, Avzrog	20,000 / 60,000	Western Armenian language	Armenios in Iraq
27	Uruguay Uruguay	Montevideo		19.000 / 2005	Western Armenian language	Armenios in Uruguay
28	United KingdomUnited Kingdom	London	London, Manchester	18,000/105	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in the United Kingdom
29	HungaryHungary	Budapest	Budapest and Pest Region	15 000 / 2005	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Hungary
30	BelgiumBelgium	Brussels		11,000 / 15,000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Belgium
31	Czech RepublicCzech Republic	Prague		10,000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in the Czech Republic
32	IsraelIsrael	Jerusalem	Armenian Quarter of Jerusalem	20.000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Israel
33	EgyptEgypt	Cairo	Cairo, Alexandria	 8000-10.000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Egypt
34	SwitzerlandSwitzerland	Bern		5,000-8000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Switzerland
35	MoldovaMoldova	Chisináu		8000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenios in Moldova
36	NetherlandsNetherlands	Amsterdam	Amsterdam, Dordrecht, The Hague, Leiden, Rotterdam	 7,000 / 20.000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in the Netherlands
37	LatviaLatvia	Riga		5,000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Latvia
38	Tajikistan	Dusambé		6,000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Tajikistan
39	Sweden Sweden	Stockholm		▪ 8000	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in Sweden
40	KuwaitKuwait	Kuwait City		 5,000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Kuwait
41	Kyrgyzstan Kyrgyzstan	Biskek		5,000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Kyrgyzstan
42	United Arab Emirates United Arab Emirates	Abu Dhabi		3,500	Western Armenian language	Armenios en Estados Unidos
43	DenmarkDenmark	Copenhagen		1,200	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Denmark
44	AustriaAustria	Vienna		3,000-5,000?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Austria
45	Venezuela Venezuela	Caracas		ECU 4,000	Western Armenian language	Armenios en Venezuela
46	LithuaniaLithuania	Vilna		▪ 3,500	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Lithuania
47	ItalyItaly	Rome	Milan, Rome, Venice	3,000	Western Armenian language	Armenios in Italy
48	ChileChile	Santiago de Chile, Valparaíso, Concepción		1500  2000 Armenians living in Chile, descendant	Western Armenian language	Armenios en Chile
49	EstoniaEstonia	Tallinn		3.000	Eastern Armenian language	Armenians in Estonia
50	Romania	Bucharest		3.000 / 14,000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Romania
51	CyprusCyprus	Nicosia	Nicosia, Limassol and Larnaca	2.740 (cense of 1987) /pur 12,000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Cyprus
52	Norway Norway	Oslo		1,000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Norway
53	FinlandFinland	Helsinki		1,000	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Finland
54	Sudan	Khartoum		2,000-5,000?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Sudan
55	Thailand	Bangkok		1,000-2,000?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Thailand
56	HondurasHonduras	Tegucigalpa		900-1,200?	Western Armenian language	Fire fighting equipment in Honduras
57	New ZealandNew Zealand	Wellington		600-2,000?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in New Zealand
58	Mexico Mexico	Mexico City		560-  10,000?	Western Armenian language	Armenios en Mexico
59	Albania Albania	Tirana		500-672?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Albania
60	India	New Delhi	Calcutta	500-3,000?	Western Armenian Language and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenians in India
61	ColombiaColombia	Bogotá		250–3,000?	Western Armenian language	Armenios en Colombia
62	MonacoMonaco	Monaco		200-464?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Monaco
63	South Africa	Pretoria		200-1,500?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in South Africa
64	Peru Peru	Lima		150-200?	Western Armenian language	Armenios in Peru
65	QatarQatar	Doha		150-1,200?	Western Armenian language	Armenios in Catar
66	CubaCuba	Havana		100-200?	Western Armenian language	Armenios en Cuba
67	EthiopiaEthiopia	Abeba		100-6,300?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Ethiopia
68	Dominican RepublicDominican Republic	Santo Domingo		75-300?	Western Armenian language	Armenios en la República Dominicana
69	Ireland	Dublin		50-130?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Ireland
70	Costa RicaCosta Rica	San José		40-200?	Western Armenian language	Armenios en Costa Rica
71	SingaporeSingapore	Singapore		35-120?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Singapore
72	ZimbabweZimbabwe	Harare		28-75?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Zimbabwe
73	IndonesiaIndonesia	Jakarta		20-200?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Indonesia
74	PakistanPakistan	Karachi		20–600?	Western Armenian language	Armenians in Pakistan
75	GuatemalaGuatemala	Guatemala City		20–100?	Western Armenian language	Armenios en Guatemala
76	NicaraguaNicaragua	Managua		20-40?	Western Armenian language	Armenios en Nicaragua
77	Panama Panama	Panama, Panama West, Chiriqui		30–60	Western and Eastern Armenian Language	Armenios en Panamá

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