Throughout their twenty-five hundred years of existence, the Armenian people have maintained their cultural, religious, and linguistic autonomy despite the lack of a stable political milieu. Their homeland, situated in the northeastern region of Asia Minor, was subjected to constant invasions by Persians, Byzantines, Arabs, Russians and Turks. As a result, over the years, many Armenians migrated, establishing communities in practically every corner of the globe. Today, outside of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia, there are large settlements of Armenians in the Middle East, North America, Argentina, France, and Iran. (There are approximately five million Armenians throughout the world.)
