Nersik Ispiryan - Gharabagh

Nagorno-Karabakh is a region in the South Caucasus. It encompasses the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent republic, and is officially part of the Republic of Azerbaijan, about 270 kilometers (170 miles) west of the Azerbaijani capital of Baku and close to the border with Armenia. Nearing the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1989, the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast boasted a population of 145,593 Armenians (76.4%), 42,871 Azerbaijanis (22.4%). In 2001, the NKR's reported population was 95% Armenian, and other minoritys as kurds or assirians.