Transcaucasia

Transcaucasia is a geographic region south of the Caucasus Mountains that marks the transition point between Europe and Asia. Formerly part of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR), Transcaucasia now includes three countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. It has historically been the focal point of a succession of regional territorial struggles, with recent Russian domination following centuries of Persian and Ottoman control. The present-day Transcaucasian nations gained their independence following the collapse of the USSR in the early 1990s, although Georgia's transition was marked by a civil war and an extended period of political unrest.

Beyond Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia, Transcaucasia also contains the disputed territories of Abkhazia, Nagorno-Karabakh, and South Ossetia. Abkhazia and South Ossetia are both self-declared states with limited international recognition, while Nagorno-Karabakh is technically part of Azerbaijan but contains a self-governing Armenian-majority de facto state known as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Brief History

Transcaucasia has a long, rich history shaped in significant measure by its position on the frontiers of both Europe and Asia. Georgia holds claim to some of the earliest known evidence of winemaking, which dates back more than six thousand years. The fabled Silk Road trading route, which was formally established by the Han dynasty of China as a commercial link between the Eastern and Western worlds, ran through Transcaucasia and facilitated much of the region's early economic and commercial development. Armenia holds the distinction of being the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion, which it did in the fourth century.

During subsequent centuries, Armenia alternated between Byzantine, Mongol, Persian, and Turkish control interspersed with relatively brief phases of independence. In the sixteenth century, the rival Persian and Ottoman Empires divided control of Armenia between them. Russia then took control of eastern Armenia during the early part of the nineteenth century. The rest of Armenia remained part of the Ottoman Empire, and between 1915 and 1917, hundreds of thousands of Armenians were killed in what many Armenians allege was a genocide perpetrated by the Ottoman Turks. A brief period of self-governing sovereignty followed this dark chapter of Armenian history before the country was incorporated into the USSR in the early 1920s, where it remained until regaining its independence in 1991.

Azerbaijan has also been a battleground for rival foreign powers, with Russia and Persia dividing the country into northern and southern regions in 1828. Russia retained northern Azerbaijan as part of its empire, while southern Azerbaijan remained under Persian control. A two-year period of Azerbaijani independence ended in 1920, when the Soviet Red Army invaded the country and brought it into the fold of the USSR. Azerbaijan's exit from the USSR was marred by bloodshed, with the country's Armenian and Azeri ethnic groups engaging each other in a series of violent confrontations between 1988 and 1994.

Like the other Transcaucasian states, Georgia was also a focal point of Persian, Russian, and Turkish rivalries. Russia annexed most of modern-day Georgia between 1801 and 1804, and in 1879, Georgia was the birthplace of future Soviet leader Joseph Stalin. As in Armenia and Azerbaijan, Georgia enjoyed a short-lived period of independence in the aftermath of the 1917 Russian revolution, only to be absorbed into the USSR after a 1920 Soviet invasion. Soviet military forces quashed Georgia's attempt to break away in 1956, but Georgia went on to stage a successful secession from the USSR following a 1991 referendum.

Topic Today

Geographically, Transcaucasia is one of two constituent parts of the larger Caucasus region, which also includes North Caucasus (also known as Ciscaucasia). In the north, Transcaucasia is bounded by the southern reaches of the Caucasus Mountains; it is bordered by the Black Sea in the west, the Caspian Sea in the east, and Turkey and Iran in the south.

According to 2016 estimates, the combined population of the three internationally recognized Transcaucasian countries is approximately 17.9 million. Azerbaijan has the largest population of the group, with about 9.9 million inhabitants; Georgia follows with about 4.9 million, and Armenia has the smallest population of the three with about 3.1 million residents. Armenia also has a significant diaspora population, with estimates placing the number of ethnic Armenians living in other countries at upward of 6 million.

The three breakaway states of Transcaucasia have complex relationships with the other countries in the area. Abkhazia is a coastal region of the Black Sea in northeastern Georgia that borders on Russian territory. After fighting a war of independence with Georgia in the early 1990s, Abkhazia formally declared its independence in 1999. Russia recognized Abkhazia's sovereignty in 2008, in the aftermath of the short-lived Georgian-Russian war. South Ossetia also figured in the 2008 conflict, and was the site of military clashes between Georgian and Russian forces.

Voicing its desire for independence in 1990 as the USSR headed for collapse, South Ossetia nonetheless remained part of Georgia following the breakup of the Soviet Union. Inhabited primarily by the culturally, ethnically, and linguistically distinct Ossetian people, South Ossetia declared independence from Georgia in 1992. The resultant conflict was temporarily resolved by the deployment of peacekeepers representing all three of Georgia, Russia, and South Ossetia. The conflict flared up again in the wake of the 2008 war between Georgia and Russia, during which Russia liberated South Ossetia of its Georgian military presence and recognized the breakaway state's independence. Nicaragua, Venezuela, and several small island nations in the Pacific region also endorsed South Ossetian sovereignty.

The Nagorno-Karabakh region, which is contained entirely in western Azerbaijan near the Armenian border, is home to an ethnically Armenian majority population and has been the focal point of an ongoing territorial dispute. During the late 1980s, Armenian secessionists launched a violent uprising against the Azerbaijan government, eventually culminating in a 1994 cease-fire agreement that saw Nagorno-Karabakh gain an increased level of political autonomy. Although no other country, including Armenia, has recognized the true independence of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, the enclave continues to function as a de facto self-governing state.

Bibliography

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"Nagorno-Karabakh Profile." BBC, 6 Apr. 2016, www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-18270325. Accessed 1 July 2017.

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