what is an armenian

Armenians are an ethnic group and nation native to the Armenian highlands of West Asia. They have an ancient culture and are the descendants of a branch of the Indo-Europeans. The majority of Armenians live in the Republic of Armenia, but there is also a wide-ranging diaspora of around five million people of full or partial Armenian ancestry living outside modern Armenia. Armenians can trace their history back thousands of years, to the Urartians, Hurrians, and Luwians that lived in Anatolia in the several millennia before Christ. The Armenian language is an independent branch of the Indo-European language family, and the unique Armenian alphabet was invented in 405 AD by Mesrop Mashtots. The majority of Armenians belong to the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church.