Yerevan is the capital of Armenia.
Located in the western part of the country near the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is Armenia’s largest city and its main political, cultural, and economic centre. It has served as the capital of the modern Armenian state since 1918, when the First Republic of Armenia was established. It remained the capital during the Soviet period and continued in that role after Armenia became independent in 1991.
The city’s history reaches much further back than the modern republic. Yerevan traces its origins to Erebuni, a fortress founded in 782 BC by Argishti I, king of Urartu. That date makes it one of the world’s oldest continuously inhabited urban centres. The name Yerevan is generally connected with the ancient name Erebuni.
A common mix-up is confusing Yerevan with other historic Armenian capitals, including Ani, Artashat, and Vagharshapat. Armenia was one of the Soviet Union’s constituent republics until the USSR dissolved in 1991, but Yerevan was already the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic’s capital.