Vardenis District

The Vardenis District (Armenian: Վարդենիսի շրջան; Russian: Варденисский район) was a raion (district) of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic from 1930 and later in 1991 of the Republic of Armenia until its disestablishment in 1995. The Vardenis District today constitutes a southeastern part of the Gegharkunik Province (marz). Its administrative centre was the town Vardenis.

Vardenis District
Վարդենիսի շրջան
Варденисский район
District
The Vardenis District in Armenia
The Vardenis District in Armenia
Country
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic

Armenia

Established1930
Abolished11 April 1995
CapitalVardenis
Area
 • Total1,201.57 km2 (463.93 sq mi)
Population
 (1989)
 • Total31,282
 • Density26/km2 (67/sq mi)

History

The Vardenis District was formed on the territory of the Armenian SSR in 1930, originally forming part of the Tsarist Nor Bayazet uezd.[1]

The district and its capital were originally known as Basargechar (Armenian: Բասարգեչար; Russian: Басаргечар) before being renamed to Vardenis in 1969.[2]

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Armenia consolidated the Vardenis, Kamo, Krasnoselsk, Martuni, and Sevan districts into the larger Gegharkunik Province in 1995.[3]

Demographics
Historical population and ethnic composition of the Vardenis District[4]
Year Armenians Azerbaijanis[lower-alpha 1] Others TOTAL
1831 9 0.2% 4,367 99.8% 4,376
1873 3,145 21.1% 11,746 78.9% 14,891
1886 4,184 20.5% 16,139 79.2% 56 0.3% 20,379
1897 5,156 20.2% 20,395 79.8% 25,551
1908 29,121
1914[lower-alpha 2] 33,918
1914[lower-alpha 3] 30,380
1916 29,808
1919 8,328
1922 6,983 37.8% 11,413 61.7% 100 0.5% 18,496
1926 8,956 38.9% 13,302 57.8% 771 3.3% 23,029
1931 12,662 41.7% 17,306 57.0% 383 1.3% 30,351
1939[5] 14,140 40.8% 19,805 57.2% 699 2.0% 34,644
1959[6] 17,632 49.5% 35,641
1970[7] 25,781 53.7% 48,959
1979[8] 31,228 54.9% 56,296
1989[9] 31,282
2001[10] 38,590
2011[11] 38,600

According to the publication by the Central Statistical Committee in Yerevan (1980) titled Itogi Vsesoyuznoy Perepisi Naseleniya 1979 Goda po Armyaskoy SSR cited by Broers, in 1959, Azerbaijanis of the Vardenis District numbered 17,632 inhabitants, equal to 49.5% of the population.[12] The number of Azerbaijanis rose to 25,781 inhabitants (52.7% of the population) in 1970 and 31,228 inhabitants (54.9%) in 1979.[12]

Armenian former president, Serzh Sargsyan stated in an interview with Thomas de Waal that "In Vardenis and other regions, the Azerbaijanis used to be 70 percent of the population".[13]

Villages

There were 30 villages, mostly predominantly Azerbaijanis, within the territory of the district.[14] After 1989, many of these villages was renamed and reoccupied by local farmers.[14]

See also

Notes
  1. Includes "Muslims" in 1831 and 1897; Classified as "Tatars" before 1918; Classified as "Turks" or "Turko-Tatars" after 1918; Known as Azerbaijanis after 1936.
  2. According to the Caucasian Calendar for 1915.
  3. According to the archived population.

References
  1. Tsutsiev, Arthur (2014), Atlas of the Ethno-Political History of the Caucasus, New Haven and London, p. 84, ISBN 978-0-300-15308-8, OCLC 884858065, retrieved 2021-12-25
  2. "«Հայաստանի հանրապետության բնակավայրերի բառարան»" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2014-09-12. Retrieved 2014-04-21.
  3. "Legislation: National Assemly of RA". www.parliament.am. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  4. Korkotyan, Zaven (1932). Խորհրդային Հայաստանի բնակչությունը վերջին հարյուրամյակում (1831-1931) [The population of Soviet Armenia in the last century (1831–1931)] (PDF) (in Armenian). Yerevan: Pethrat. p. 167. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2022.
  5. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Всесоюзная перепись населения 1939 года". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-02-09.
  6. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  7. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  8. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  9. "Демоскоп Weekly - Приложение. Справочник статистических показателей". www.demoscope.ru. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  10. "Figures of marz of Gegharkunik / Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia". armstat.am. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  11. "ՀՀ Գեղարքունիքի մարզի ցուցանիշները / Հայաստանի Հանրապետության վիճակագրական կոմիտե". armstat.am. Retrieved 2022-03-13.
  12. Broers, Laurence (25 July 2019). Armenia and Azerbaijan: Anatomy of a Rivalry. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press. p. 136. ISBN 9781474450546.
  13. De Waal, Thomas (2003). Black Garden: Armenia and Azerbaijan Through Peace and War. New York: New York University Press. p. 273. ISBN 9780814720851.
  14. Kiesling, John Brady; Kojian, Raffi (2001). Rediscovering Armenia: An Archaeological/touristic Gazetteer and Map Set for the Historical Monuments of Armenia (PDF). Yerevan: Tigran Metz. p. 47. ISBN 9789993052289. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 November 2021. Retrieved 14 November 2022.

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