The Week In Vexillology #59

Last week, we kicked off the month with the Estelada, the flag of Catalan Independence.  This week, we're heading east to the Caucuses and the most well known de-facto independent republic you've never heard of, the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Before we delve into the complex circumstances around the creation of Nagorno-Karabakh, let's get down to brass tacks and look at their flag.   It's derived from the flag of Armenia- only it has a white pattern added.  A white, five-toothed, stepped carpet pattern was added to the flag that symbolizes the current separation of the country from Armenia and it's aspiration for eventual union with 'The Motherland.'   The Armenian colors/tricolor represent the heritage and culture of the Nagorno-Karabakh, with the white pattern represents the country being separated region of Armenia.

All right, now that's out of the way:  where is Nagorno-Karabakh?  What's its deal?  Well, get on Google Maps and look up Armenia.  Down in the southeast part of the country, the borders narrow and it's bounded on both sides by Azerbaijan.  There's an enclave called Nakhchivan that's controlled by the Azeris and on the other side of the border, in contiguous Azerbaijan, that's where you'll find the Nagorno-Karabakh.  It's internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan (which is why you won't find any borders on Google Maps) but the Azeris haven't controlled it since 1991.

What started this mess?  Well some bad border drawing on the part of Stalin back in the day stuck a sizeable enclave of Armenians square inside what the Azeris considered their territory.  The Soviets kept a lid on things quite nicely but when the Soviet Union broke up, things went downhill fast.  With a population roughly 76% Armenian and 23% Azerbaijanis, the local Armenian population agitated for unification with Armenia- something that Azerbaijan resisted strenuously. A full scale war broke out and fighting lasted from 1991-1994 before a ceasefire was declared.  By the end of it, Armenia and the N-K were in control of about 14% of Azerbaijan, 9% outside the original oblast of N-K.  (Want the full 4-1-1 on the war, check this out.  It's extensive to say the least.)

So, ladies and gents put your hands together for the Nagorno-Karabakh and remember, until next time, keep your flags flying, FREAK or otherwise!