Mapping the Armenian Genocide: Geography, Borders, and Movement

The Armenian Genocide and the events leading up to it took place in the regions of Asia Minor, the Balkan Peninsula, and the Caucasus, which today include the republics of Türkiye, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Syria, Iran, as well as all of the modern Balkan states. But in the time period around the turn of the 20th century, the map looked very different, and it was changing regularly. Students, many of whom are unfamiliar with the geography of this part of the world as it exists today, may struggle to visualize where on the map many of the events they are learning about from more than a century ago took place.

This map provides a “zoomed out” view of the entire area from the Balkans through the Caucasus, including Anatolia and northern present-day Syria.

This map focuses on the Balkan Peninsula and western Anatolia.

This map includes the southern Caucasus region (with the 1915 Ottoman-Russian border at the top), eastern Anatolia, and the Syrian desert in the south (extending far enough south to include Deir-ez-Zor).

Use these maps to help students understand the Armenian Genocide from a geographic perspective.