Armenians have been making headlines by shutting down cities with major protests, BBC writes, referring to the anti-government protests across Armenia over the past days. The source has compiled a list of six significant facts about the country to check what knowledge people around the globe may have about “the landlocked former Soviet Republic.”

The first fact is about the fact that more Armenians live outside the republic than in it. “The country’s population is around three million but millions more live abroad. There are big diasporas in the United States, Russia and France. Many recent Armenian migrants go to Russia for its proximity and because many speak Russian,” writes the source. Secondly, it notes that Mount Ararat is considered a national symbol in Armenia even though it is in Turkey.

Thirdly, it is reminded that Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in the early 4th Century and its Church is completely autonomous from other Christian Churches of the world.

It next refers to the fact that learning chess is compulsory. “Since 2011, all children in Armenia from six to eight years old have had compulsory chess lessons. The country has produced numerous grandmasters and it currently has more than 3,000 qualified trained chess teachers in its schools,” says the source.

Armenian brandy come the next with reference to the history when during World War Two, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin sent Winston Churchill several dozen cases of Armenian brandy as a present.

Finally, in the sixth place the source recalls all famous Armenians around the world, French composer Charles Aznavour; Russian grandmaster Garry Kasparov; US singer Cher and celebrity Kim Kardashian West among them.