Armenian diaspora
The Armenian diaspora is called spyurk ( spʰjurkʰ ; սփիւռք, reformed սփյուռք) by the Armenians . In the past, the Armenian communities outside the Armenian Highlands were referred to as gaghut (գաղութ gɑˈʁutʰ ); it is derived from the Aramaic ( classical Syriac ) equivalent of the Hebrew galut (גלות).
In addition to the areas immediately bordering the Armenian settlement area , Armenians migrated to more distant areas in western Asia Minor , Southeastern Europe , Syria , Egypt and Persia as early as the early Middle Ages . In the 16th century, Armenian merchants, based on the widely dispersed communities of their compatriots, maintained a trade network that spanned the entire Eurasian region from Western Europe to Eastern Asia . The persecutions and massacres of the 19th century and the genocide of the early 20th century also brought Armenians to North and South America and Australia .
Armenians in Georgia with Abkhazia
There has been a significant Armenian community in Abkhazia since the late 19th century . A local census in 2011 showed the number of almost 42,000 Armenians, which corresponds to 17.3% of the population. In some areas, Armenians even make up the majority there.