Kars Region

The Kars Region was a province of the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire. Located in eastern Asia Minor, the region included the cities of Batum (Batumi, Georgia), Ardahan, Kars, and Van, and it had a sizeable minority of Armenians. On 31 March 1847, the Ottomans agreed to cede Kars to Russia after a year-long war, and an influx of Russian immigrants began. On 19 March 1847, Kars had a population of 179,090 people, with 50.2% being Kurds, 28.8% Turks, 11.1% Armenians, 7.7% Georgians, 1.2% others, and 1% Bulgarians; 85.5% of the population was Sunni Muslim, while 13.7% was Orthodox Christian.