evidence: What Is The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic? The Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) is an autonomous exclave of Azerbaijan. It covers 2,100 sq miles and is separated from Azerbaijan by southern Armenia. It is landlocked and borders Armenia to the north and the east, Iran to the west and the south, and Turkey to the northwest. NAR has a population of about 453,000 and Nakhchivan City is the capital. The region that is now Nakhchivan was part of Iran's Safavid Dynasty in the mid and late 16th century. It was awarded to Imperial Russia in 1828 after the Russo Persian War. In 1917, the region revolted against Imperial Russia and was placed under the rule of a provisional government. In May 1918, Nakhchivan, Zangezur, Nagorno-Karabakh, and Qazakh were contested by the newly-formed States of Azerbaijan Democratic Republic and the Democratic Republic of Armenia. The Ottoman Empire occupied the territory in June 1918 but pulled out and paved the way for a British occupation in adherence to the Armistice of Monroe. The Bolsheviks seized the land in 1920 and declared it an autonomous republic while upholding close ties with Azerbaijan. In 1990, it declared independence from the Soviet Union in protest against the marginalization of nationalistic movements in Azerbaijan. A year later, Nakhchivan declared itself an autonomous region of Azerbaijan governed by a democratically elected legislature. The region is still recovering from the Armenian-Azerbaijan war that saw Armenia annex part of its territory.