Stepanakert (Armenian: Ստեփանակերտ Step'anakert) or Khankendi (Azerbaijani: Xankəndi), originally called Vararakn (Armenian: Վարարակն), is the capital and the largest city of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, a de facto independent republic. As of 2013, the city has a population of 54,500, most of whom are ethnic Armenians.