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The Republic of Armenia is a landlocked country in southern Transcaucasia, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, with Turkey to the west and Georgia to the north, and sharing borders with Azerbaijan in the east, and Iran and the Naxcivan exclave of Azerbaijan in the south.
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| Official language | Armenian | ||||
| Capital | Yerevan | ||||
| Capital's coordinates | 40° 16' N, 44° 34' E | ||||
| Largest City | Yerevan | ||||
| President | Robert Kocharian | ||||
| Prime minister | Andranik Markaryan | ||||
| Area - Total - % water | Ranked 138th 29'800 km² 4.7% | ||||
| Population - Total (2003 est) - Density | Ranked 128th 3'326'448 112/km² | ||||
| Independence | From Soviet Union September 23, 1991 | ||||
| Currency | Dram (AMD) | ||||
| Time zone | UTC +4 (DST +5) | ||||
| National anthem | Mer Hayrenik (Our Fatherland) | ||||
| Internet TLD | .am | ||||
| Calling Code | +374 | ||||
Main article: History of Armenia
Armenia was a rich empire and had a rich culture before 1454, at one period controlling all the land between the Black and Caspian Seas. In 301, Armenia was the first state to formally adopt Christianity as its official state religion, twelve years before Rome. It also changed between various dynasties. But after Parthian, Roman, Mongol, Arab, Egyptian, and Persian occupation, Armenia weakened. In 1454, the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia divided Armenia among themselves.
In 1828, Persian Armenia was incorporated into the Russian Empire. This was repeated with the USSR in 1920, after short time of existing as an independent state. The Armenians living in the western part of Armenia (Ottoman Armenia) were subjected to the Armenian Genocide in 1915 during which 1.5 million Armenians were killed and most of the remaining were deported.
Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated enclave of the Soviet Azerbaijan. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the enclave in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper.
The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution as well as the Turkish economic blockade of Armenia.
Main article: Politics of Armenia
The Government of Armenia's stated aim is to build a Western-style parliamentary democracy as the basis of its form of government. However, international observers have questioned the inherent fairness of Armenia's parliamentary and presidential elections and constitutional referenda since 1995, citing polling deficiencies, lack of cooperation by the electoral commission, and poor maintenance of electoral lists and polling places.
The unicameral parliament (also called the National Assembly) is dominated by a coalition, called "Unity" (Miasnutyun), between the center-right, conservative Republican Party of Armenia and the center-left, socialist People's Party. A new party, the liberal Republic Party, is headed by ex-Prime Minister Aram Sargsian and has become the primary voice of the opposition.
Armenians voted overwhelmingly for independence in a September 1991 referendum. Levon Ter-Petrosian was president until January 1998, when public demonstrations against his policies on Nagorno-Karabakh forced his resignation. In 1999, the assassination of Prime Minister Vazgen Sargsian, parliament Speaker Karen Demirchian, and six other officials led to a period of political instability. President Robert Kocharian was successful in riding out the unrest, however. President Kocharian is a non-partisan (like many of the rulers of Soviet republics) and rules along with the ruling coalition. But Kocharian shows authoritarian tendencies such as restricting the opposition party's activities, free speech, and freedom of the press. There have been numerous protests for Kocharian to leave office, but he does not budge.
Main article: Provinces of Armenia
Armenia is divided into 11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz):
Main article: Geography of Armenia
Armenia is a landlocked country located in south-west Asia, east of Turkey. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with fast flowing rivers and few forests. The climate is highland continental: hot summers and cold winters. The land rises to 4,095 m at Mount Aragats, and no point is below 400m above sea-level. Pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT is not helping the already poor soil quality in many parts of the county. A Turkish energy blockade, the result of the conflict with Azerbaijan, has led to deforestation.
Main article: Economy of Armenia
Main article: Demographics of Armenia
Armenia is a primarily Eastern Orthodox Christian country. Armenia is considered the first nation to adopt Christianity, tracing its church's roots back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. The country formally adopted the Christian faith in 301 A.D. Over 90% of Armenians belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, a form of Eastern Orthodoxy, which is a very ritualistic, conservative church, comparable to the Russian and Greek Orthodox churches. Armenia also has a population of evangelical Protestants and Catholics. The Yezidi Kurds, who live in the western part of the country, practice Zoroastranism or Shamanism. Any ethnic Azeris living in the country practice Islam, but many were deported back to Azerbaijan after the Karabagh War.
Main article: Culture of Armenia
| Countries and Territories in Southwest Asia | ||
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Afghanistan | Armenia | Azerbaijan | Bahrain | Cyprus | Egypt | Gaza Strip | Georgia | Iran | Iraq | Israel | Jordan | Kuwait | Lebanon | Oman | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Syria | Turkey | United Arab Emirates | West Bank | Yemen | ||
| Commonwealth of Independent States |
| Armenia | Azerbaijan | Belarus | Georgia | Kazakhstan | Kyrgyzstan | Moldova | Russia | Tajikistan | Turkmenistan | Ukraine | Uzbekistan |
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