1 : Armenia
2 : History
3 : Politics
4 : Provinces
5 : Geography
6 : Economy
7 : Demographics
8 : Culture
9 : Miscellaneous topics
10 : External links and references
Category: Asian Countries
Category: European Countries
Alternate uses: see Armenia (disambiguation).'
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.
{| border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0 align=right style="margin-left:0.5em;" width="300px"
|+Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն
|-
| style="background:#efefef;" align="center" colspan="2" |
{| border="0" cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0
|-
| align="center" width="140px" | || align="center" width="140px" |
|-
| align="center" width="140px" | (In Detail) || align="center" width="140px" | (Full size)
|}
|-
| align="center" colspan=2 style="border-bottom:3px solid gray;" | National motto:
|-
| align=center colspan=2 |
|-
| 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
|}
History
Main article: History of Armenia
Armenia was incorporated into Russian Empire in 1828 and the USSR in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated exclave, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the exclave 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, and the Turkish economic blockade of Armenia.
Also of note is the Armenian Genocide, which began April 24, 1915, and transpired in present-day Turkey. Precise figures are disputed, but Armenian sources report some 1.5 million Armenians were killed or died in the genocide and mass deportations.
Politics
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 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). A new party, the 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. Levin 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, however President Robert Kocharian was successful in riding out the unrest.
Provinces
Main article: Provinces of Armenia
Armenia is divided into 11 provinces (''marzer, singular - marz''):
#Aragatsotn
#Ararat
#Armavir
#Geghark'unik'
#Kotayk'
#Lorri
#Shirak
#Syunik'
#Tavush
#Vayots' Dzor
#Yerevan
Geography
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. An energy blockade, the result of the conflict with Azerbaijan, has led to deforestation.
Economy
Main article: Economy of Armenia
Demographics
Main article: Demographics of Armenia
Armenia is a primarily Oriental Orthodox country. Armenia is considered the first nation to adopt Christianity, tracing its church's roots back to the 3rd and 4th centuries.
Culture
Main article: Culture of Armenia
Miscellaneous topics
External links and references
{{msg:Southwest_Asia}}
{{msg:Commonwealth_of_Independent_States}}
az:Ermənistan
|