Armenia

Coordinates: 40°11′N 44°31′E / 40.183°N 44.517°E / 40.183; 44.517
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Republic of Armenia
Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն (Armenian)
Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
Motto: Մեկ ազգ, մեկ մշակույթ
Mek Azg, Mek Mshakouyt
(English: "One nation, one culture")
Anthem: Մեր Հայրենիք
Christianity
  • —92.5% Armenian Apostolic Church)
  • —2.3% Other Christian
  • 0.8% Yazidism
  • 0.4% Other
  • 4.0% None
  • Demonym(s)Armenian
    GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
    • President
    Vahagn Khachaturyan
    Nikol Pashinyan
    Alen Simonyan
    LegislatureNational Assembly
    Establishment
    16th century BC - 13th century BC
    • Urartu[5]
    860 BC – 590 BC
    6th century BC
    321 BC–428 AD
    190 BC
    52–428
    885–1045
    908–1021
    979–1118
    987–1170
    1000–1261
    1198–1375
    1261–1603
    1603–1822
    28 May 1918
    29 November 1920
    23 September 1991
    21 December 1991
    2 March 1992
    5 July 1995
    Area
    • Total
    29,743 km2 (11,484 sq mi) (138th)
    • Water (%)
    4.71[9]
    Population
    • 2024 estimate
    Increase 3,165,000[10] (138th)
    • Density
    101.5/km2 (262.9/sq mi)
    GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
    • Total
    Increase $58.497 billion[11] (115th)
    • Per capita
    Increase $19,745[11] (81st)
    GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
    • Total
    Increase $24.540 billion[11] (115th)
    • Per capita
    Increase $8,283[11] (82nd)
    Gini (2019)Positive decrease 29.9[12]
    low
    HDI (2021)Increase 0.759[13]
    high (85th)
    CurrencyDram (֏) (AMD)
    Time zoneUTC+4 (AMT)
    Date formatdd.mm.yyyy
    Driving sideright
    Calling code+374
    ISO 3166 codeAM
    Internet TLD
    Website
    www.gov.am

    Armenia (

    exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.[17] Yerevan is the capital, largest city and financial center
    .

    Armenia is a

    Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia was restored in the 9th century before falling in 1045. Cilician Armenia, an Armenian principality and later a kingdom, was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea
    between the 11th and 14th centuries.

    Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the traditional Armenian homeland composed of Eastern Armenia and Western Armenia came under the rule of the Ottoman and Persian empires, repeatedly ruled by either of the two over the centuries. By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been conquered by the Russian Empire, while most of the western parts of the traditional Armenian homeland remained under Ottoman rule. During World War I, 1.5 million Armenians living in their ancestral lands in the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated in the Armenian genocide. In 1918, following the Russian Revolution, all non-Russian countries declared their independence after the Russian Empire ceased to exist, leading to the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia. By 1920, the state was incorporated into the Soviet Union. The modern Republic of Armenia became independent in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.

    Armenia is a

    Organization for Security and Co-Operation in Europe, the Council of Europe, the Eastern Partnership, Eurocontrol, the Assembly of European Regions, and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. Armenia is also a member of certain regional groups throughout Eurasia, including the Asian Development Bank, the Collective Security Treaty Organization, the Eurasian Economic Union, and the Eurasian Development Bank. Armenia supported the once de facto independent Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh), which was proclaimed in 1991 on territory internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan
    , until the republic's dissolution in September 2023.

    Etymology

    The original native

    Koryun,[28] and Sebeos.[29]

    The name has traditionally been derived from

    Ḫayaša
    -Azzi (1600–1200 BC).

    The

    exonym Armenia is attested in the Old Persian Behistun Inscription (515 BC) as Armina (𐎠𐎼𐎷𐎡𐎴). The Ancient Greek terms Ἀρμενία (Armenía) and Ἀρμένιοι (Arménioi, "Armenians") are first mentioned by Hecataeus of Miletus (c. 550 BCc. 476 BC).[33] Xenophon, a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions, describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality in around 401 BC.[34]

    Some scholars have linked the name Armenia with the Early Bronze Age state of

    exonym, it may have meant "wasteland, dense forest", cf. armutu (wasteland), armaḫḫu (thicket, thick woods), armāniš
    (tree). The southerners considered the northern forests to be the abode of dangerous beasts.

    It has also been speculated that the land of Ermenen (located in or near

    Minni), mentioned by the Egyptian pharaoh Thutmose III
    in 1446 BC, could be a reference to Armenia.

    According to the histories of both Moses of Chorene and Michael Chamchian, Armenia derives from the name of

    Table of Nations lists Aram as the son of Shem, to whom the Book of Jubilees attests,

    And for Aram there came forth the fourth portion, all the land of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and the Euphrates to the north of the Chaldees to the border of the mountains of Asshur and the land of 'Arara'.[42][43]

    Jubilees 8:21 also apportions the Mountains of Ararat to Shem, which Jubilees 9:5 expounds to be apportioned to Aram.[42][43]

    The historian Flavius Josephus also states in his

    History

    Prehistoric

    Karahunj
    ).

    The first human traces are supported by the presence of Acheulean tools, generally close to the obsidian outcrops more than 1 million years ago.[45]

    The most recent and important excavation is at the

    Hrazdan river valley.[46] Thousands of 325,000 year-old artifacts may indicate that this stage of human technological innovation occurred intermittently throughout the Old World, rather than spreading from a single point of origin (usually hypothesized to be Africa), as was previously thought.[47]

    Ughtasar Petroglyphs, These petroglyphs, some believed to date back to the Paleolithic (12,000 BCE), are carved onto dark brownish-black volcanic stones left behind by an extinct volcano.

    Many early bronze age settlements were built in Armenia (Valley of Ararat, Shengavit, Harich, Karaz, Amiranisgora, Margahovit, Garni, etc.). One of the important sites of the Early Bronze Age is Shengavit Settlement, It was located on the site of today's capital of Armenia, Yerevan.

    Shengavit Settlement.
    A 5500 year-old leather shoe, the oldest shoe in the world, was discovered in the Areni cave in Armenia.

    Antiquity

    Historical Armenia, 150 BC

    Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the mountains of

    Areni-1 cave complex have resulted in the discovery of the world's earliest known leather shoe,[48] skirt,[49] and wine-producing facility.[50]

    According to the story of

    Gutian dynasty of Sumer in 2115 BC,[51] a time when Hayk may have left with the "more than 300 members of his household" as told in the legend, and also during the beginning of when a Mesopotamian Dark Age was occurring due to the fall of the Akkadian Empire in 2154 BC which may have acted as a backdrop for the events in the legend making him leave Mesopotamia.[52]

    Armenian soldier of the Achaemenid army, c. 470 BC. Xerxes I tomb relief.

    Several

    Armenian Highlands. Each of the aforementioned nations and confederacies participated in the ethnogenesis of the Armenians.[59][60][61][62] A large cuneiform lapidary inscription found in Yerevan established that the modern capital of Armenia was founded in the summer of 782 BC by King Argishti I. Yerevan is one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities.[63]

    Behistun Inscription of Darius I mentioning Armenia. 6th century BC

    After the fall of the state of

    Melitene) and XVIII (northeastern part).[64]

    During the late 6th century BC, the

    , as part of the latter's territories.

    Armenia on the oldest Roman map of Pomponius Mela, 1st century BC Book I, 13: «The interior lands [of Asia] are inhabited by many different tribes: […] beyond the Caspian Gulf - Mosquitoes, Massagetae […] and where the country approaches our seas - Matians, Tibarans and names already more familiar to us: honeys, armenia, commagenes,...»

    The kingdom became fully sovereign from the sphere of influence of the Seleucid Empire in 190 BC under King Artaxias I and begun the rule of the Artaxiad dynasty. Armenia reached its height between 95 and 66 BC under Tigranes the Great, becoming the most powerful kingdom of its time east of the Roman Republic.[65] In the next centuries, Armenia was in the

    Persian Empire's sphere of influence during the reign of Tiridates I, the founder of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia, which itself was a branch of the Parthian Empire. Throughout its history, the kingdom of Armenia enjoyed both periods of independence and periods of autonomy subject to contemporary empires. Its strategic location between two continents has subjected it to invasions by many peoples, including Assyria (under Ashurbanipal, at around 669–627 BC, the boundaries of Assyria reached as far as Armenia and the Caucasus Mountains),[66] Medes, Achaemenid Empire, Greeks, Parthians, Romans, Sasanian Empire, Byzantine Empire, Arabs, Seljuk Empire, Mongols, Ottoman Empire, the successive Safavid, Afsharid, and Qajar
    dynasties of Iran, and the Russians.

    The pagan Garni Temple, probably built in the first century, is the only "Greco-Roman colonnaded building" in the post-Soviet states.[67]

    Religion in ancient Armenia was historically related to a set of beliefs that, in Persia, led to the emergence of

    Astghik. The country used the solar Armenian calendar
    , which consisted of 12 months.

    Christianity spread into the country in the early 4th century AD[68]. Tiridates III of Armenia (238–314) made Christianity the state religion in 301,[68][69] partly, in defiance of the Sasanian Empire, it seems,[70] becoming the first officially Christian state, ten years before the Roman Empire granted Christianity an official toleration under Galerius, and 36 years before Constantine the Great was baptised. Prior to this, during the latter part of the Parthian period, Armenia was a predominantly Zoroastrian country.[70]

    After the fall of the Kingdom of Armenia in 428, most of Armenia was incorporated as a marzpanate within the Sasanian Empire.[71] Following the Battle of Avarayr in 451, Christian Armenians maintained their religion and Armenia gained autonomy.[72]

    Middle Ages

    The Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Armenia's Mother Church traditionally dated 303 AD, is considered the oldest cathedral in the world.[73][74][75]

    The Sassanid Empire was conquered by the Rashidun Caliphate in the mid 7th century, reuniting Armenian lands previously taken by the Byzantine Empire, and Armenia subsequently emerged as Arminiya, an autonomous principality under the Umayyad Caliphate. The principality was ruled by the Prince of Armenia, and recognised by the Caliph and the Byzantine Emperor. It was part of the administrative division/emirate Arminiya created by the Arabs, which also included parts of Georgia and Caucasian Albania, and had its centre in the Armenian city, Dvin. Arminiya lasted until 884, when it regained its independence from the weakened Abbasid Caliphate under Ashot I of Armenia.[76]

    The reemergent Armenian kingdom was ruled by the

    Artsruni in the south, Kingdom of Syunik in the east, or Kingdom of Artsakh on the territory of modern Nagorno-Karabakh, while still recognising the supremacy of the Bagratid kings.[77]

    The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, 1198–1375

    In 1045, the Byzantine Empire conquered Bagratid Armenia. Soon, the other Armenian states fell under Byzantine control as well. The Byzantine rule was short-lived, as in 1071 the

    Ruben I, Prince of Armenia, went with some of his countrymen into the gorges of the Taurus Mountains and then into Tarsus of Cilicia. The Byzantine governor of the palace gave them shelter where the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was eventually established on 6 January 1198 under Leo I, King of Armenia, a descendant of Prince Ruben.[79]

    Cilicia was a strong ally of the European Crusaders, and saw itself as a bastion of Christendom in the East. Cilicia's significance in Armenian history and statehood is also attested by the transfer of the seat of the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the spiritual leader of the Armenian people, to the region.

    The Seljuk Empire soon started to collapse. In the early 12th century, Armenian princes of the Zakarid family drove out the Seljuk Turks and established a semi-independent principality in northern and eastern Armenia known as

    Artsakh and Utik as the Kingdom of Artsakh.[80]

    Early Modern era

    In 1501–02, most of the Eastern Armenian territories, including Yerevan, were conquered by the emerging Safavid dynasty of Iran led by Shah Ismail I.

    During the 1230s, the

    Ağ Qoyunlu, which continued from the 13th century until the 15th century. After incessant invasions, each bringing destruction to the country, with time Armenia became weakened.[81]

    In the 16th century, the

    Ottoman
    rule.

    From 1604,

    invading Ottoman forces, a policy that involved a forced resettlement of masses of Armenians outside of their homelands.[85]

    In the 1813

    Imperial Russia.[86][87] This period is known as Russian Armenia
    .

    While Western Armenia still remained under Ottoman rule, the Armenians were granted considerable autonomy within their own

    enclaves and lived in relative harmony with other groups in the empire (including the ruling Turks). However, as Christians under a strict Muslim social structure, Armenians faced pervasive discrimination. In response to 1894 Sasun rebellion, Sultan Abdul Hamid II organised state-sponsored massacres against the Armenians between 1894 and 1896, resulting in an estimated death toll of 80,000 to 300,000 people. The Hamidian massacres, as they came to be known, gave Hamid international infamy as the "Red Sultan" or "Bloody Sultan".[88]

    During the 1890s, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, commonly known as Dashnaktsutyun, became active within the Ottoman Empire with the aim of unifying the various small groups in the empire that were advocating for reform and defending Armenian villages from massacres that were widespread in some of the Armenian-populated areas of the empire. Dashnaktsutyun members also formed Armenian fedayi groups that defended Armenian civilians through armed resistance. The Dashnaks also worked for the wider goal of creating a "free, independent and unified" Armenia, although they sometimes set aside this goal in favour of a more realistic approach, such as advocating autonomy.

    The Ottoman Empire began to collapse, and in 1908, the

    Armenian reform package (1914) was presented as a solution by appointing an inspector general over Armenian issues.[89]

    World War I and the Armenian genocide

    Armenian genocide victims in 1915

    The outbreak of World War I led to confrontation between the

    Tehcir Law (29 May 1915), eventually a large proportion of Armenians living in Anatolia perished in what has become known as the Armenian genocide
    .

    The genocide was implemented in two phases: the wholesale killing of the able-bodied male population through massacre and subjection of army conscripts to forced labour, followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly and infirm on

    Syrian desert. Driven forward by military escorts, the deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic robbery, rape, and massacre.[90][91] There was local Armenian resistance in the region, developed against the activities of the Ottoman Empire. The events of 1915 to 1917 are regarded by Armenians and the vast majority of Western historians to have been state-sponsored mass killings, or genocide.[92]

    Turkish authorities deny the genocide took place to this day. The Armenian Genocide is acknowledged to have been one of the first modern genocides.[93][94] According to the research conducted by Arnold J. Toynbee, an estimated 600,000 Armenians died during deportation from 1915 to 1916. This figure, however, accounts for solely the first year of the Genocide and does not take into account those who died or were killed after the report was compiled on 24 May 1916.[95] The International Association of Genocide Scholars places the death toll at "more than a million".[96] The total number of people killed has been most widely estimated at between 1 and 1.5 million.[97]

    Armenia and the Armenian diaspora have been campaigning for

    official recognition of the events as genocide for over 30 years. These events are traditionally commemorated yearly on 24 April, the Armenian Martyr Day, or the Day of the Armenian genocide.[98]

    First Republic of Armenia

      Territory held by Armenia and the Karabakh Council at some point
      Area given to Armenia by the Treaty of Sèvres, which was never enforced[99]
    The Government house of the First Republic of Armenia (1918–1920)

    Although the

    Andranik Ozanian and Tovmas Nazarbekian succeeded in gaining most of Western Armenia during World War I, their gains were lost with the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.[citation needed] At the time, Russian-controlled Eastern Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan attempted to bond together in the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. This federation, however, lasted from only February to May 1918, when all three parties decided to dissolve it. As a result, the Dashnaktsutyun government of Eastern Armenia declared its independence on 28 May as the First Republic of Armenia under the leadership of Aram Manukian
    .

    The First Republic's short-lived independence was fraught with war, territorial disputes, large-scale rebellions, and a mass influx of refugees from Western Armenia, bringing with them disease and starvation. The Entente Powers sought to help the newly founded Armenian state through relief funds and other forms of support.

    At the end of the war, the victorious powers sought to divide up the Ottoman Empire. Signed between the Allied and Associated Powers and Ottoman Empire at Sèvres on 10 August 1920, the Treaty of Sèvres promised to maintain the existence of the Armenian republic and to attach the former territories of Western Armenia to it. Because the new borders of Armenia were to be drawn by United States President Woodrow Wilson, Western Armenia was also referred to as "Wilsonian Armenia". In addition, just days prior, on 5 August 1920, Mihran Damadian of the Armenian National Union, the de facto Armenian administration in Cilicia, declared the independence of Cilicia as an Armenian autonomous republic under French protectorate.[100]

    There was even consideration of making Armenia a mandate under the protection of the United States. The treaty, however, was rejected by the Turkish National Movement, and never came into effect. The movement used the treaty as the occasion to declare itself the rightful government of Turkey, replacing the monarchy based in Istanbul with a republic based in Ankara.

    Advance of the 11th Red Army into the city of Yerevan

    In 1920, Turkish nationalist forces invaded the fledgling Armenian republic from the east. Turkish forces under the command of

    Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze, invaded Armenia at Karavansarai (present-day Ijevan) on 29 November. By 4 December, Ordzhonikidze's forces entered Yerevan and the short-lived Armenian republic collapsed.[101]

    After the fall of the republic, the February Uprising soon took place in 1921, and led to the establishment of the Republic of Mountainous Armenia by Armenian forces under command of Garegin Nzhdeh on 26 April, which fought off both Soviet and Turkish intrusions in the Zangezur region of southern Armenia. After Soviet agreements to include the Syunik Province in Armenia's borders, the rebellion ended and the Red Army took control of the region on 13 July.

    Armenian SSR

    The coat of arms of Soviet Armenia depicting Mount Ararat in the centre

    1922 till WWII

    Armenia was annexed by the

    Transcaucasian SFSR (TSFSR) on 4 March 1922.[102][103] With this annexation, the Treaty of Alexandropol was superseded by the Turkish-Soviet Treaty of Kars. In the agreement, Turkey allowed the Soviet Union to assume control over Adjara with the port city of Batumi in return for sovereignty over the cities of Kars, Ardahan, and Iğdır, all of which were part of Russian Armenia.[102][103]

    The TSFSR existed from 1922 to 1936, when it was divided up into three separate entities (

    Communist Party, gradually established himself as the dictator of the USSR. Stalin's reign was characterized by mass repressions, that cost millions of lives all over the USSR.[citation needed
    ]

    WWII; post-Stalinist period

    Armenia was not the scene of any battles in World War II. An estimated 500,000 Armenians (nearly a third of the population) served in the Red Army during the war, and 175,000 died.[104]

    It is claimed[

    CPSU. Soon, life in Armenia's SSR began to see rapid improvement. The church, which was limited during the secretaryship of Stalin, was revived when Catholicos Vazgen I assumed the duties of his office in 1955. In 1967, a memorial to the victims of the Armenian genocide was built at the Tsitsernakaberd hill above the Hrazdan gorge in Yerevan. This occurred after mass demonstrations
    took place on the tragic event's fiftieth anniversary in 1965.

    Gorbachev era

    Armenian SSR
    (1988)

    During the

    anti-Azerbaijani violence in Armenia.[106] Compounding Armenia's problems was a devastating earthquake in 1988 with a moment magnitude of 7.2.[107]

    Gorbachev's inability to alleviate any of Armenia's problems created disillusionment among the Armenians and fed a growing hunger for independence. In May 1990, the New

    Soviet Internal Security Forces (MVD) troops based in Yerevan when Armenians decided to commemorate the establishment of the 1918 First Republic of Armenia. The violence resulted in the deaths of five Armenians killed in a shootout with the MVD at the railway station. Witnesses there claimed that the MVD used excessive force and that they had instigated the fighting.[citation needed
    ]

    Further firefights between Armenian militiamen and Soviet troops occurred in

    pogrom of Armenians in Baku in January 1990 forced almost all of the 200,000 Armenians in the Azerbaijani capital Baku to flee to Armenia.[108] On 23 August 1990, Armenia declared its sovereignty on its territory. On 17 March 1991, Armenia, along with the Baltic states, Georgia and Moldova, boycotted a nationwide referendum in which 78% of all voters voted for the retention of the Soviet Union in a reformed form.[109]

    Restoration of independence

    Armenian soldiers in 2008, during the ongoing and unresolved Nagorno-Karabakh conflict

    On 21 September 1991, Armenia officially declared its

    failed August coup in Moscow, RSFSR. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was popularly elected the first President of the newly independent Republic of Armenia on 16 October 1991. He had risen to prominence by leading the Karabakh movement for the unification of the Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh.[110]
    On 26 December 1991, the Soviet Union ceased to exist and Armenia's independence was recognised.

    Ter-Petrosyan led Armenia alongside Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsyan through the First Nagorno-Karabakh War with neighbouring Azerbaijan. The initial post-Soviet years were marred by economic difficulties, which had their roots early in the Karabakh conflict when the Azerbaijani Popular Front managed to pressure the Azerbaijan SSR to instigate a railway and air blockade against Armenia. This move effectively debilitated Armenia's economy as 85% of its cargo and goods arrived through rail traffic.[110] In 1993, Turkey joined the blockade against Armenia in support of Azerbaijan.[111]

    21 September 2011 parade in Yerevan, marking the 20th anniversary of Armenia's re-independence

    The Karabakh war ended after a Russian-brokered ceasefire was put in place in 1994. The war was a success for the Karabakh Armenian forces who managed to capture 16% of Azerbaijan's internationally recognised territory including almost all of the Nagorno-Karabakh itself.[112] The Armenian backed forces remained in control of practically all of that territory until 2020. The economies of both Armenia and Azerbaijan have been hurt in the absence of a complete resolution and Armenia's borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan remain closed. By the time both Azerbaijan and Armenia had finally agreed to a ceasefire in 1994, an estimated 30,000 people had been killed and over a million had been displaced.[113] Several thousand were killed in the later 2020 Karabakh war.

    21st century

    In the 21st century, Armenia faces many hardships. It has made a full switch to a market economy. One study ranks it the 50th most "economically free" nation in the world, as of 2023.[114] Its relations with Europe, the Arab League, and the Commonwealth of Independent States have allowed Armenia to increase trade.[115][116] Gas, oil, and other supplies come through two vital routes: Iran and Georgia. As of 2016, Armenia maintained cordial relations with both countries.[117][needs update]

    The

    velvet revolution".[118]

    In March 2018, the Armenian parliament elected

    On 27 September 2020, a full-scale war erupted due to the unresolved

    war between Armenia and Azerbaijan was seen by many as Armenia's defeat and capitulation.[123] The year-long March of Dignity
    protests forced early elections.

    On 20 June 2021, Pashinyan's Civil Contract party won an early parliamentary election. Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was officially appointed to the post of prime minister by Armenia's President Armen Sarkissian.[124] In January 2022, Armenian President Armen Sarkissian resigned from office, stating that the constitution no longer gives the president sufficient powers or influence.[125] On 3 March 2022, Vahagn Khachaturyan was elected as the fifth president of Armenia in the second round of parliamentary vote.[126] The next month yet more protests broke out.[127]

    2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh

    Between 19 and 20 September 2023,

    blockading Artsakh, which has resulted in significant scarcities of essential supplies such as food, medicine, and other goods in the affected region.[132]

    One day after the offensive started, on 20 September, a ceasefire agreement was reached at the mediation of the Russian peacekeeping command in Nagorno-Karabakh.[133] Azerbaijan held a meeting with representatives of the Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians on 21 September in Yevlakh, to be followed by another meeting in October.[134][135] Ceasefire violations by Azerbaijan were nonetheless reported by both Artsakhi residents and officials.[136][137]

    Human rights organizations and experts in genocide prevention issued multiple alerts, stating that the region's Armenian population was at risk or actively being subjected to ethnic cleansing and genocide. Luis Moreno Ocampo, a former prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, warned that another Armenian genocide could take place, and attributed the inaction of the international community to encouraging Azerbaijan that it would face no serious consequences.[138]

    Geography

    Satellite image of the territory of Armenia (2003).

    Armenia is a

    exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.[17] Armenia lies between latitudes 38° and 42° N, and meridians 43° and 47° E. It contains two terrestrial ecoregions: Caucasus mixed forests and Eastern Anatolian montane steppe.[140]

    Topography

    Armenia's mountainous and volcanic topography

    Armenia has a territorial area of 29,743 square kilometres (11,484 sq mi). The terrain is mostly mountainous, with fast flowing rivers, and few forests. The land rises to 4,090 metres (13,419 feet)

    above sea level.[141] Average elevation of the country area is tenth highest in the world and it has 85.9% mountain area, more than Switzerland or Nepal.[142]

    Mount Ararat, which was historically part of Armenia, is the highest mountain in the region at 5,137 meters (16,854 feet). Now located in Turkey, but clearly visible from Armenia, it is regarded by the Armenians as a symbol of their land. Because of this, the mountain is present on the Armenian national emblem today.[143][144][145]

    Climate

    Köppen-Geiger climate classification map for Armenia[146]

    The climate in Armenia is markedly highland continental. Summers are hot, dry and sunny, lasting from June to mid-September. The temperature fluctuates between 22 and 36 °C (72 and 97 °F). However, the low humidity level mitigates the effect of high temperatures. Evening breezes blowing down the mountains provide a welcome refreshing and cooling effect. Springs are short, while autumns are long. Autumns are known for their vibrant and colourful foliage.

    Winters are quite cold with plenty of snow, with temperatures ranging between −10 and −5 °C (14 and 23 °F).

    above sea level
    .

    Environment

    Carbon dioxide emissions in metric tons per capita in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Russia, Germany, Italy, USA in 2000–2012. World Bank data.

    Armenia ranked 63rd out of 180 countries on Environmental Performance Index (EPI) in 2018. Its rank on subindex Environmental Health (which is weighted at 40% in EPI) is 109, while Armenia's rank on subindex of Ecosystem Vitality (weighted at 60% in EPI) is 27th best in the world.[147] This suggests that main environmental issues in Armenia are with population health, while environment vitality is of lesser concern. Out of sub-subindices contributing to Environmental Health subindex ranking on Air Quality to which population is exposed is particularly unsatisfying.

    Waste management in Armenia is underdeveloped, as no waste sorting or recycling takes place at Armenia's 60 landfills. A waste processing plant is scheduled for construction near Hrazdan city, which will allow for closure of 10 waste dumps.[148]

    Despite the availability of abundant renewable energy sources in Armenia (especially

    nuclear power plant at Metsamor,[149] the Armenian Government is exploring the possibilities of installing new small modular nuclear reactors. In 2018 existing nuclear plant is scheduled for modernization to enhance its safety and increase power production by about 10%.[150][151]

    Government and politics

    The National Assembly in Yerevan

    Armenia is a

    semi-presidential republic
    until April 2018.

    According to the current Constitution of Armenia, the President is the head of state holding largely representational functions, while the Prime Minister is the head of government and exercises executive power.

    Since 1995

    unicameral parliament consisting of 105 members.[152]

    The Fragile States Index since its first report in 2006 until most recent in 2019, consistently ranked Armenia better than all its neighboring countries (with one exception in 2011).[153]

    Armenia has universal suffrage above the age of eighteen.[154][155]

    Foreign relations

    U.S. Secretary Mike Pompeo with Armenian President Armen Sarkissian

    Armenia became a member of the

    CSTO military alliance, and also participates in NATO's Partnership for Peace program and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council. In 2004, its forces joined KFOR, a NATO-led international force in Kosovo. Armenia is also an observer member of the Arab League,[156] the Organization of American States, the Pacific Alliance, the Non-Aligned Movement, and a dialogue partner in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation. As a result of its historical ties to France, Armenia was selected to host the biennial Francophonie summit in 2018.[157]

    Armenia has a difficult relation with neighbouring countries Azerbaijan and Turkey. Tensions were running high between Armenians and Azerbaijanis during the final years of the Soviet Union. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict dominated the region's politics throughout the 1990s.[158] To this day, Armenia's borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan are under severe blockade. In addition, a permanent solution for the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not been reached despite the mediation provided by organizations such as the OSCE.

    Turkey also has a long history of poor relations with Armenia over its refusal to acknowledge the Armenian genocide, even though it was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Armenia (the third republic) after its independence from the USSR in 1991. Despite this, for most of the 20th century and early 21st century, relations remain tense and there are no formal diplomatic relations between the two countries due to Turkey's refusal to establish them for numerous reasons. During the first Nagorno-Karabakh War, and citing it as the reason, Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993. It has not lifted its blockade despite pressure from the powerful Turkish business lobby interested in Armenian markets.[158]

    Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

    On 10 October 2009, Armenia and Turkey signed protocols on the normalisation of relations, which set a timetable for restoring diplomatic ties and reopening their joint border.[159] The ratification of those had to be made in the national parliaments. In Armenia, before sending the protocols to the parliament, it was sent to the Constitutional Court to have their constitutionality to be approved. The Constitutional Court made references to the preamble of the protocols underlying three main issues.[160] One of them stated that the implementation of the protocols did not imply Armenia's official recognition of the existing Turkish-Armenian border established by the Treaty of Kars. By doing so, the Constitutional Court rejected one of the main premises of the protocols, i.e. "the mutual recognition of the existing border between the two countries as defined by relevant treaties of international law".[160][161] This was for the Turkish Government the reason to back down from the Protocols.[162] The Armenian President had made multiple public announcements, both in Armenia and abroad, that, as the leader of the political majority of Armenia, he assured the parliamentary ratification of the protocols if Turkey also ratified them. Despite this, the process stopped, as Turkey continuously added more preconditions to its ratification and also "delayed it beyond any reasonable time-period".[citation needed]

    Due to its position between two hostile neighbours, Armenia has close security ties with Russia. At the request of the Armenian government, Russia maintains a

    US Census Bureau, there are 427,822 Armenian Americans in the country.[164]

    Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at the Armenian Genocide memorial in Yerevan

    Because of the illicit border blockades by Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenia continues to maintain solid relations with its southern neighbour Iran, especially in the economic sector. Economic projects are being developed between the two nations, including a gas pipeline going from Iran to Armenia.

    Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe and maintains close relations with the European Union; especially with its member states France and Greece. In January 2002, the European Parliament noted that Armenia may enter the EU in the future.[165] A 2005 survey reported that 64% of Armenians favored joining the EU,[166] a move multiple Armenian officials have voiced support for.[167]

    Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) on 24 November 2017. The agreement enhances the relationship between Armenia and the EU to a new partnership level, further develops cooperation in economic, trade and political areas, aims to improve investment climate, and is designed to bring Armenian law gradually closer to the EU acquis.[171][172][173]

    Legally speaking, Armenia has the right to be considered as a prospective EU member provided it meets necessary standards and criteria, though officially such a plan does not exist in Brussels.[174][175][176][177] Armenia is included in the EU's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) and participates in both the Eastern Partnership and the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, which aims at bringing the EU and its neighbours closer.

    Following the 2023 Azerbaijani offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenia's relations with a long-term ally Russia started to deteriorate. In February 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said that the CSTO "hasn't fulfilled its security obligations towards Armenia" and that "in practice we have basically frozen our participation in the CSTO".[178] On 28 February 2024, during a speech made in the National Assembly, Pashinyan further stated that the CSTO is "a threat to the national security of Armenia".[179] In March 2024, Armenia officially expelled Russian border guards from the Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan.[180]

    On 2 March 2024, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan advised that Armenia would officially "apply to become a candidate for EU membership in the coming days, within a month at most".[181][182] On 5 March, Pashinyan stated that Armenia would apply for EU candidacy by Autumn 2024 at the latest.[183] On 8 March 2024, Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan stated, "Armenia is seeking to get closer to the West amid worsening relations with Russia" and "New opportunities are largely being discussed in Armenia nowadays, that includes membership in the European Union".[184][185]

    Military

    Su-25s
    during a military parade

    The

    collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and with the establishment of the Ministry of Defence in 1992. The Commander-in-Chief of the military is the Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan. The Ministry of Defence is in charge of political leadership, headed by Davit Tonoyan, while military command remains in the hands of the general staff, headed by the Chief of Staff, who is Lieutenant-General Onik Gasparyan
    .

    Active forces now number about 81,000 soldiers, with an additional reserve of 32,000 troops. Armenian border guards are in charge of patrolling the country's borders with Georgia and Azerbaijan, while Russian troops continue to monitor its borders with Iran and Turkey. In the case of an attack, Armenia is able to mobilize every able-bodied man between the age of 15 and 59, with military preparedness.[citation needed]

    The

    Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO). Armenia also has an Individual Partnership Action Plan with NATO and it participates in NATO's Partnership for Peace (PiP) program and the Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council
    (EAPC).

    Human rights and freedom

    protest movement in Armenia
    .

    Human rights in Armenia tend to be better than those in most former Soviet republics and have drawn closer to acceptable standards, especially economically.[citation needed] Nonetheless, there are still several considerable problems.

    Armenia scored 5.63 on The Economist Democracy Index, published in January 2023 (data for 2022). Although still classified as "hybrid regime", Armenia recorded the strongest improvement among European countries and reached its ever-best score since calculation began in 2006.[186]

    Armenia is classified as "partly free" in the 2019 report (with data from 2018) by Freedom House, which gives it a score of 51 out of 100,[187] which is 6 points ahead of the previous estimate.[188]

    Armenia recorded unprecedented progress in the 2019

    World Press Freedom Index published by Reporters Without Borders, improving its position by 19 points and ranking 61st on the list. The publication also confirms the absence of cases of killed journalists, citizen journalists or media assistants.[189][190]

    Armenia ranks 26th in the 2022 report of The Human Freedom Index published by the American

    Armenia ranked 29th for economic freedom and 76th for personal freedom among 159 countries in the 2017 Human Freedom Index published by the Cato Institute.[192][193]

    These classifications may improve when data from 2018, including the period of the

    velvet revolution and thereafter, is analyzed.[citation needed
    ]

    In October 2023 Armenia ratified signing the

    Rome statute, whereby Armenia will become a full member of the International Criminal Court.[194]

    Administrative divisions

    Geghard monastery, Kotayk Province

    Armenia is divided into ten provinces (marzer, singular marz), with the city (kaghak) of Yerevan (Երևան) having special administrative status as the country's capital. The chief executive in each of the ten provinces is the marzpet (marz governor), appointed by the government of Armenia. In Yerevan, the chief executive is the mayor, elected since 2009.

    Within each province there are

    communities (hamaynkner, singular hamaynk). Each community is self-governing and consists of one or more settlements (bnakavayrer, singular bnakavayr). Settlements are classified as either towns (kaghakner, singular kaghak) or villages (gyugher, singular gyugh). As of 2007, Armenia includes 915 communities, of which 49 are considered urban and 866 are considered rural. The capital, Yerevan, also has the status of a community.[195]
    Additionally, Yerevan is divided into twelve semi-autonomous districts.

    Province Capital Area (km2) Population †
    Aragatsotn Արագածոտն Ashtarak Աշտարակ 2,756 132,925
    Ararat Արարատ Artashat Արտաշատ 2,090 260,367
    Armavir Արմավիր Armavir Արմավիր 1,242 265,770
    Gegharkunik   Գեղարքունիք   Gavar Գավառ 5,349 235,075
    Kotayk Կոտայք Hrazdan Հրազդան 2,086 254,397
    Lori Լոռի Vanadzor Վանաձոր 3,799 235,537
    Shirak Շիրակ Gyumri Գյումրի 2,680 251,941
    Syunik Սյունիք Kapan Կապան 4,506 141,771
    Tavush
    Տավուշ Ijevan Իջևան 2,704 128,609
    Vayots Dzor
    Վայոց Ձոր Yeghegnadzor   Եղեգնաձոր   2,308 52,324
    Yerevan Երևան 223 1,060,138

    † 2011 census
    Sources: Area and population of provinces.
    [196]

    Economy

    The economy relies heavily on investment and support from Armenians abroad.

    manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy.[68]

    Agriculture accounted for less than 20% of both

    dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. After independence, the importance of agriculture in the economy increased markedly, its share at the end of the 1990s rising to more than 30% of GDP and more than 40% of total employment.[198] This increase in the importance of agriculture was attributable to food security needs of the population in the face of uncertainty during the first phases of transition and the collapse of the non-agricultural sectors of the economy in the early 1990s. As the economic situation stabilised and growth resumed, the share of agriculture in GDP dropped to slightly over 20% (2006 data), although the share of agriculture in employment remained more than 40%.[199]

    Yerevan is the economic and cultural centre of Armenia.

    Armenian mines produce copper, zinc, gold, and lead. The vast majority of energy is produced with fuel imported from Russia, including gas and nuclear fuel (for its one nuclear power plant); the main domestic energy source is hydroelectric. Small deposits of coal, gas, and petroleum exist but have not yet been developed.

    Access to biocapacity in Armenia is lower than world average. In 2016, Armenia had 0.8 global hectares [200] of biocapacity per person within its territory, much less than the world average of 1.6 global hectares per person.[201] In 2016 Armenia used 1.9 global hectares of biocapacity per person—their ecological footprint of consumption. This means they use double as much biocapacity as Armenia contains. As a result, Armenia is running a biocapacity deficit.[200]

    Like other

    Armenian energy crisis of 1990s. The GDP fell nearly 60% between 1989 and 1993, but then resumed robust growth after the power plant was reopened in 1995.[198]
    The national currency, the dram, suffered hyperinflation for the first years after its introduction in 1993.

    Nevertheless, the government was able to make wide-ranging economic reforms that paid off in dramatically lower inflation and steady growth. The 1994 ceasefire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has also helped the economy. Armenia has had strong economic growth since 1995, building on the turnaround that began the previous year, and inflation has been negligible for the past several years. New sectors, such as precious-stone processing and jewelry making, information and communication technology and tourism are beginning to supplement more traditional sectors of the economy, such as agriculture.[202]

    This steady economic progress has earned Armenia increasing support from international institutions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and other international financial institutions (IFIs) and foreign countries are extending considerable grants and loans. Loans to Armenia since 1993 exceed $1.1 billion. These loans are targeted at reducing the budget deficit and stabilising the currency; developing private businesses; energy; agriculture; food processing; transportation; the health and education sectors; and ongoing rehabilitation in the earthquake zone. The government joined the World Trade Organization on 5 February 2003. But one of the main sources of foreign direct investments remains the Armenian diaspora, which finances major parts of the reconstruction of infrastructure and other public projects. Being a growing democratic state, Armenia also hopes to get more financial aid from the Western World.

    A liberal foreign investment law was approved in June 1994, and a law on privatization was adopted in 1997, as well as a program of state property privatization. Continued progress will depend on the ability of the government to strengthen its macroeconomic management, including increasing revenue collection, improving the investment climate, and making strides against corruption. However, unemployment, which was 18.5% in 2015,[203] still remains a major problem due to the influx of thousands of refugees from the Karabakh conflict.

    In 2017, the economy grew by 7.5% due to rising copper prices.[152]

    In 2022, Armenia's GDP stood at $39.4 billion, and enjoyed an economic freedom index of 65.3, according to Heritage Organisation.[204]

    The Armenian economy is predicted to grow by 13% in 2022 due to a huge influx of Russian citizens.[205] The IMF's preliminary forecast as of March 2022 predicted growth of 1.5% for the year.[206]

    Science, technology and education

    Science and technology

    Research spending is low in Armenia, averaging 0.25% of GDP over 2010–2013. However, the statistical record of research expenditure is incomplete, as expenditure by privately owned business enterprises is not surveyed in Armenia. The world average for domestic expenditure on research was 1.7% of GDP in 2013.[207]

    Gross domestic expenditure on R&D (GERD) to GDP ratio for the Black Sea countries, 2001–2013. Source: UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 (2015), Figure 12.3.

    The country's Strategy for the Development of Science 2011–2020 envisions that 'by 2020, Armenia is a country with a knowledge-based economy and is competitive within the European Research Area with its level of basic and applied research.' It fixes the following targets:[207]

    • Creation of a system capable of sustaining the development of science and technology;
    • Development of scientific potential, modernization of scientific infrastructure;
    • Promotion of basic and applied research;
    • Creation of a synergistic system of education, science and innovation; and
    • Becoming a prime location for scientific specialization in the European Research Area.

    Based on this strategy, the accompanying Action Plan was approved by the government in June 2011. It defines the following targets:[207]

    • Improve the management system for science and technology and create the requisite conditions for sustainable development;
    • Involve more young, talented people in education and research, while upgrading research infrastructure;
    • Create the requisite conditions for the development of an integrated national innovation system; and
    • Enhance international co-operation in research and development.
    GERD in the Black Sea region by sector of performance, 2005 and 2013. Source: UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 (2015), Figure 12.5.

    Although the Strategy clearly pursues a 'science push' approach, with public research institutes serving as the key policy target, it nevertheless mentions the goal of establishing an innovation system. However, the main driver of innovation, the business sector, is not mentioned. In between publishing the Strategy and Action Plan, the government issued a resolution in May 2010 on Science and Technology Development Priorities for 2010–2014. These priorities are:[207]

    • Armenian studies, humanities and social sciences;
    • Life sciences;
    • Renewable energy, new energy sources;
    • Advanced technologies, information technologies;
    • Space, Earth sciences, sustainable use of natural resources; and
    • Basic research promoting essential applied research.

    The Law on the National Academy of Sciences was adopted in May 2011. This law is expected to play a key role in shaping the Armenian innovation system. It allows the National Academy of Sciences to extend its business activities to the commercialization of research results and the creation of spin-offs; it also makes provision for restructuring the National Academy of Sciences by combining institutes involved in closely related research areas into a single body. Three of these new centres are particularly relevant: the Centre for Biotechnology, the Centre for Zoology and Hydro-ecology and the Centre for Organic and Pharmaceutical Chemistry.[207]

    The government is focusing its support on selected industrial sectors. More than 20 projects have been cofunded by the State Committee of Science in targeted branches: pharmaceuticals, medicine and biotechnology, agricultural mechanization and machine building, electronics, engineering, chemistry and, in particular, the sphere of information technology.[207]

    Over the past decade, the government has made an effort to encourage science–industry linkages. The Armenian information technology sector has been particularly active: a number of public–private partnerships have been established between companies and universities, in order to give students marketable skills and generate innovative ideas at the interface of science and business. Examples are Synopsys Inc. and the Enterprise Incubator Foundation.[207] Armenia was ranked 72nd in the Global Innovation Index in 2023, down from 64th in 2019.[208][209][210]

    Education

    Yerevan State University building

    In medieval times, the University of Gladzor and University of Tatev took an important role for Armenian education.[citation needed]

    A literacy rate of 100% was reported as early as 1960.[211] In the communist era, Armenian education followed the standard Soviet model of complete state control (from Moscow) of curricula and teaching methods and close integration of education activities with other aspects of society, such as politics, culture, and the economy.[211]

    In the 1988–89 school year, 301 students per 10,000 were in specialized secondary or higher education, a figure slightly lower than the Soviet average.

    preschools.[211] In 1992 Armenia's largest institution of higher learning, Yerevan State University, had eighteen departments, including ones for social sciences, sciences, and law.[211] Its faculty numbered about 1,300 teachers and its student population about 10,000 students.[211] The National Polytechnic University of Armenia is operating since 1933.[211]

    In the early 1990s, Armenia made substantial changes to the centralised and regimented Soviet system.[211] Because at least 98% of students in higher education were Armenian, curricula began to emphasise Armenian history and culture.[211] Armenian became the dominant language of instruction, and many schools that had taught in Russian closed by the end of 1991.[211] Russian was still widely taught, however, as a second language.[211]

    In 2014, the National Program for Educational Excellence embarked on creating an internationally competitive and academically rigorous alternative educational program (the Araratian Baccalaureate) for Armenian schools and increasing the importance and status of the teacher's role in society.[212][213]

    The Ministry of Education and Science is responsible for regulation of the sector. Primary and secondary education in Armenia is free, and completion of secondary school is compulsory.[211] Higher education in Armenia is harmonized with the Bologna process and the European Higher Education Area. The Armenian National Academy of Sciences plays an important role in postgraduate education.

    Schooling takes 12 years in Armenia and breaks down into primary (4 years), middle (5 years) and high school (3 years). Schools engage a 10-grade mark system. The government also supports Armenian schools outside of Armenia.

    Gross enrollment in tertiary education at 44% in 2015 surpassed peer countries of the South Caucasus but remained below the average for Europe and Central Asia.[214] However, public spending per student in tertiary education in GDP-ratio terms is one of the lowest for post-USSR countries (for which data was available).[215]

    Demographics

    Population pyramid 2016

    Armenia has a population of 2,932,731 as of 2022

    USSR.[218] In the past years emigration levels have declined and some population growth is observed since 2012.[219]

    The Armenian population around the world

    Armenia has a relatively large external diaspora (8 million by some estimates, greatly exceeding the 3 million population of Armenia itself), with communities existing across the globe. The largest Armenian communities outside of Armenia can be found in Russia, France, Iran, the United States, Georgia, Syria, Lebanon, Australia, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Poland, Ukraine and Brazil. 40,000 to 70,000 Armenians still live in Turkey (mostly in and around Istanbul).[220]

    About 1,000 Armenians reside in the

    Mechitarists, an Armenian Catholic congregation.[222] Approximately 139,000 Armenians lived in the de facto independent country Republic of Artsakh where they formed a majority before 1 October 2023, when almost the entire population of the region had fled to Armenia.[223][224]

    Ethnic groups

    Historical and modern distribution of Armenians.
    Settlement area of Armenians in early 20th century:
      >50%       25–50%       <25%
      Armenian settlement area today

    Ethnic

    Kurds, Georgians, Belarusians, and Jews. There are also smaller communities of Vlachs, Mordvins, Ossetians, Udis, and Tats. Minorities of Poles and Caucasus Germans also exist though they are heavily Russified.[225] As of 2022, there are 31,077 Yazidis in Armenia.[226]

    During the

    Soviet era, Azerbaijanis were historically the second largest population in the country, numbering 76,550 in 1922,[227] and forming about 2.5% in 1989.[228] However, due to the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh
    , virtually all of them emigrated from Armenia to Azerbaijan. Conversely, Armenia received a large influx of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan, thus giving Armenia a more homogeneous character.

    According to Gallup research conducted in 2017 Armenia has one of the highest migrant acceptance (welcoming) rates in eastern Europe.[229]

    Languages

    Armenian-language writing

    Armenians have their own distinct

    Cilician period.[231] The main foreign languages that Armenians know are Russian and English. Due to its Soviet past, most of the old population can speak Russian quite well. According to a 2013 survey, 95% of Armenians said they had some knowledge of Russian (24% advanced, 59% intermediate) compared to 40% who said they knew some English (4% advanced, 16% intermediate and 20% beginner). However, more adults (50%) think that English should be taught in public secondary schools than those who prefer Russian (44%).[232]

    Cities

     
     
    Largest cities or towns in Armenia
    Rank
    Name
    Province
    Pop.
    Rank
    Name
    Province
    Pop.
    Yerevan
    Yerevan
    Gyumri
    Gyumri
    1 Yerevan Yerevan 1,060,138 11 Gavar Gegharkunik 20,765 Vanadzor
    Vanadzor
    Vagharshapat
    Vagharshapat
    2 Gyumri Shirak 121,976 12 Goris Syunik 20,591
    3 Vanadzor Lori 86,199 13 Charentsavan Kotayk 20,363
    4 Vagharshapat Armavir 46,540 14 Ararat Ararat 20,235
    5 Abovyan Kotayk 43,495 15 Masis Ararat 20,215
    6 Kapan Syunik 43,190 16 Ashtarak Aragatsotn 19,615[242]
    7 Hrazdan Kotayk 41,875 17 Artik Shirak 19,534
    8 Armavir Armavir 29,319 18 Sevan Gegharkunik 19,229
    9 Artashat Ararat 22,269 19 Dilijan Tavush 17,712
    10 Ijevan Tavush 21,081 [243] 20 Sisian Syunik 14,894

    Religion

    The 7th-century Khor Virap monastery in the shadow of Mount Ararat, the peak on which Noah's Ark, is said to have landed during the biblical flood.
    Portal to the Holy City at Echmiazin, the seat of the Catholicos

    Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, an event traditionally dated to AD 301.[244][245][246]

    The predominant

    apostles – Thaddaeus and Bartholomew
    – who preached Christianity in Armenia between AD 40–60.

    Over 93% of Christians in Armenia belong to the

    Oriental Orthodoxy
    —of which it is itself a member.

    The

    Mekhitar of Sebaste. They are best known for their series of scholarly publications of ancient Armenian
    versions of otherwise lost ancient Greek texts.

    The Armenian Evangelical Church has several thousand members throughout the country.

    Other Christian denominations in Armenia are the Pentecostal branches of Protestant community such as the Word of Life, the

    Presbyterians.[252]

    Armenia is also home to a Russian community of Molokans which practice a form of Spiritual Christianity originated from the Russian Orthodox Church.[253]

    The Yazidis, who live in the western part of the country, practice Yazidism.[254] The world's largest Yazidi temple, Quba Mêrê Dîwanê, was completed in 2019[255] in the village of Aknalich.[226]

    There is a

    Sevan located near Lake Sevan
    .

    Health care

    Healthcare in Armenia has undergone significant changes since independence in 1991. Initially, the Soviet healthcare system was highly centralized and provided free medical assistance to all citizens. After independence, the healthcare system underwent reform and primary care services have been free of charge since 2006. Despite improvements in accessibility and the implementation of an Open Enrollment program, out-of-pocket health expenditures remain high and corruption among healthcare professionals remains a concern.[256] In 2019, healthcare became free for all citizens under the age of 18 and the number of people receiving free or subsidized care under the Basic Benefits Package was increased.[257][258]

    After a significant decline in earlier decades, crude[e] birth rates in Armenia slightly increased from 13.0 (per 1000 people) in the year 1998 to 14.2 in 2015;[259] this timeframe also showed a similar trajectory in the crude death rate, which grew from 8.6 to 9.3.[260] Life expectancy at birth at 74.8 years was the 4th-highest among the Post-Soviet states in 2014.[261]

    Culture

    Architecture

    Talin Cathedral, Saint Hripsime Church
    .

    Armenian architecture, as it originates in an earthquake-prone region, tends to be built with this hazard in mind. Armenian buildings tend to be rather low-slung and thick-walled in design. Armenia has abundant resources of stone, and relatively few forests, so stone was nearly always used throughout for large buildings. Small buildings and most residential buildings were normally constructed of lighter materials, and hardly any early examples survive, as at the abandoned medieval capital of Ani.[262]

    Music and dance

    Djivan Gasparyan (left), Sirusho (middle), and Charles Aznavour (right) are among the most popular musicians of Armenia.

    Armenian music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by Djivan Gasparyan's well-known duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive Christian music.

    Instruments like the duduk,

    Aram Khatchaturian became internationally well known for his music, for various ballets and the Sabre Dance from his composition for the ballet Gayane
    .

    The Armenian Genocide caused widespread emigration that led to the settlement of Armenians in various countries in the world. Armenians kept to their traditions and certain diasporans rose to fame with their music. In the post-genocide Armenian community of the United States, the so-called "kef" style Armenian dance music, using Armenian and Middle Eastern folk instruments (often electrified/amplified) and some western instruments, was popular. This style preserved the folk songs and dances of Western Armenia, and many artists also played the contemporary popular songs of Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries from which the Armenians emigrated.

    Traditional Armenian dance

    Big Band Jazz of the time. Later, stemming from the Middle Eastern Armenian diaspora and influenced by Continental European (especially French) pop music, the Armenian pop music genre grew to fame in the 1960s and 1970s with artists such as Adiss Harmandian and Harout Pamboukjian performing to the Armenian diaspora and Armenia; also with artists such as Sirusho
    , performing pop music combined with Armenian folk music in today's entertainment industry.

    Other Armenian diasporans that rose to fame in classical or international music circles are world-renowned

    Armenian revolutionary songs
    are popular with the youth. These songs encourage Armenian patriotism and are generally about Armenian history and national heroes.

    Art

    Ancient Armenian Khachkars (cross-stones)

    Yerevan Vernissage (arts and crafts market), close to Republic Square, bustles with hundreds of vendors selling a variety of crafts on weekends and Wednesdays (though the selection is much reduced mid-week). The market offers woodcarving, antiques, fine lace, and the hand-knotted wool carpets and kilims that are a Caucasus speciality. Obsidian, which is found locally, is crafted into assortment of jewellery and ornamental objects. Armenian gold smithery enjoys a long tradition, populating one corner of the market with a selection of gold items. Soviet relics and souvenirs of recent Russian manufacture – nesting dolls, watches, enamel boxes and so on – are also available at the Vernisage.

    Across from the Opera House, a popular art market fills another city park on the weekends. Armenia's long history as a crossroads of the ancient world has resulted in a landscape with innumerable fascinating archaeological sites to explore. Medieval, Iron Age, Bronze Age and even Stone Age sites are all within a few hours drive from the city. All but the most spectacular remain virtually undiscovered, allowing visitors to view churches and fortresses in their original settings.

    Queen Zabel's Return to the Palace, Vardges Sureniants (1909)

    The National Art Gallery in Yerevan has more than 16,000 works that date back to the Middle Ages, which indicate Armenia's rich tales and stories of the times. It houses paintings by many European masters as well. The Modern Art Museum, the Children's Picture Gallery, and the Martiros Saryan Museum are only a few of the other noteworthy collections of fine art on display in Yerevan. Moreover, many private galleries are in operation, with many more opening every year, featuring rotating exhibitions and sales.

    On 13 April 2013, the Armenian government announced a change in law to allow freedom of panorama for 3D works of art.[263]

    Cinema

    Cinema in Armenia was born on 16 April 1923, when the Armenian State Committee of Cinema was established by a decree of the Soviet Armenian government.

    However, the first Armenian film with Armenian subject called "Haykakan Sinema" was produced earlier in 1912 in Cairo by Armenian-Egyptian publisher Vahan Zartarian. The film was premiered in Cairo on 13 March 1913.[264]

    In March 1924, the first Armenian film studio; Armenfilm (Armenian: Հայֆիլմ "Hayfilm", Russian: Арменкино "Armenkino") was established in Yerevan, starting with a documentary film called Soviet Armenia.

    Namus was the first Armenian silent black-and-white film, directed by Hamo Beknazarian in 1925, based on a play of Alexander Shirvanzade, describing the ill fate of two lovers, who were engaged by their families to each other since childhood, but because of violations of namus (a tradition of honor), the girl was married by her father to another person. The first sound film, Pepo was shot in 1935 and directed by Hamo Beknazarian.

    Sport

    The Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan
    The Armenia national football team in Dublin, Ireland
    Chess Grandmaster Levon Aronian is a former FIDE No. 2 rated player and the fourth-highest rated player in history.
    World Chess Champion

    A wide array of sports are played in Armenia, the most popular among them being wrestling, weightlifting, judo, association football, chess, and boxing. Armenia's mountainous terrain provides great opportunities for the practice of sports like skiing and climbing. Being a landlocked country, water sports can only be practised on lakes, notably

    IIHF). It also hosts the Pan-Armenian Games
    .

    Prior to 1992, Armenians would participate in the Olympics representing the USSR. As part of the Soviet Union, Armenia was very successful, winning plenty of medals and helping the USSR win the medal standings at the Olympics on numerous occasions. The first medal won by an Armenian in modern Olympic history was by Hrant Shahinyan (sometimes spelled as Grant Shaginyan), who won two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. To highlight the level of success of Armenians in the Olympics, Shahinyan was quoted as saying:

    "Armenian sportsmen had to outdo their opponents by several notches for the shot at being accepted into any Soviet team. But those difficulties notwithstanding, 90 percent of Armenian athletes on Soviet Olympic teams came back with medals."[265]

    Armenia first participated at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona under a unified CIS team, where it was very successful, winning three golds and one silver in weightlifting, wrestling and sharp shooting, despite only having five athletes. Since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Armenia has participated as an independent nation.

    Armenia participates in the Summer Olympic Games in boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, gymnastics, track and field, diving, swimming and sharp shooting. It also participates in the Winter Olympic Games in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and figure skating.

    FIFA World Rankings in September 2011. The national team is controlled by the Football Federation of Armenia. The Armenian Premier League is the highest level football competition in Armenia, and has been dominated by FC Pyunik in recent seasons. The league currently consists of eight teams and relegates to the Armenian First League
    .

    Armenia and the Armenian diaspora have produced many successful footballers, including

    A.S. Roma and currently for Inter Milan. [266]

    Wrestling has been a successful sport in the Olympics for Armenia. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Armen Nazaryan won the gold in the Men's Greco-Roman Flyweight (52 kg) category and Armen Mkrtchyan won the silver in Men's Freestyle Paperweight (48 kg) category, securing Armenia's first two medals in its Olympic history.

    Traditional Armenian wrestling is called Kokh and practised in traditional garb; it was one of the influences included in the Soviet combat sport of Sambo, which is also very popular.[267]

    The government of Armenia budgets about $2.8 million annually for sports and gives it to the National Committee of Physical Education and Sports, the body that determines which programs should benefit from the funds.[265]

    Due to the lack of success lately on the international level, in recent years, Armenia has rebuilt 16 Soviet-era sports schools and furnished them with new equipment for a total cost of $1.9 million. The rebuilding of the regional schools was financed by the Armenian government. $9.3 million has been invested in the resort town of

    winter sports events. In 2005, a cycling centre was opened in Yerevan with the aim of helping produce world class Armenian cyclists. The government has also promised a cash reward of $700,000 to Armenians who win a gold medal at the Olympics.[265]

    Armenia has also been very successful in chess, winning the World Champion in 2011 and the World Chess Olympiad on three occasions.[268]

    Cuisine

    Armenian wine

    Armenian cuisine is closely related to eastern and Mediterranean cuisine; various spices, vegetables, fish, and fruits combine to present unique dishes. The main characteristics of Armenian cuisine are a reliance on the quality of the ingredients rather than heavily spicing food, the use of herbs, the use of wheat in a variety of forms, of legumes, nuts, and fruit (as a main ingredient as well as to sour food), and the stuffing of a wide variety of leaves.

    The pomegranate, with its symbolic association with fertility, represents the nation. The apricot is the national fruit.

    Media

    Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on

    Press Freedom Index report compiled by Reporters Without Borders, between Georgia and Poland.[269] Armenia's press freedom rose considerably following the 2018 Velvet Revolution.[270]

    As of 2020, the biggest issue facing press freedom in Armenia is judicial harassment of journalists, specifically defamation suits and attacks on journalists' right to protect sources,[271] as well as excessive responses to combat disinformation spread by social media users. Reporters Without Borders also cites continued concerns about lack of transparency regarding ownership of media outlets.[269]

    See also

    Explanatory notes

    1. ^ Armenian: Հայաստան, romanizedHayastan IPA: [hɑjɑsˈtɑn]
    2. ^ Armenian: Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն, romanizedHayastani Hanrapetut'yun, IPA: [hɑjɑstɑˈni hɑnɾɑpɛtutʰˈjun]
    3. ^ Smaller nations that have claimed a prior official adoption of Christianity include Osroene, the Silures, and San Marino. See Timeline of official adoptions of Christianity.
    4. ^ The republic has separation of church and state.
    5. ^ Crude rates are not age-adjusted.

    Source attribution

    Citations

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