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Republic of Armenia

Hayastani Hanrapetutyun
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem:

Mer Hayrenik
Our Fatherland
Armenia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Hayastan / Hayasdan lead to this page. For other uses, see Hayastan (disambiguation)
Armenia (
i
/rmini/, /rminj/ Armenian:
Hayastan), officially the Republic of
Armenia (Armenian:
, Hayastani Hanrapetutyun),
is a mountainous country in the South Caucasus region
of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia
and Eastern Europe,
[14]
it is bordered by Turkey to the
west, Georgia to the north, the de facto independent
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan to the
east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of
Nakhchivan to the south.
Armenia is a unitary, multi-party, democratic nation-
state with an ancient cultural heritage. The Satrapy of
Armenia was established in the 6th century BC, after
the fall of Urartu. In the first century BC the Kingdom
of Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great.
Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt
Christianity as its official religion,
[15]
in the early years
of the 4th century (the traditional date is 301 AD).
[16]
For this reason, Armenia is often referred to as the
"first Christian nation."
[17][18][19]
An Armenian
principality and later a kingdom, known as Cilician
Armenia, existed on the coast of the Mediterranean
Sea between the 11th and 14th centuries.
Between the 16th and early 19th century, the
traditional Armenian homeland composed of Eastern
Armenia and Western Armenia came under rule of the
rivaling Ottoman and Persian Empires, often being
passed between the former and the latter during the
course of centuries, with all its native peoples inside it.
By the mid 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been
conquered by Russia over Persia, while most of the
western parts of the traditional Armenian homeland still
remained under Ottoman rule. During World War I,
the Armenians living in their ancestral lands in the
Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated in
the Armenian Genocide. After almost 600 years of
statelessness, Armenia was able to become
independent in 1918; however, the First Republic of
Armenia, surrounded by hostile countries, was
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Capital
and largest city

Yerevan
4011N 4431E
Official languages
Armenian
[1]
Official written language
Eastern Armenian
[2][3]
Official script Armenian alphabet
(
Reformed orthography
)[4]
Ethnic groups
( )
97.9% Armenian
1.3% Yazidis
0.5% Russian
0.3% other
Demonym Armenian
Government Semi-presidential
republic
[1]
- President Serzh Sargsyan
- Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan
Legislature National Assembly
Formation and independence
- Satrapy of Armenia 6th century BC
- Kingdom of Greater
Armenia united under
the Artaxiad
Dynasty
[6]
190 BC[7]
- Bagratid Armenia 885 AD
- First Republic of
Armenia declared
28 May 1918
- Independence from
the Soviet Union
23 August 1990 (declared)
21 September 1991
(referendum)
Area
- Total 29,743 km2 (
141st
)
11,484 sq mi
- Water (%) 4.71[8]
Population
- 2011 census
3,018,854
[9][10] (
134th
)
- Density 101.5/km2 (
99th
)
262.9/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2013 estimate
- Total
$20.831 billion
[11]
- Per capita $6,128[11]
GDP (nominal) 2013 estimate
- Total
$10.325 billion
[11]
- Per capita $3,037[11]
Gini (2008) 30.9[12]
medium
Sovietized in 1920. Between 1922 and 1991, Armenia
was part of the Soviet Union. The modern Republic of
Armenia became independent in 1991.
The Republic of Armenia recognizes the Armenian
Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church,
as the country's primary religious establishment.
[20][21]
Armenians have their own unique alphabet, which was
invented by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD.
Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe and the
Collective Security Treaty Organization. Armenia
supports the de-facto independent Nagorno-
Karabakh Republic, which was proclaimed in 1991.
Contents
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Antiquity
2.2 Middle Ages
2.3 Early Modern era
2.4 World War I and the Armenian
Genocide
2.5 First Republic of Armenia
2.6 Soviet Armenia
2.7 Restoration of independence
3 Geography
3.1 Location
3.2 Topography
3.3 Environment
3.4 Climate
4 Government and politics
4.1 Foreign relations
4.2 Human rights
4.3 Military
4.4 Administrative divisions
5 Economy
6 Demographics
6.1 Cities
6.2 Diaspora
[5]
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HDI (2013) 0.730[13]
high 87th
Currency Dram (.) (AMD)
Time zone UTC (UTC+4)
Drives on the right
Calling code +374
Patron saint St. Gregory the Illuminator
ISO 3166 code AM
Internet TLD .am
6.3 Ethnic groups
6.4 Languages
6.5 Health
6.6 Religion
6.7 Education
7 Culture
7.1 Music and dance
7.2 Art
7.3 Sport
7.4 Cuisine
8 See also
9 References
10 External links
Etymology
The native Armenian name for the country is Hayk. The name in the Middle Ages was extended to Hayastan,
by addition of the Persian suffix -stan (place). The name has traditionally been derived from Hayk (), the
legendary patriarch of the Armenians and a great-great-grandson of Noah, who, according to the 5th-century
AD author Moses of Chorene, defeated the Babylonian king Bel in 2492 BC and established his nation in the
Ararat region.
[22]
The further origin of the name is uncertain.
The exonym Armenia is attested in the Old Persian Behistun Inscription (515 BC) as Armina (
). The ancient Greek terms (Armena) and (Armnioi, "Armenians") are first mentioned
by Hecataeus of Miletus in 476 BC.
[23]
Xenophon, a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions,
describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality in around 401 BC. He relates that the people
spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the language of the Persians.
[24]
According to the histories of both
Moses of Chorene and Michael Chamchian, Armenia derives from the name of Aram, a lineal descendant of
Hayk.
[25][26]
History
Antiquity
Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the biblical mountains of Ararat, upon which Noah's Ark is said to
have come to rest after the flood. (Bible, Gen. 8:4). There is evidence of an early civilization in Armenia in the
Bronze Age and earlier, dating to about 4000 BC. Archaeological surveys in 2010 and 2011 at the Areni-1
cave complex have resulted in the discovery of the world's earliest known leather shoe,
[27]
skirt,
[28]
and wine-
producing facility.
[29]
The Haik Calendar begins on Navasardi 1 (calculated to be equivalent to August 11), 2492 BCE, when King
Haik defeated the Babylonian King Bel (Nemruth). By tradition, Armenia traces its foundation to this date.
Several bronze-era states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire (at the height of
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Reconstruction of Herodotus' world map c. 450
BC, with Armenia shown in the center
The Kingdom of Armenia at its greatest extent
under Tigranes the Great, who reigned between 95
and 66 BC
The Armenian pagan Temple of
Garni, probably built 1st century AD,
is the only "Greco-Roman colonnaded
building" in Armenia and the entire
former Soviet Union.
[35]
its power), Mitanni (South-Western historical Armenia),
and Hayasa-Azzi (15001200 BC). The Nairi people
(12th to 9th centuries BC) and the Kingdom of Urartu
(1000600 BC) successively established their
sovereignty over the Armenian Highland. Each of the
aforementioned nations and tribes participated in the
ethnogenesis of the Armenian people.
[30][31][32][33]
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 the world's oldest city to have documented
the exact date of its foundation.
Around 600 BC, the Kingdom of Armenia was
established under the Orontid Dynasty. The kingdom
reached its height between 95 and 66 BC under
Tigranes the Great, becoming one of the most powerful
kingdoms of its time within the region. In the next
centuries, Armenia was in the Persian Empire's sphere of
influence. 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 the
Assyrians (under Ashurbanipal, at around 669-627 BC,
the boundaries of the Assyrian Empire reached as far as
Armenia & the Caucasus Mountains),
[34]
Greeks,
Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Persians, Ottoman Turks and Russians.
Religion in ancient Armenia was historically related to a set of beliefs
which, in Persia, led to the emergence of Zoroastrianism. It
particularly focused on the worship of Mihr (Avestan Mithra) and also
included a pantheon of native Aryan gods, such as Aramazd, Vahagn,
Anahit, and Astghik. The country used the solar Hayk Armenian
calendar, which consisted of 12 months.
Christianity spread into the country as early as AD 40. King Tiridates
III (AD 238314) made Christianity the state religion in AD
301,
[36][37]
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
baptized.
After the fall of the Armenian kingdom in AD 428, most of Armenia
was incorporated as a marzpanate within the Sassanid Empire. Following an Armenian rebellion in AD 451,
Christian Armenians maintained their religious freedom, while Armenia gained autonomy.
Middle Ages
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The Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Armenia's
Mother Church traditionally dated 303
AD, is considered the oldest cathedral
in the world.
[38][39][40]
The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, 1199
1375.
After the Marzpanate period (428636), Armenia emerged as the Emirate of Armenia, an autonomous
principality within the Arabic Empire, reuniting Armenian lands
previously taken by the Byzantine Empire as well. The principality
was ruled by the Prince of Armenia, and recognized 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 center in the
Armenian city, Dvin. The Principality of Armenia lasted until 884,
when it regained its independence from the weakened Arab Empire.
The re-emergent Armenian kingdom was ruled by the Bagratuni
dynasty and lasted until 1045. In time, several areas of the Bagratid
Armenia separated as independent kingdoms and principalities such
as the Kingdom of Vaspurakan ruled by the House of Artsruni in the
south, Kingdom of Syunik in the east, or Kingdom of Artsakh on the
territory of modern Nagorno Karabakh, while still recognizing the
supremacy of the Bagratid kings.
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 Seljuk Turks
defeated the Byzantines and conquered Armenia at the Battle of
Manzikert, establishing the Seljuk Empire. To escape death or
servitude at the hands of those who had assassinated his relative,
Gagik II, King of Ani, an Armenian named Roupen, 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.
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 noble
family drove out the Seljuk Turks and established a semi-independent Armenian principality in Northern and
Eastern Armenia, known as Zakarid Armenia, which lasted under the patronage of the Georgian Kingdom. The
noble family of Orbelians shared control with the Zakarids in various parts of the country, especially in Syunik
and Vayots Dzor, while the Armenian family of Hasan-Jalalians controlled provinces of Artsakh and Utik as the
Kingdom of Artsakh.
Early Modern era
During the 1230s, the Mongol Empire conquered the Zakaryan Principality, as well as the rest of Armenia. The
Mongolian invasions were soon followed by those of other Central Asian tribes such as the (Kara Koyunlu,
Timurid and Ak Koyunlu), which continued from the 13th century until the 15th century. After incessant
invasions, each bringing destruction to the country, with time Armenia became weakened. In the 16th century,
the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia divided Armenia. From 1604 Abbas I of Persia implemented a
"scorched earth" policy in the region to protect his north-western frontier against any invading Ottoman forces, a
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Seizure of Yerevan fortress by
Russian troops in 1827 by Franz
Roubaud.
Armenian Genocide victims in 1915
policy which involved a forced resettlement of many Armenians outside of their homelands.
[41]
In 1813 and
1828 the Russian Empire annexed Eastern Armenia from Persia (consisting of the Erivan and Karabakh
khanates
[42]
).
[43]
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 system, Armenians faced pervasive discrimination. When they began pushing for more rights
within the Ottoman Empire, Sultan Abdul-Hamid II, in response,
organized 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."
The Ottoman Empire began to collapse, and in 1908, the Young Turk
Revolution overthrew the government of Sultan Hamid. Armenians
living in the empire hoped that the Committee of Union and Progress
would change their second-class status. Armenian reform package
(1914) was presented as a solution by appointing an inspector general
over Armenian issues.
[44]
World War I and the Armenian Genocide
When World War I broke out leading to confrontation between the
Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire in the Caucasus and Persian
Campaigns, the new government in Istanbul began to look on the
Armenians with distrust and suspicion. This was because the Russian
army contained a contingent of Armenian volunteers. On 24 April
1915, Armenian intellectuals were arrested by Ottoman authorities
and, with 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.
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.
[45]
Turkish authorities,
however, maintain that the deaths were the result of a civil war coupled with disease and famine, with casualties
incurred by both sides. According to the research conducted by Arnold J. Toynbee, an estimated 600,000
Armenians died during deportation (191516).
[46][47][48]
The International Association of Genocide Scholars
places the death toll at "more than a million".
[49]
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.
First Republic of Armenia
Although the Russian army succeeded in gaining most of Ottoman Armenia during World War I, their gains
were lost with the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. At the time, Russian-controlled Eastern Armenia, Georgia, and
Azerbaijan attempted to bond together in the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. This federation,
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The Government house of the First
Republic of Armenia (19181920)
Advance of the 11th Red Army into
the city of Yerevan
however, lasted from only February to May 1918, when all three parties decided to dissolve it. As a result,
Eastern Armenia became independent as the First Republic of Armenia on 28 May.
The DRA's short-lived independence was fraught with war, territorial
disputes, and a mass influx of refugees from Ottoman Armenia,
bringing with them disease and starvation. The Entente Powers,
appalled by the actions of the Ottoman government, 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 Svres on 10 August 1920, the Treaty of
Svres promised to maintain the existence of the Armenian republic
and to attach the former territories of Ottoman Armenia to it. Because
the new borders of Armenia were to be drawn by United States
President Woodrow Wilson, Ottoman 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.
[50]
There was even consideration of possibly 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.
In 1920, Turkish nationalist forces invaded the fledgling Armenian
republic from the east. In response, Armenia declared war and the
Turkish-Armenian War began. Turkish forces under the command of
Kazm Karabekir captured Armenian territories that Russia had
annexed in the aftermath of the 18771878 Russo-Turkish War and
occupied the old city of Alexandropol (present-day Gyumri). The
violent conflict finally concluded with the Treaty of Alexandropol on 2
December 1920.
The treaty forced Armenia to disarm most of its military forces, cede
all former Ottoman territory granted to it by the Treaty of Svres, and
to give up all the "Wilsonian Armenia" granted to it at the Svres
treaty. Simultaneously, the Soviet Eleventh Army, 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.
Soviet Armenia
Armenia was annexed by Bolshevist Russia and along with Georgia and Azerbaijan, it was incorporated into the
Soviet Union as part of the Transcaucasian SFSR (TSFSR) on 4 March 1922. 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 Idr, all of which were part of Russian Armenia.
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The coat of arms of Soviet Armenia
depicting Mount Ararat in the center.
Armenians gather at Theater Square
in central Yerevan to claim unification
of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous
Oblast with the Armenian SSR
The TSFSR existed from 1922 to 1936, when it was divided up into three separate entities (Armenian SSR,
Azerbaijan SSR, and Georgian SSR). Armenians enjoyed a period of relative stability under Soviet rule. They
received medicine, food, and other provisions from Moscow, and communist rule proved to be a soothing balm
in contrast to the turbulent final years of the Ottoman Empire. The situation was difficult for the church, which
struggled under Soviet rule. After the death of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin took the reins of power and began
an era of renewed fear and terror for Armenians.
[51]
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 military during the war, and 175,000 died.
[52]
Fears decreased when Stalin died in 1953 and Nikita Khruschev
emerged as the Soviet Union's new leader. Soon, life in Soviet
Armenia began to see rapid improvement. The church, which suffered
greatly under 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.
During the Gorbachev era
of the 1980s, with the
reforms of Glasnost and
Perestroika, Armenians began to demand better environmental care
for their country, opposing the pollution that Soviet-built factories
brought. Tensions also developed between Soviet Azerbaijan and its
autonomous district of Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority-Armenian
region separated by Stalin from Armenia in 1923. About 484,000
Armenians lived in Azerbaijan in 1970.
[53]
The Armenians of
Karabakh demanded unification with Soviet Armenia. Peaceful
protests in Yerevan supporting the Karabakh Armenians were met
with anti-Armenian pogroms in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait.
Compounding Armenia's problems was a devastating earthquake in
1988 with a moment magnitude of 7.2.
[54]
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 Armenian Army (NAA) was established,
serving as a defence force separate from the Soviet Red Army. Clashes soon broke out between the NAA and
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.
Further firefights between Armenian militiamen and Soviet troops occurred in Sovetashen, near the capital and
resulted in the deaths of over 26 people, mostly Armenians. The 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.
[55]
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.
[56]
Restoration of independence
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Armenian soldiers during the
Nagorno-Karabakh War
On 23 August 1990, Armenia declared independence, becoming the
first non-Baltic republic to secede from the Soviet Union. When, in
1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved, Armenia's independence was
officially recognized. However, the initial post-Soviet years were
marred by economic difficulties as well as the break-out of a full-scale
armed confrontation between the Karabakh Armenians and
Azerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh War). The economic problems 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
crippled Armenia's economy as 85% of its cargo and goods arrived
through rail traffic.
[57]
In 1993, Turkey joined the blockade against
Armenia in support of Azerbaijan.
[58]
The Karabakh war ended after a Russian-brokered cease-fire 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 Nagorno-Karabakh itself.
[59]
Since then, Armenia and Azerbaijan have held peace talks,
mediated by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The status of Karabakh has
yet to be determined. The economies of both countries 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.
[60]
As it enters the 21st century, Armenia faces many hardships. It has made a full switch to a market economy.
One study ranks it the 41st most economically free nation in the world, as of 2014.
[61]
Its relations with Europe,
the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States have allowed Armenia to increase trade.
[62][63]
Gas, oil, and other supplies come through two vital routes: Iran and Georgia. Armenia maintains cordial relations
with both countries.
[64]
Geography
Armenia is landlocked in the South Caucasus. Located between the Black and Caspian Seas, the country is
bordered on the north and east by Georgia and Azerbaijan, and on the south and west by Iran and Turkey.
Location
Armenia lies between latitudes 38 and 42 N, and meridians 43 and 47 E.
Topography
The Republic of Armenia, covering an area of 29,743 square kilometres (11,484 sq mi), is located in the north-
east of the Armenian Highland. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with fast flowing rivers and few forests. The
climate is highland continental, which means that the country is subjected to hot summers and cold winters. The
land rises to 4,090 metres (13,419 ft) above sea-level at Mount Aragats, and no point is below 390 metres
(1,280 ft) above sea level.
[65]
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Armenia's topography is mountainous and
volcanic
Mount Ararat, which was historically part of Armenia, is the highest mountain in the region. Now located in
Turkey, but clearly visible in 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.
[66][67][68]
Environment
Armenia has established a Ministry of Nature Protection and introduced taxes for air and water pollution and
solid-waste disposal, whose revenues are used for environmental protection activities. Waste management in
Armenia is underdeveloped, as no waste sorting or recycling
takes place at Armenia's 60 landfills.
Despite the availability of abundant renewable energy sources in
Armenia (especially hydroelectric and wind power), the
Armenian Government is working toward building a new nuclear
power plant at Metsamor near Yerevan.
[69]
Climate
The climate in Armenia is markedly continental. Summers are 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
colorful foliage.
Winters are quite cold with plenty of snow, with temperatures ranging between 10 and 5 C (14 and 23 F).
Winter sports enthusiasts enjoy skiing down the hills of Tsakhkadzor, located thirty minutes outside Yerevan.
Lake Sevan, nestled up in the Armenian highlands, is the second largest lake in the world relative to its altitude,
at 1,900 metres (6,234 ft) above sea level.
Government and politics
Politics of Armenia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic. According
to the Constitution of Armenia, the President is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive
power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The
unicameral parliament (also called the Azgayin Zhoghov or National Assembly) is controlled by a coalition of
four political parties: the conservative Republican party, the Prosperous Armenia party, the rule of law party and
the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The main opposition party is Raffi Hovannisian's Heritage party, which
favors eventual Armenian membership in the European Union and NATO.
The Armenian government's stated aim is to build a Western-style parliamentary democracy as the basis of its
form of government. It has universal suffrage above the age of eighteen.
International observers of Council of Europe and US Department of State have questioned the fairness of
Armenia's parliamentary and presidential elections and constitutional referendum since 1995, citing polling
deficiencies, lack of cooperation by the Electoral Commission, and poor maintenance of electoral lists and
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Embassy of Armenia in
Moscow
polling places. Freedom House categorized Armenia in its 2008 report as a "Semi-consolidated Authoritarian
Regime" (along with Moldova, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia) and ranked Armenia 20th among 29 nations in
transition, with a Democracy Score of 5.21 out of 7 (7 represents the lowest democratic progress).
[70]
Since 1999, Freedom House's Democracy Score for Armenia has been steadily on the decline (from 4.79 to
5.21).
[71]
Furthermore, Freedom House ranked Armenia as "partly free" in its 2007 report, though it did not
categorise Armenia as an "electoral democracy", indicating an absence of relatively free and competitive
elections.
[72]
However, significant progress seems to have been made and the 2008 Armenian presidential
election was hailed as largely democratic by OSCE and Western monitors.
[73]
Foreign relations
Armenia presently maintains good relations with almost every country in the
world, with two major exceptions being its immediate neighbours, Turkey and
Azerbaijan. Tensions were running high between Armenians and Azerbaijanis
during the final years of the Soviet Union. The Nagorno-Karabakh War
dominated the region's politics throughout the 1990s.
[74]
The border between
the two rival countries remains closed up to this day, and a permanent solution
for the conflict has not been reached despite the mediation provided by
organisations such as the OSCE.
Armenia is a member of more than 40 international organisations, including the
United Nations; the Council of Europe; the Asian Development Bank; the
Commonwealth of Independent States; the World Trade Organization; World
Customs Organization; the Organization of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation; and La Francophonie. It is a member of the CSTO military
alliance, and also participates in NATO's Partnership for Peace programme.
Turkey also has a long history of poor relations with Armenia over its refusal to acknowledge the Armenian
Genocide. Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Armenia (the 3rd 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 Nagorno-Karabakh War and citing it as the reason,
Turkey closed its land border with Armenia in 1993. It has not lifted its blockade despite pressure from the
powerful Turkish business lobby interested in Armenian markets.
[74]
However, the Armenian airline company
Armavia regularly flew between the Zvartnots International Airport at Yerevan and Atatrk International Airport
at Istanbul from 2005 until its collapse in 2013.
On 10 October 2009, Armenia and Turkey signed protocols on normalisation of relationships, which set a
timetable for restoring diplomatic ties and reopening their joint border.
[75]
The ratification of those had to be
made in the national parliaments. In Armenia it passed through the required by legislation approval of the
Constitutional Court and was sent to the parliament for the final ratification. The President had made multiple
public announcements, both in Armenia and abroad, that as the leader of the political majority of Armenia he
assured the 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".
Due to its position between two unfriendly neighbours, Armenia has close security ties with Russia. At the
request of the Armenian government, Russia maintains a military base in the northwestern Armenian city of
Gyumri
[76]
as a deterrent against Turkey. Despite this, Armenia has also been looking toward Euro-Atlantic
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The Government building in Yerevan
Armenian Army BTR-80s.
structures in recent years. It maintains good relations with the United States especially through its Armenian
diaspora. According to the US Census Bureau, there are 427,822 Armenians living in the country.
[77]
Because of the blockades by Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenia
continues to maintain solid relations with its southern neighbor Iran
especially in the economic sector. Economic projects such a gas
pipeline going from Iran to Armenia are in time being developed.
Armenia is also a member of the Council of Europe, maintaining
friendly relations with the European Union, especially with its member
states such as France and Greece. A 2005 survey reported that 64%
of Armenia's population would be in favor of joining the EU.
[78]
Several Armenian officials have also expressed the desire for their
country to eventually become an EU member state,
[79]
some
predicting that it will make an official bid for membership in a few years. In 2004 its forces joined KFOR, a
NATO-led international force in Kosovo. It is also an observer member of the Eurasian Economic Community
and the Non-Aligned Movement.
A former republic of the Soviet Union, Armenia is an emerging democracy and as of 2011 was negotiating with
the European Union to become an associate partner. Legally speaking, it has the right to be considered as an
prospective EU member provided it meets necessary standards and criteria, although officially such plan does
not exist in Brussels.
[80][81][82][83]
The Government of Armenia, however, intends to join the Customs Union of
Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia and become an eventual member of the proposed Eurasian Union.
[84]
Armenia is included in the European Union's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which aims at bringing the
EU and its neighbours closer.
Human rights
Human rights in Armenia are better than those in most former Soviet republics and have drawn closer to
acceptable standards, especially economically. Still, there are several considerable problems. Overall, Armenia's
human rights record is similar to that of Georgia's. Armenia has been labeled as "partly free" by Freedom
House.
[85]
Military
The Armenian Army, Air Force, Air Defence, and Border Guard
comprise the four branches of the Armed Forces of the Republic of
Armenia. The Armenian military was formed after 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
President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. The Ministry of Defence is in
charge of political leadership, currently headed by Colonel-General
Mikael Harutyunyan, while military command remains in the hands of
the General Staff, headed by the Chief of Staff, who is currently
Lieutenant-General Seyran Ohanian.
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
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Armenian soldiers at the 2010
Moscow Victory Day Parade.
mobilise every able-bodied man between the age of 15 and 59, with military preparedness.
The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which establishes comprehensive limits on key categories
of military equipment, was ratified by the Armenian parliament in July 1992. In March 1993, Armenia signed the
multilateral Chemical Weapons Convention, which calls for the
eventual elimination of chemical weapons. Armenia acceded to the
Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapons
state in July 1993.
Armenia is member of Collective Security Treaty Organisation
(CSTO) along with Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia,
Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It participates in NATO's Partnership for
Peace (PiP) program and is in a NATO organisation called Euro-
Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). Armenia has engaged in a
peacekeeping mission in Kosovo as part of non-NATO KFOR
troops under Greek command.
[86]
Armenia also had 46 members of
its military peacekeeping forces as a part of the Coalition Forces in Iraq War until October 2008.
[87]
Administrative divisions
Armenia is divided into ten provinces (marzer,
singular marz), with the city (kaghak) of
Yerevan () 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, appointed by the
president.
Within each province 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.
[88]
Additionally,
Yerevan is divided into twelve semi-autonomous districts.
Shirak
Lori
Tavush
Aragatsotn
Armavir
Yerevan
Ararat
Kotayk
Gegharkunik
Vayots
Dzor
Syunik
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Geghard monastery, Kotayk Province
Province Capital Area
Population
(2011 census)
Aragatsotn ()
Ashtarak
()
2,756 km 132,925
Ararat ()
Artashat
()
2,090 km 260,367
Armavir () Armavir () 1,242 km 265,770
Gegharkunik () Gavar () 5,349 km 235,075
Kotayk () Hrazdan () 2,086 km 254,397
Lori ()
Vanadzor
()
3,799 km 235,537
Shirak () Gyumri () 2,680 km 251,941
Syunik () Kapan () 4,506 km 141,771
Tavush () Ijevan () 2,704 km 128,609
Vayots Dzor ( )
Yeghegnadzor
()
2,308 km 52,324
Yerevan () 223 km 1,060,138
Sources: Area and population of provinces.
[89]
Economy
The economy relies heavily on investment and support from Armenians abroad.
[90]
Before independence,
Armenia's economy was largely industry-based chemicals, electronics, machinery, processed food, synthetic
rubber, and textile and highly dependent on outside resources. The republic had developed a modern
industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange
for raw materials and energy.
[36]
Recently, the Intel Corporation agreed to open a research center in Armenia,
in addition to other technology companies, signalling the growth of the technology industry in Armenia.
[91]
Agriculture accounted for less than 20% of both net material product and total employment before the
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.
[92]
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 stabilized 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%.
[93]
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Yerevan is the largest economical
center 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.
Like other newly independent states of the former Soviet Union,
Armenia's economy suffers from the legacy of a centrally planned
economy and the breakdown of former Soviet trading patterns.
Soviet investment in and support of Armenian industry has virtually
disappeared, so that few major enterprises are still able to function. In
addition, the effects of the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, which killed
more than 25,000 people and made 500,000 homeless, are still being felt. The conflict with Azerbaijan over
Nagorno-Karabakh has not been resolved. The closure of Azerbaijani and Turkish borders has devastated the
economy, because Armenia depends on outside supplies of energy and most raw materials. Land routes through
Georgia and Iran are inadequate or unreliable. The GDP fell nearly 60% between 1989 and 1993, but then
resumed robust growth.
[92]
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 cease-fire 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 jewellery making, information and communication technology, and even tourism are beginning to
supplement more traditional sectors of the economy, such as agriculture.
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 stabilizing 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 privatisation was adopted in 1997, as
well as a program of state property privatisation. 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 currently stands at
around 15%, still remains a major problem due to the influx of thousands of refugees from the Karabakh
conflict.
Armenia ranked 78th on the 2010 UNDP Human Development Index, the lowest among the Transcaucasian
republics.
[94]
In the 2007 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Armenia ranked 99
of 179 countries.
[95]
In the 2008 Index of Economic Freedom, Armenia ranked 28th, ahead of countries like
Austria, France, Portugal and Italy.
[61]
Demographics
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The Armenian population in the world
Armenian children at the UN Cup
Chess Tournament in 2005.
Armenia has a population of 3,238,000 (2008 est.)
[96]
and is the second most densely populated of the former
Soviet republics. There has been a problem of population decline due to elevated levels of emigration after the
break-up of the USSR.
[97]
However, in the past years, the emigration levels have levelled and there is steady
population growth.
Cities
Diaspora
Armenia has a relatively large 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,
Argentina, Australia, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Israel,
Poland and Ukraine. 40,000 to 70,000 Armenians still
live in Turkey (mostly in and around Istanbul).
[100]
Also, about 1,000 Armenians reside in the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem, a remnant of a once-
larger community.
[101]
Italy is home to the San Lazzaro degli Armeni, an island located in the Venetian Lagoon,
which is completely occupied by a monastery run by the Mechitarists, an Armenian Catholic congregation.
[102]
In addition, approximately 139,000 Armenians live in the de facto country of Nagorno-Karabakh where they
form a majority.
[103]
Ethnic groups
Ethnic Armenians make up 97.9% of the population. Yazidis make up
1.3%, and Russians 0.5%. Other minorities include Assyrians,
Ukrainians, Greeks, Kurds, Georgians, and Belarusians. 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.
[104]
During the Soviet era, Azerbaijanis were historically the second
largest population in the country (forming about 2.5% in 1989).
[105]
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.
Languages
Armenian is the only official language. Due to its Soviet past, Russian is still widely used in Armenia and could
be considered as de facto second language. 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%).
[106]
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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.
Health
Life expectancy at birth was at 70 for males and at 76 for females in 2006.
[107]
Health expenditure was at about
5.6% of the GDP in 2004.
[107]
Most of this was outside the private sector.
[107]
Government expenditure on
health was at US$ 112 per person in 2006.
[108]
Religion
Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion,
an event traditionally dated to AD 301.
[109][110][111][112]
The predominant religion in Armenia is Christianity. The roots of the
Armenian Church go back to the 1st century. According to tradition,
the Armenian Church was founded by two of Jesus' twelve apostles
Thaddaeus and Bartholomew who preached Christianity in Armenia
between AD 4060. Because of these two founding apostles, the
official name of the Armenian Church is Armenian Apostolic Church.
Over 93% of Armenian Christians belong to the Armenian Apostolic
Church, a form of Oriental (Non-Chalcedonian) Orthodoxy, which is
a very ritualistic, conservative church, roughly comparable to the
Coptic and Syriac churches.
[113]
The Armenian Apostolic Church is
in communion only with a group of churches within Oriental
Orthodoxy.
The Armenian Evangelical Church has a very sizable and favorable presence among the life of Armenians with
over several thousand members throughout the country. It traces its roots back to 1846 which was under
patronage of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople the aim of which was to train qualified clergy for the
Armenian Apostolic Church.
Other Christian denominations practicing faith based on Nicene Creed in Armenia are the Pentecostal branches
of Protestant community such as the Word of Life, the Armenian Brotherhood Church,
[114]
the Baptists which
are known as of the oldest existing denominations in Armenia and were permitted by the authorities of Soviet
Union,
[115][116]
and Presbyterians.
[117]
Catholics also exist in Armenia, both Latin rite and Mekhitarist Catholics. The Mechitarists (also spelled
"Mekhitarists" Armenian: ), are a congregation of Benedictine monks of the Armenian Catholic
Church founded in 1712 by 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 Catholic denomination is headquartered in Bzoummar, Lebanon.
Armenia is home to a Russian community of Molokans which practice a form of Spiritual Christianity originated
from the Russian Orthodox Church.
The Yazidi Kurds, who live in the western part of the country, practice Yazidism. There are also non-Yazidi
Kurds who practice Sunni Islam. There is a Jewish community in Armenia diminished to 750 persons since
independence with most emigrants leaving for Israel. There are currently two synagogues in Armenia in the
capital, Yerevan, and in the city of Sevan located near Lake Sevan.
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Yerevan State Medical University
named after Mkhitar Heratsi
Education
In its first years of independence, Armenia made uneven progress in
establishing systems to meet its national requirements in social
services.
[118]
Education, held in particular esteem in Armenian culture,
changed fastest of the social services, while health and welfare
services attempted to maintain the basic state-planned structure of the
Soviet era.
[118]
A literacy rate of 100% was reported as early as 1960.
[118]
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.
[118]
As in the Soviet period, primary and secondary education in Armenia is free, and completion of
secondary school is compulsory.
[118]
In the 198889 school year, 301 students per 10,000 population were in specialized secondary or higher
education, a figure slightly lower than the Soviet average.
[118]
In 1989 some 58% of Armenians over age fifteen
had completed their secondary education, and 14% had a higher education.
[118]
In the 199091 school year,
the estimated 1,307 primary and secondary schools were attended by 608,800 students.
[118]
Another seventy
specialized secondary institutions had 45,900 students, and 68,400 students were enrolled in a total of ten
postsecondary institutions that included universities.
[118]
In addition, 35% of eligible children attended
preschools.
[118]
In 1992 Armenia's largest institution of higher learning, Yerevan State University, had eighteen
departments, including ones for social sciences, sciences, and law.
[118]
Its faculty numbered about 1,300
teachers and its student population about 10,000 students.
[118]
The Yerevan Architecture and Civil Engineering
Institute was founded in 1989.
[118]
In the early 1990s, Armenia made substantial changes to the centralized and regimented Soviet system.
[118]
Because at least 98% of students in higher education were Armenian, curricula began to emphasize Armenian
history and culture.
[118]
Armenian became the dominant language of instruction, and many schools that had
taught in Russian closed by the end of 1991.
[118]
Russian was still widely taught, however, as a second
language.
[118]
On the basis of the expansion and development of Yerevan State University a number of higher educational
independent Institutions were formed including Medical Institute separated in 1930 which was set up on the
basis of medical faculty. In 1980 Yerevan State Medical University was awarded one of the main rewards of
the former USSR the Order of Labor red Banner for training qualified specialists in health care and valuable
service in the development of Medical Science. In 1995 YSMI was renamed to YSMU and since 1989 it has
been named after Mkhitar Heratsi, the famous medieval doctor. Mkhitar Heratsi was the founder of Armenian
Medical school in Cilician Armenia. The great doctor played the same role in Armenian Medical Science as
Hippocrates in Western, Galen in Roman, Ibn Sn in Arabic medicine.
Foreign students' department for Armenian diaspora established in 1957 later was enlarged and the enrollment
of foreign students began. Nowadays the YSMU is a Medical Institution corresponding to international
requirements, trains medical staff for not only Armenia and neighbor countries, i.e. Iran, Syria, Lebanon,
Georgia, but also many other leading countries all over the world. A great number of foreign students from India,
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Traditional Armenian dance System of a Down (left), Cher (middle) and Charles
Aznavour (right) are among most popular musicians of
Armenian ancestry.
Nepal, Sri Lanka, the USA and Russian Federation study together with Armenian students. Nowadays the
university is ranked among famous higher Medical Institutions and takes its honorable place in the World
Directory of Medical Schools published by the WHO.
Other educational institutions in Armenia include the American University of Armenia and the QSI International
School of Yerevan. The American University of Armenia has graduate programs in Business and Law, among
others. The institution owes its existence to the combined efforts of the Government of Armenia, the Armenian
General Benevolent Union, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the University of California. The
extension programs and the library at AUA form a new focal point for English-language intellectual life in the
city.
Culture
Armenians have their own distinctive alphabet and language. The alphabet was invented in AD 405 by Mesrop
Mashtots and consists of thirty-nine letters, three of which were added during the Cilician period. 96% of the
people in the country speak Armenian, while 75.8% of the population additionally speaks Russian, although
English is becoming increasingly popular.
Music and dance
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, the dhol, the zurna, and the kanun are commonly found in Armenian folk music.
Artists such as Sayat Nova are famous due to their influence in the development of Armenian folk music. One of
the oldest types of Armenian music is the Armenian chant which is the most common kind of religious music in
Armenia. Many of these chants are ancient in origin, extending to pre-Christian times, while others are relatively
modern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet. Whilst
under Soviet rule, Armenian classical music composer 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. Richard Hagopian is perhaps the most famous artist of the traditional "kef" style and the
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Ancient Armenian Khachkars
(cross-stones)
Queen Zabels Return to the Palace,
Vardges Surenyants, (1909).
Vosbikian Band was notable in the 1940s and 1950s for developing their own style of "kef music" heavily
influenced by the popular American 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 renown French-Armenian singer and
composer Charles Aznavour, pianist Sahan Arzruni, prominent opera sopranos such as Hasmik Papian and
more recently Isabel Bayrakdarian and Anna Kasyan. Certain Armenians settled to sing non-Armenian tunes
such as the heavy metal band System of a Down (which nonetheless often incorporates traditional Armenian
instrumentals and styling into their songs) or pop star Cher. In the Armenian diaspora, Armenian revolutionary
songs are popular with the youth. These songs encourage Armenian patriotism and are generally about
Armenian history and national heroes.
Art
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 specialty. 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.
Armenias 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.
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 Childrens 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 April 13, 2013, the Armenian government announced a change in law to allow freedom of panorama for 3D
works of art.
[119]
Sport
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The Armenia national football team in
Dublin, Ireland
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 practiced on lakes,
notably Lake Sevan. Competitively, Armenia has been successful in
chess, weightlifting and wrestling at the international level. Armenia is
also an active member of the international sports community, with full
membership in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)
and International Ice Hockey Federation (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 Armenians athletes on Soviet Olympic teams
came back with medals."
[120]
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 5 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.
Football is also popular in Armenia. The most successful team was the FC Ararat Yerevan team of the 1970s
who won the Soviet Cup in 1973 and 1975 and the Soviet Top League in 1973. The latter achievement saw
FC Ararat gain entry to the European Cup where despite a home victory in the second leg they lost on
aggregate at the quarter final stage to eventual winner FC Bayern Munich. Armenia competed internationally as
part of the USSR national football team until the Armenian national football team was formed in 1992 after the
split of the Soviet Union. Armenia have never qualified for a major tournament although recent improvements
saw the team to achieve 44th position in the 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 Youri Djorkaeff,
Alain Boghossian, Andranik Eskandarian, Andranik Teymourian, Edgar Manucharyan and Nikita Simonyan.
Djokaeff and Boghossian won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France, Andranik Teymourian competed in the
2006 World Cup for Iran and Edgar Manucharyan played in the Dutch Eredivisie for Ajax.
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.
4/9/2014 Armenia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia 22/31
World number 2 Chess Champion
Levon Aronian
Armenian cuisine
Traditional Armenian wrestling is called Kokh and practiced in
traditional garb; it was one of the influences included in the Soviet
combat sport of Sambo, which is also very popular.
[121]
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.
[122]
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
Tsaghkadzor to improve the winter sports infrastructure because of
dismal performances at recent winter sports events. In 2005, a cycling
center 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.
[122]
Armenia is very successful in chess, and their men's team is the current World Champion, Armenia had also won
the World Chess Olympiad twice in a row.
[123]
Cuisine
Armenian cuisine is as ancient as the history of Armenia, a
combination of different tastes and aromas. The food often has quite a
distinct smell. 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 aa to sour food), and the stuffing of
a wide variety of leaves.
The pomegranate, with its symbolic association with fertility
represents that nation. The apricot is the national fruit.
See also
Outline of Armenia
Index of Armenia-related articles
Republic of Mountainous Armenia
Armenia at Wikipedia books
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North America tend to be under-counted: the 1990 census US indicates
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Armenia (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/am.html) entry at The World
Factbook
Armenia (http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/armenia.htm) at UCB Libraries GovPubs
Armenia (http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Asia/Armenia) at DMOZ
Armenia profile (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17398605) from the BBC News
Wikimedia Atlas of Armenia
Geographic data related to Armenia (http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/relation/364066) at
OpenStreetMap
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Armenia&oldid=624039533"
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