Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.

Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey

40 00 N, 45 00 E

total: 29,800 sq km
land: 28,400 sq km
water: 1,400 sq km

total: 1,254 km
border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley

lowest point: Debed River 400 m
highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m

small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina

arable land: 16.78%
permanent crops: 2.01%
other: 81.21% (2005)

2,860 sq km (2003)

occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts

soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy crisis of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone

landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range

2,976,372 (July 2006 est.)

0-14 years: 20.5% (male 322,189/female 286,944)
15-64 years: 68.4% (male 949,975/female 1,085,484)
65 years and over: 11.1% (male 133,411/female 198,369) (2006 est.)

total: 30.4 years
male: 27.8 years
female: 33.2 years (2006 est.)

-0.19% (2006 est.)

12.07 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

8.23 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

-5.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

at birth: 1.17 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.12 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

total: 22.47 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 27.59 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

total population: 71.84 years
male: 68.25 years
female: 76.02 years (2006 est.)

1.33 children born/woman (2006 est.)

0.1% (2003 est.)

2,600 (2003 est.)

less than 200 (2003 est.)

noun: Armenian(s)
adjective: Armenian

Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census)

Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%

Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99.4%
female: 98% (2003 est.)

conventional long form: Republic of Armenia
conventional short form: Armenia
local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
local short form: Hayastan
former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic

republic

Yerevan

11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan

21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Independence Day, 21 September (1991)

adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005

based on civil law system

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; 90 members elected by party list, 41 by direct vote)
elections: last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held in the spring of 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - Republican Party 23.5%, Justice Bloc 13.6%, Rule of Law 12.3%, ARF (Dashnak) 11.4%, National Unity Party 8.8%, United Labor Party 5.7%; seats by faction - Republican Party 39, Rule of Law 20, Justice Bloc 14, ARF (Dashnak) 11, National Unity 7, United Labor 6, People's Deputy Group 16, independent (not in faction or group) 18; note - as of 10 March 2006; voting blocs in the legislature are more properly termed factions and can be composed of members of several parties; seats by faction change frequently as deputies switch parties or announce themselves independent

Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court)

Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. The agricultural sector has long-term needs for more investment and updated technology. The privatization of industry has been at a slower pace, but has been given renewed emphasis by the current administration. Armenia is a food importer, and its mineral deposits (copper, gold, bauxite) are small. The ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed economic system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government had launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2005. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. Armenia also has managed to slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Armenia's unemployment rate, however, remains high, despite strong economic growth. The chronic energy shortages Armenia suffered in the early and mid-1990s have been offset by the energy supplied by one of its nuclear power plants at Metsamor. Armenia is now a net energy exporter, although it does not have sufficient generating capacity to replace Metsamor, which is under international pressure to close. The electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector. The government made some improvements in tax and customs administration in 2005, but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement. Investment in the construction and industrial sectors is expected to continue in 2006 and will help to ensure annual average real GDP growth of about 13.9%.

$15.7 billion (2005 est.)

$4.868 billion (2005 est.)

13.9% (2005 est.)

$5,300 (2005 est.)

agriculture: 19.8%
industry: 41%
services: 39.2% (2005 est.)

1.2 million (2005)

agriculture: 45%
industry: 25%
services: 30% (2002 est.)

31.6% (2004 est.)

43% (2003 est.)

lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 41.3% (2004)

41.3 (2004)

-0.2% (2005 est.)

25% of GDP (2005 est.)

revenues: $786.1 million
expenditures: $930.7 million; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock

diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy

7.5% (2005 est.)

6.317 billion kWh (2005)

4.374 billion kWh (2005)

650 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2003)

463 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2003)

40,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

1.685 billion cu m (2005 est.)

1.685 billion cu m (2005 est.)

-$237.7 million (2005 est.)

$800 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy

Belgium 18%, Israel 15.3%, Germany 13.3%, Russia 12.5%, US 8.1%, Netherlands 7.2%, Iran 5.5%, Georgia 4.3%, UAE 4% (2004)

$1.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds

Russia 11.3%, Belgium 10.1%, Israel 8.4%, US 7.6%, Iran 7.1%, UAE 6.1%, Ukraine 5.9%, Italy 5.5%, Germany 5.2%, Georgia 4.6%, France 4.5% (2004)

$625.6 million (2005 est.)

$1.819 billion (20 September 2005)

ODA, $254 million (2004)

dram (AMD)

calendar year

582,500 (2004)

203,300 (2004)

general assessment: system inadequate; now 90% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion
domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment are in Yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service)
international: country code - 374; Yerevan is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3 (2005)

AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998)

3 (plus an unknown number of repeaters) (1998)

.am

8,852 (2005)

150,000 (2005)

16 (2005)

total: 11
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2005)

total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2005)

gas 1,871 km (2004)

total: 845 km
broad gauge: 845 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified)
note: some lines are out of service (2004)

total: 7,633 km
paved: 7,633 km (includes 1,561 km of expressways) (2003)

Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force

Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s, has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan - Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; border with Turkey remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh dispute; ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy; tens of thousands of Armenians emigrate, primarily to Russia, to seek employment

refugees (country of origin): 235,101 (Azerbaijan)
IDPs: 50,000 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2005)

illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe