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Republic of Armenia Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Hanrapetutyun
Flag Coat of arms of Armenia Coat of arms
Motto: Armenian: Մեկ Ազգ , Մեկ Մշակույթ Transliteration: Mek Azg, Mek Mshakowyt "One Nation, One Culture"
Anthem: Mer Hayrenik ("Our Fatherland")
Capital	Yerevan
Largest city	Yerevan
Official languages	Armenian
Government	Unitary republic
• President	Robert Kocharian
• Prime Minister	Andranik Margaryan
Independence from the USSR
• Declared	August 23 1990
• Recognized	September 21 1991
• Finalized	December 25 1991
• Traditional foundation     of the Armenian nation	August 11 2492 BC
• Kingdom of Urartu established	1000 BC
• Kingdom of Armenia formed	600 BC
• Christianity officially adopted	301 AD
• Democratic Republic     of Armenia established	May 28, 1918
• Water (%)	4.71
Population
• 2005 estimate	3,215,800 (136th)
• 2001 census	3,002,594
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$14.17 billion (127th)
• Per capita	$4,270 (115th)
HDI (2004)	0.768 high (80th)
Currency	Dram (AMD)
Time zone	UTC+4 (UTC)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+5 (DST)
Calling code	374
ISO 3166 code	AM
Internet TLD	.am
Alternatively spelled as "Erevan", "Jerevan", or "Erivan". Rank based on 2005 UN estimate of de facto population.

Armenia (Armenian: Template:Hayeren Hayastan, Template:Hayeren Hayq), officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked mountainous country in Eurasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, located in the Southern Caucasus. It shares borders with Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Nakhichevan exclave of Azerbaijan to the south. A former republic of the Soviet Union, Armenia is a unitary, multiparty, democratic nation-state and one of the oldest and most historic civilizations in the world with a rich cultural heritage, as well as the first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion. Although Armenia is constitutionally a secular state, the Christian faith plays a major role in both its history and the identification of the Armenian people.

Culturally, historically, and politically, Armenia is considered to be part of Europe. However, its location in the southern Caucasus means that it can also be considered to be at the arbitrary border between Europe and Asia: in other words, a transcontinental nation. However, both these classifications are entirely arbitrary, as there is no easily definable geographic difference between Asia and Europe.

Armenia is currently a member of more than 35 different international organizations including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, Asian Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Independent States, World Trade Organization and Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation. It is a Partnership for Peace (PfP) member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and in a military alliance of CSTO. It is also an observer member of the Eurasian Economic Community, La Francophonie, and the Non-Aligned Movement. Armenia is also active in the international sports community with full membership in the Union of European Football Associations and International Ice Hockey Federation. The country is an emerging democracy and because of its strategic location, it lies among both the Russian and American spheres of influence.

Name

The modern Armenian name for the country was Hayq, later Hayastan. Hayasa, combined with the Persian suffix '-stan' (land). Haik was one of the great Armenian leaders after whom the The Land of Haik was named. According to legend, Haik was a great-great-grandson of Noah (son of Togarmah, who was a son of Gomer, who was a son of Japheth, who was a son of Noah), and according to an ancient Armenian tradition, a forefather of all Armenians. He is said to have settled at the foot of Mount Ararat, travelled to assist in building the Tower of Babel, and, after his return, defeated the Babylonian king Bel (believed by some researchers to be Nimrod) in 2492 BC near the mountains of Lake Van, in the southwestern part of historic Armenia (present-day eastern Turkey). Pre-Christian accounts suggest that Nairi, meaning "land of rivers", used to be an ancient name for the country's mountainous region, first used by Assyrians around 1200 BC;

Haik was a chieftain of the Armens, an Armenian tribe at the time of Aratta (The name also resembles Ararat, and the mountain is indeed located in the possible area of Aratta). Greek Armenoi is attested in Herodotus, who reports that the Armenians were colonists of the Phrygians. The traditional etiology for the ethnonym is from Armenak or Aram, the great-grandson of Haik's great-grandson, and another leader who is, according to Armenian tradition, the ancestor of all Armenians. Some Jewish and Christian scholars write that the name 'Armenia' was derived from Har-Minni, that is 'Mountains of Minni' (or Mannai). Several Armenian scholars, including Ishkhanyan (1989), have identified the Persian and Assyrian term with the Armani (also read Armanum or Armanim) mentioned among the enemies defeated by the Akkadian king Naram-Sin (2300 BC), locating them in the southern Armenian Highland. The Assyrians to this day refer Armenians by their inscription Armani.

History

Antiquity

Armenia has been populated since prehistoric times, and has been proposed as the site of the Biblical Garden of Eden. Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat, upon which, as tradition states, Noah's Ark came to rest after the flood. (Gen. 8:4). Archeologists continue to uncover evidence that Armenia and the Armenian Highlands were among the earliest sites of human civilization. From 4000 BC to 1000 BC, tools and trinkets of copper, bronze and iron were commonly produced in Armenia and traded in neighbouring lands where those metals were less abundant. The territory of Armenia is also one of the candidates for the legendary Aratta, mentioned in Sumerian records. In the Bronze Age, several states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire (at the height of its power), Mitanni (South-Western historic Armenia) and Hayasa-Azzi (15th - 12th cc BC), and in the Iron Age the Nairi people (12th - 9th cc BC) and the Kingdom of Urartu (9th - 6th cc BC), each participating in the ethnogenesis of the Armenian people. However, the majority accept that Armenians belong to the group of Indo-European people while Urartu is of Hurro-Urartian family. Cite error: A <ref> tag is missing the closing </ref> (see the help page).

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 amounts of coal, gas, and petroleum 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. GDP fell nearly 60% from 1989 until 1992–1993. 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 jewelry making, information and communication technology, and even tourism are beginning to supplement more traditional sectors in 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, stabilizing the currency; developing private businesses; energy; the agriculture, food processing, transportation, and health and education sectors; and ongoing rehabilitation in the earthquake zone. The government joined the World Trade Organization on February 5, 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 on 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.

In the 2005 Transparency International CPI (Corruption Perception Index) chart, Armenia ranked 88 (in a range of 1 through 158), continuing to remain as one of the least corrupt states among former Soviet Republics. According to the 2005 UN Human Development Report, Armenia has a Human Development Index (HDI) of 83 (from a range of 1 through 177), the highest among the Transcaucasian republics. In the 2006 Index of Economic Freedom, Armenia ranked 27th best, tied with Japan and ahead of countries like Norway, Spain, Portugal and Italy. The rank puts Armenia in the category of "Mostly Free" countries, making it the most economically free state in the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Demographics

Armenia has a population of 3,215,800 (April 2006 est.) 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. The rates of emigration and population decline, however, have decreased drastically in the recent years, and a moderate influx of Armenians returning to Armenia have been the main reasons for the trend, which is expected to continue. In fact Armenia is expected to resume its positive population growth by 2010.

Ethnic Armenians make up 97.9% of the population. Yazidi Kurds make up 1.3%, and Russians 0.5%. There are smaller communities of Assyrians, Georgians, Greeks and Ukrainians. Most Azerbaijanis, once a sizable population, have left their homes since Armenia's independence.

Armenia has a very large diaspora (8 million by some estimates, greatly exceeding the 3 million population of Armenia itself), with communities existing across the globe, including France, Russia, Iran, Lebanon, and America. Approximately 130,000 Armenians now live in the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.

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 40-60 AD. Because of these two founding apostles, the official name of the Armenian Church is Armenian Apostolic Church. Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, in 301. 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. Armenia also has a population of Catholics (both Roman and Mekhitarist - Armenian Uniate (180,000)), evangelical Protestants and followers of the Armenian traditional religion. The Yazidi Kurds, who live in the western part of the country, practise Yazidism. The Armenian Catholic Church is headquartered in Bzoummar, Lebanon.

Ethnic Azeris and Kurds who lived in the country before the Karabakh conflict practised Islam, but most Azeris fled out of Armenia into Azerbaijan between 1988 and 1991 at the beginning of the conflict. During the same period, a large number of Armenians fled from Azerbaijan to Armenia.

Culture

Armenians have their own highly distinctive alphabet and language. The letters were invented by Mesrop Mashtots and consists of 38 letters. 96% of the people in the country speak Armenian, while 75.8% of the population additionally speaks Russian as a result of the Soviet language policy. The adult literacy rate in Armenia is 99%. Most adults in Yerevan can communicate in Russian, while English is increasing in popularity.

Armenian hospitality is legendary and stems from ancient tradition. Social gatherings focused around sumptuous presentations of course after course of elaborately prepared, well-seasoned (but not spicy-hot) food. The hosts will often put morsels on a guest's plate whenever it is empty or fill his or her glass when it gets low. After a helping or two it is acceptable to refuse politely or, more simply, just leave a little uneaten food. Alcohol such as cognac, vodka, and red wine are usually served during meals and gatherings. It is considered rare and unusual for one to go inside an Armenian household and not be offered coffee, pastry, food, or even water.

The weddings are usually quite elaborate and regal. The process begins by the man and woman becoming "promised". The man's immediate family (Parents, Grandparents, and often the Uncles and Aunts) go over to the woman's house to ask for permission from the woman's father for the relationship to continue and hopefully prosper. Once permission is granted by the father, the man gives the woman a "promise ring" to make it official. To celebrate the mutual family agreement, the woman's family opens a bottle of Armenian cognac. After being promised, most families elect to have a semi-large engagement party as well. The girl's family is the one who plans, organizes and pays for the party. There is very little involvement by the man's family. At the party, a priest is summoned to pray for the soon husband and wife to be and give his blessings. Once the words of prayer have concluded, the couple slide wedding bands on each other's right hands (the ring is moved to the left hand once a formal marriage ceremony is conducted by the Armenian church). The customary time to wait for the marriage is about one year. Unlike other cultures, the man and his family pay for the wedding. The planning and organization process is usually done by the bride and groom to be.

The National Art Gallery in Yerevan has more than 16,000 works that date back to the Middle Ages. It houses paintings by many European masters. 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 each year. They feature rotating exhibitions and sales.

The world-class Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra performs at the beautifully refurbished city Opera House, where you can also attend a full season of opera. In addition, several chamber ensembles are highly regarded for their musicianship, including the National Chamber Orchestra of Armenia and the Serenade Orchestra. Classical music can also be heard at one of several smaller venues, including the State Music Conservatory and the Chamber Orchestra Hall. Jazz is popular, especially in the summer when live performances are a regular occurrence at one of the city’s many outdoor cafés.

Yerevan’s Vernisage (arts and crafts market), close to Republic Square, bustles with hundreds of vendors selling a variety of crafts, many of superb workmanship, 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 an amazing assortment of jewelry and ornamental objects. Armenian gold smithery enjoys a long and distinguished 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.

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, USAID, 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. Many of the country’s most successful young entrepreneurs are graduates of this institution.

Photo Gallery

References

1. De jure population estimate by the National Statistics Service
2. Juergen-Zahorka, Hans. "How Armenia Could Approach the European Union" (PDF). LIBERTAS - Europaeisches Institut GmbH. Retrieved December 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
3. "EUROPE AND ARMENIA". Inside Europe. Retrieved December 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
4. The Geographic Web Site World Atlas places Armenia in Europe, as do most European governments and sources, such as the BBC; conversely, the UN classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia as does the CIA World Factbook. The government of the United Kingdom classifies Armenia within Europe:. Most importantly, the Armenian government and the general population self-identify as European and a part of Europe.. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Vartan Oskanian reiterated recently that: Armenia is Europe. This is a fact, it's not a response to a question.:. Mr Torben Holtze head of the European Commission's representation in Armenia and Georgia, Ambassador of the European Union with residence in Tbilisi stated recently that: As a matter of principle Armenia is a European country...:.
5. Rosenberg, Matt. "Where is the border between Europe and Asia?". The New York Times Company. Retrieved December 23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Unknown parameter |accessyear= ignored (|access-date= suggested) (help)
6. Artak Movsisyan, "Aratta: The ancient Kindgom of Armenia," Yerevan, 1992; Artak Movsisyan, "Aratta: Land of the Sacred Law," Yerevan, 2001
7. Raffi Kantian, The Armenians - Their History from the 8. c. BC until the 14. c. AD.; Rafayel Ishkhanyan, "Illustrated History of Armenia," Yerevan 1989
8. David M. Lang, Armenia: Cradle of Civilization (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1970) 50-1, 58-59.
9. Vahan Kurkjian, "History of Armenia," Michigan, 1968, ; Dr. Vyacheslav Ivanov's and Dr. Thomas Gamkrelidze's detailed work on the origins of The Indo-European Language and the Indo-Europeans firmly established that Armenia is in fact the Indo-European Homeland., ; "Jacquetta Hawkes, "The First Great Civilizations" "Yet the Hurrians did not disappear from history. Away to the North in their Armenian homeland, they entrenched themselves and build up the kingdom of Urartu."; M. Chahin, "The Kingdom of Armenia," London, 2001; "The new kingdom of Urartu, which proved to be the stronghold of the Hurrian race."
10. Renown scholars, Dr. Vyacheslav V. Ivanov and Dr. Thomas Gamkrelidze, point out that "Armenians are native to the Armenian Highland..."; Movses Khorenatsi, "History of Armenia"; M. Chahin, The Kingdom of Armenia, London, 2001, p. 189; Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia, v. 5, Yerevan, 1979, p. 106, v. 6, Yerevan 1980, p. 134.; Rafael Ishkhanyan, "Illustrated History of Armenia," Yerevan, 1989; Martiros Kavoukjian, "Armenia, Subartu and Sumer", Montreal, 1987; Martiros Kavoukjian, "The Genesis of Armenian People", Montreal, 1982; Artak Movsisyan, "Sacred Highland: Armenia in the spiritual conception of the Near East," Yerevan, 2000; Hovick Nersessian, "Highlands of Armenia," Los Angeles, 2000
11. Diakonov I.M., Starostin S.A. Hurro-Urartian as an Eastern Caucasian Languages. Münchener Studien zur Sprachwissenschaft, R. Kitzinger, München, 1986
12. Transparency International CPI Report
13. 2005 UN Human Development Report
14. Index of Economic Freedom 2006
15. Cite error: The named reference CIA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

See also

• Armenians
• Armenian language
• Armenian Genocide
• Armenian National Football Team
• Armenian National Scout Movement
• Castles in Armenia
• Communications in Armenia
• Education in Armenia
• List of Armenians
• List of Armenian Patriarchs
• Military of Armenia
• Public holidays in Armenia
• Transportation in Armenia

External links

Government links

(In alphabetical order of the domain name.)

• Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia
• Public Television of Armenia
• National Statistical Service of Armenia
• Ministry of Health of Armenia
• Central Bank of Armenia
• Constitutional Court of Armenia
• Government of Armenia
• Ministry of Nature Protection of Armenia
• National Assembly of Armenia
• Administration of the President of Armenia

Other external links

(In alphabetical order.)

• Armenia-Diaspora official WEB site
• Armenian Embassies, Consulates And Representations
• Armeniapedia.org - Armenian wiki
• "Armenia". The World Factbook (2025 ed.). Central Intelligence Agency.
• Constitution of the Republic of Armenia.
• Armeniainfo.am Information for tourists
• Electronic Visa (eVisa) for tourists

External Data links

• Doing Business in Armenia
• Enterprise Surveys: Armenia
• Privatization Database: Armenia
• Infrastructure Projects: Armenia
• HyeTad - The Online Armenian Cause In English and Spanish

v t e World Heritage Sites in Armenia
Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin (Saint Hripsime, Saint Gayane, Shoghakat) and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots

Template:Armenia

v t e Historical states and regions of Armenia
Independent Armenian states	Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity) (Orontids, Artaxiads and Arsacids, 553 BC–428 AD) Kingdom of Armenia (Middle Ages) (Bagratunis, 884–1045) Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia (Rubenids, Hethumids and Lusignans, 1080–1375) Republic of Armenia (1918–1920) Republic of Armenia (1991–present)
Minor or dependent Armenian states	Satrapy of Armenia (Orontids, 522–331 BC) Principality of Hamamshen (790–1486) Kingdom of Vaspurakan (Artsrunis, 908–1021) Kingdom of Vanand (963–1064) Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget (Kiurikians, 979–1118) Kingdom of Syunik (Siunis, 987–1170) Kingdom of Artsakh (Khachen, 1000–1261) Zakarid Principality of Armenia (Zakarians, 1201–1335) Melikdoms of Karabakh (Beglarians, Israelians, Hasan-Jalalians, Shanazarians and Avanians, 1603–1822) Republic of Mountainous Armenia (1921, unrecognized) Soviet Armenia (1920–1991) Artsakh (1991–2023, unrecognized)
Provinces or Ashkhars of Armenia Major	Upper Armenia Sophene Arzanene Turuberan Moxoene Corduene Nor Shirakan Vaspurakan Syunik Artsakh Paytakaran Utik Gugark Tayk Ayrarat
Other Armenian regions	Lesser Armenia First Second Third Armenian Mesopotamia Cilicia Mountainous Plain Rocky
Other provinces under Tigranes the Great	Syria Atropatene Adiabene Assyria Iberia Albania Cappadocia Judea Osroene

Template:Southwest Asia

Template:Link FA

• Armenia
• Landlocked countries
• Southwest Asian countries
• Eastern Europe
• Middle East
• Caucasus