Armenia

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 40°N 45°E
Republic of Armenia
Հայաստանի
Հանրապետություն
Hayastani Hanrapetut’yun  (Armenian)

Flag

Coat of arms
Anthem: 
Մեր Հայրենիք
Mer Hayrenik
"Our Fatherland"

Menu

0:00

Capital Yerevan
and largest city 40°11′N 44°31′E
Official languages Armenian[1]
Recognised Armenian,
national languages Assyrian, Greek,
 Kurdish and Russian
Spoken and written Eastern
language Armenian[2][3]
Armenian
Official script
alphabeta
 98.1%
Armenians
[4]
Ethnic groups (   1.2% Yazidis
[5]
)   0.4%
Russians
  0.3% other
Demonym Armenian
Unitary semi-
Government presidential
republic[6]
• President Serzh Sargsyan
Karen
• Prime Minister
Karapetyan
• President of the
Ara Babloyan
National Assembly
National
Legislature
Assembly
Formation and independence
• Traditional date 2492 BC
• Hayasa-Azzi 1500–1290 BC
14th century–
• Arme-Shupria[7][8]
1190 BC
[9]
• Urartu 860–590 BC
• Orontid dynasty 6th century BC
• Kingdom of
Greater
190 BC[11]
Armenia united under
the Artaxiad Dynasty[10]
• Arsacid dynasty 52–428
• Bagratid Armenia 885–1045
• Kingdom of
1198–1375
Cilicia
• First Republic of
Armenia declared 28 May 1918
• Independence 23 August
b
from Soviet Union 1990
 21 September 1991c
26 December 1991d
Area
29,743 km2
• Total (11,484 sq mi)
(138th)
• Water (%) 4.71[12]
Population
• 2016 estimate 3.0 million[13]
3,018,854[14]
• 2011 census [15]
(134th)
101.5/km2
• Density
(262.9/sq mi) (99th)
GDP (PPP) 2016 estimate
$26.560
• Total
billion[16]
• Per capita $8,881[16]
GDP (nominal) 2016 estimate
$10.754
• Total
billion[16]
• Per capita $3,595[16]
31.5[17]
Gini (2013)
medium
 0.733[18]
HDI (2014)
high · 85th
Dram (֏)
Currency
(AMD)
Time zone AMT (UTC+4)
Drives on the right
Calling code +374
Patron saint St. Gregory
ISO 3166 code AM
Internet TLD .am .հայ
a. Reformed orthography.[19]
b. Declared sovereignty.
c. Declared independence via an
Referendum
d. Independence was officially
widely recognized after the dissolution of the
Soviet Union. The current constitution was
adopted on 5 July 1995.
 Armenia (/ɑːrˈmiːniə/ (  listen), /-ˈmiːnjə/;[20] Armenian: Հայաստան,
translit. Hayastan, IPA: [hɑjɑsˈtɑn]), officially the Republic of Armenia (Armenian:
Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն, translit. Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun,
IPA: [hɑjɑstɑˈni hɑnɾɑpɛtutʰˈjun]), is a sovereign state in the South Caucasus region
of Eurasia. Located in West Asia[21][22] on the Armenian Highlands, 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 Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhchivan
to the south. The Republic of Armenia constitutes only one-tenth of historical
Armenia.[23]
Armenia is a unitary, multi-party, democratic nation-state with an ancient
cultural heritage. Urartu was established in 860 BC and by the 6th century BC it was
replaced by the Satrapy of Armenia. In the 1st 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.[24] In between the late 3rd century
to early years of the 4th century, the state became the first Christian nation.[25][26][27]
The official date of state adoption of Christianity is 301 AD.[28] The ancient Armenian
kingdom was split between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires around the early 5th
century. Under the Bagratuni dynasty, the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia was
restored in the 9th century. Declining due to the wars against the Byzantines, the
kingdom fell in 1045 and Armenia was soon after invaded by the Seljuk Turks. An
Armenian principality and later a kingdom Cilician Armenia was located on the coast
of the Mediterranean Sea between the 11th and 14th centuries.
Between the 16th century and 19th century, the traditional Armenian homeland
composed of Eastern Armenia and Western Armenia came under the rule of the
Ottoman and Iranian empires, repeatedly ruled by either of the two over the centuries.
By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been conquered by the Russian Empire,
while most of the western parts of the traditional Armenian homeland remained under
Ottoman rule. During World War I, Armenians living in their ancestral lands in the
Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated in the Armenian Genocide. In
1918, following the Russian Revolution, all non-Russian countries declared their
independence after the Russian Empire ceased to exist, leading to the establishment
of the First Republic of Armenia. By 1920, the state was incorporated into the
Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, and in 1922 became a founding
member of the Soviet Union. In 1936, the Transcaucasian state was dissolved,
transforming its constituent states, including the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic,
into full Union republics. The modern Republic of Armenia became independent in
1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
The Republic of Armenia recognises the Armenian Apostolic Church, the
world's oldest national church, as the country's primary religious establishment.[29][30]
The unique Armenian alphabet was invented by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD.
Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, the Council of Europe
and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Armenia supports the de facto
independent Republic of Artsakh, which was proclaimed in 1991.
Contents
 1 Etymology
 2 History
o 2.1 Antiquity
o 2.2 Middle Ages
o 2.3 Early Modern era
o 2.4 World War I and the Armenian Genocide
o 2.5 First Republic of Armenia
o 2.6 Soviet Armenia
o 2.7 Restoration of independence
 3 Geography
o 3.1 Topography
o 3.2 Environment
o 3.3 Climate
 4 Government and politics
o 4.1 Foreign relations
o 4.2 Human rights
o 4.3 Military
o 4.4 Administrative divisions
 5 Economy
o 5.1 Exports and imports
 6 Science and technology
 7 Demographics
o 7.1 Ethnic groups
o 7.2 Languages
o 7.3 Cities
o 7.4 Religion
o 7.5 Health
o 7.6 Education
 8 Culture
o 8.1 Media
o 8.2 Music and dance
o 8.3 Art
o 8.4 Sport
o 8.5 Cuisine
 9 See also
 10 Notes
 11 Sources
 12 References
 13 External links
Etymology
Main article: Name of Armenia
 The native Armenian name for the country is Հայք (Hayk’). The name in the
Middle Ages was extended to Հայաստան (Hayastan), by addition of the Persian
suffix -stan (place).[citation needed]
The name has traditionally been derived from Hayk (Հայկ), 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.[31] The further origin of the
name is uncertain. It is also further postulated[32][33] that the name Hay comes from
one of the two confederated, Hittite vassal states—the Ḫayaša-Azzi (1600–1200 BC).
The exonym Armenia is attested in the Old Persian Behistun Inscription (515
BC) as Armina ( ). The ancient Greek terms Ἀρμενία (Armenía) and
Ἀρμένιοι (Arménioi, "Armenians") are first mentioned by Hecataeus of Miletus (c.
550 BC – c. 476 BC).[34] 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.[35] According to the histories of both Moses of
Chorene and Michael Chamchian, Armenia derives from the name of Aram, a lineal
descendant of Hayk.[36][37] The Table of Nations lists Aram as the son of Shem, to
whom the Book of Jubilees attests, "And for Aram there came forth the fourth
portion, all the land of Mesopotamia between the Tigris and the Euphrates to the
north of the Chaldees to the border of the mountains of Asshur and the land of
'Arara."[38] The lands attested to Aram, in the Book of Jubilees, roughly translate to
the Geographical regions of Ancient Armenia.

Historical Armenia 150 b.c.

History
Main article: History of Armenia
Antiquity
Main articles: Prehistoric Armenia, Prehistory of the Armenians, Satrapy of
Armenia, Roman Armenia, Sasanian Armenia, and Lesser Armenia

A reconstruction of Herodotus' world map c. 450 BC, with Armenia shown in

the centre
 The Kingdom of Armenia at its greatest extent under Tigranes the Great, who
reigned between 95 and 66 BC
Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the mountains of Ararat. There is
evidence of an early civilisation 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,[39]
skirt,[40] and wine-producing facility.[41]
Several Bronze Age states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including
the Hittites (at the height of their power), Mitanni (southwestern historical Armenia),
and Hayasa-Azzi (1500–1200 BC). The Nairi people (12th to 9th centuries BC) and
Urartu (1000–600 BC) successively established their sovereignty over the Armenian
Highlands. Each of the aforementioned nations and tribes participated in the
ethnogenesis of the Armenians.[42][43][44][45] 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.
During the late 6th century BC, the first geographical entity that was called
Armenia by neighbouring populations was established under the Orontid Dynasty
within the Achaemenid Empire, as part of the latters' territories. The kingdom became
fully sovereign from the sphere of influence of the Seleucid Empire in 190 BC under
King Artaxias I and begun the rule of the Artaxiad dynasty. Armenia reached its
height between 95 and 66 BC under Tigranes the Great, becoming the most powerful
kingdom of its time east of the Roman Republic.
In the next centuries, Armenia was in the Persian Empire's sphere of influence
during the reign of Tiridates I, the founder of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia, which
itself was a branch of the Parthian Empire. Throughout its history, the kingdom of
Armenia enjoyed both periods of independence and periods of autonomy subject to
contemporary empires. Its strategic location between two continents has subjected it
to invasions by many peoples, including Assyria (under Ashurbanipal, at around 669–
627 BC, the boundaries of Assyria reached as far as Armenia and the Caucasus
Mountains),[46] Medes, Achaemenid Empire, Greeks, Parthians, Romans, Sasanian
Empire, Byzantine Empire, Arabs, Seljuk Empire, Mongols, Ottoman Empire, the
successive Safavid, Afsharid, and Qajar dynasties of Iran, and the Russians.
 The pagan Garni Temple, probably built in the first century, is the only "Greco-
Roman colonnaded building" in the post-Soviet states.[47]
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 Mithra and also included a pantheon of gods such as Aramazd, Vahagn, Anahit,
and Astghik. The country used the solar Armenian calendar, which consisted of 12
months.
Christianity spread into the country as early as AD 40. Tiridates III of Armenia
(238–314) made Christianity the state religion in 301,[48][49] partly, in defiance of the
Sasanian Empire, it seems,[50] becoming the first officially Christian state, ten years
before the Roman Empire granted Christianity an official toleration under Galerius,
and 36 years before Constantine the Great was baptised. Prior to this, during the latter
part of the Parthian period, Armenia was a predominantly Zoroastrian.[50]
After the fall of the Kingdom of Armenia in 428, most of Armenia was
incorporated as a marzpanate within the Sasanian Empire. Following the Battle of
Avarayr in 451, Christian Armenians maintained their religion and Armenia gained
autonomy.
Middle Ages

The Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Armenia's Mother Church traditionally dated 303

AD, is considered the oldest cathedral in the world.[51][52][53]
After the Sasanian period (428–636), Armenia emerged as Arminiya, an
autonomous principality under the Umayyad Caliphate, reuniting Armenian lands
previously taken by the Byzantine Empire as well. The principality was ruled by the
Prince of Armenia, and recognised by the Caliph and the Byzantine Emperor. It was
part of the administrative division/emirate Arminiya created by the Arabs, which also
included parts of Georgia and Caucasian Albania, and had its centre in the Armenian
city, Dvin. Arminiya lasted until 884, when it regained its independence from the
weakened Abbasid Caliphate under Ashot I of Armenia.
The reemergent 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 recognising the
supremacy of the Bagratid kings.

The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, 1198–1375

In 1045, the Byzantine Empire conquered Bagratid Armenia. Soon, the other
Armenian states fell under Byzantine control as well. The Byzantine rule was short
lived, as in 1071 the Seljuk Empire defeated the Byzantines and conquered Armenia
at the Battle of Manzikert, establishing the Seljuk Empire.[54] To escape death or
servitude at the hands of those who had assassinated his relative, Gagik II of
Armenia, King of Ani, an Armenian named Ruben I, Prince of Armenia, went with
some of his countrymen into the gorges of the Taurus Mountains and then into Tarsus
of Cilicia. The Byzantine governor of the palace gave them shelter where the
Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was eventually established on 6 January 1198 under
Leo I, King of Armenia, a descendant of Prince Ruben.
Cilicia was a strong ally of the European Crusaders, and saw itself as a bastion
of Christendom in the East. Cilicia's significance in Armenian history and statehood
is also attested by the transfer of the seat of the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic
Church, the spiritual leader of the Armenian people, to the region.
The Seljuk Empire soon started to collapse. In the early 12th century, Armenian
princes of the Zakarid family drove out the Seljuk Turks and established a semi-
independent principality in northern and eastern Armenia known as Zakarid Armenia,
which lasted under the patronage of the Georgian Kingdom. The Orbelian Dynasty
shared control with the Zakarids in various parts of the country, especially in Syunik
and Vayots Dzor, while the House of Hasan-Jalalyan controlled provinces of Artsakh
and Utik as the Kingdom of Artsakh.
Early Modern era
Further information: Iranian Armenia (1502–1828), Armenians in the Ottoman
Empire, and Russian Armenia
During the 1230s, the Mongol Empire conquered Zakarid Armenia and then the
remainder of Armenia. The Mongolian invasions were soon followed by those of
other Central Asian tribes such as the Kara Koyunlu, Timurid dynasty and Ağ
Qoyunlu, which continued from the 13th century until the 15th century. After
incessant invasions, each bringing destruction to the country, with time Armenia
became weakened.
In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire and the Safavid dynasty of Iran divided
Armenia. From the early 16th century, both Western Armenia and Eastern Armenia
fell to the Safavid Empire.[55][56] Owing to the century long Turco-Iranian geopolitical
rivalry that would last in Western Asia, significant parts of the region were frequently
fought over between the two rivalling empires. From the mid 16th century with the
Peace of Amasya, and decisively from the first half of the 17th century with the
Treaty of Zuhab until the first half of the 19th century,[57] Eastern Armenia was ruled
by the successive Safavid, Afsharid and Qajar empires, while Western Armenia
remained under Ottoman rule.
From 1604 Abbas I of Iran implemented a "scorched earth" policy in the region
to protect his north-western frontier against any invading Ottoman forces, a policy
which involved a forced resettlement of masses of Armenians outside of their
homelands.[58]

Capture of Erivan fortress by Russian troops in 1827 during the Russo-Persian

War (1826–28) by Franz Roubaud.
In the 1813 Treaty of Gulistan and the 1828 Treaty of Turkmenchay, following
the Russo-Persian War (1804–13) and the Russo-Persian War (1826–28),
respectively, the Qajar dynasty of Iran was forced to irrevocably cede Eastern
Armenia, consisting of the Erivan and Karabakh Khanates, to Imperial Russia.[59][60]
While Western Armenia still remained under Ottoman rule, the Armenians were
granted considerable autonomy within their own enclaves and lived in relative
harmony with other groups in the empire (including the ruling Turks). However, as
Christians under a strict Muslim social structure, Armenians faced pervasive
discrimination. When they began pushing for more rights within the Ottoman Empire,
Sultan Abdul Hamid II, in response, organised state-sponsored massacres against the
Armenians between 1894 and 1896, resulting in an estimated death toll of 80,000 to
300,000 people. The Hamidian massacres, as they came to be known, gave Hamid
international infamy as the "Red Sultan" or "Bloody Sultan."[61] This period is known
as Russian Armenia.
During the 1890s, the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, commonly known as
Dashnaktsutyun, became active within the Ottoman Empire with the aim of unifying
the various small groups in the empire that were advocating for reform and defending
Armenian villages from massacres that were widespread in some of the Armenian-
populated areas of the empire. Dashnaktsutyun members also formed Armenian
fedayi groups that defended Armenian civilians through armed resistance. The
Dashnaks also worked for the wider goal of creating a "free, independent and unified"
Armenia, although they sometimes set aside this goal in favour of a more realistic
approach, such as advocating autonomy.
The Ottoman Empire began to collapse, and in 1908, the Young Turk
Revolution overthrew the government of Sultan Hamid. In April 1909, the Adana
massacre occurred in the Adana Vilayet of the Ottoman Empire resulting in the
deaths of as many as 20,000–30,000 Armenians. The 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.[62]
World War I and the Armenian Genocide
Main article: Armenian Genocide

Armenian Genocide victims in 1915

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 Imperial 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.
The genocide was implemented in two phases: the wholesale killing of the able-
bodied male population through massacre and subjection of army conscripts to forced
labour, followed by the deportation of women, children, the elderly and infirm on
death marches leading to the Syrian desert. Driven forward by military escorts, the
deportees were deprived of food and water and subjected to periodic robbery, rape,
and massacre.[63][64] 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.[65]
Turkish authorities deny the genocide took place to this day. The Armenian
Genocide is acknowledged to have been one of the first modern genocides.[66][67]
According to the research conducted by Arnold J. Toynbee, an estimated 600,000
Armenians died during deportation from 1915–16). This figure, however, accounts
for solely the first year of the Genocide and does not take into account those who
died or were killed after the report was compiled on 24 May 1916.[68] The
International Association of Genocide Scholars places the death toll at "more than a
million".[69] The total number of people killed has been most widely estimated at
between 1 and 1.5 million.[70]
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
Main article: First Republic of Armenia

The Government house of the First Republic of Armenia (1918–1920)

Although the Russian Caucasus Army of Imperial forces commanded by Nikolai
Yudenich and Armenians in volunteer units and Armenian militia led by Andranik
Ozanian and Tovmas Nazarbekian succeeded in gaining most of Ottoman Armenia
during World War I, their gains were lost with the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917.
[citation needed]
At the time, Russian-controlled Eastern Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan
attempted to bond together in the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic.
This federation, however, lasted from only February to May 1918, when all three
parties decided to dissolve it. As a result, the Dashnaktsutyun government of Eastern
Armenia declared its independence on 28 May as the First Republic of Armenia
under the leadership of Aram Manukian.
The First Republic's short-lived independence was fraught with war, territorial
disputes, 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
Sèvres on 10 August 1920, the Treaty of Sèvres promised to maintain the existence of
the Armenian republic and to attach the former territories of 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.[71]
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.

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

In 1920, Turkish nationalist forces invaded the fledgling Armenian republic
from the east. Turkish forces under the command of Kazım Karabekir captured
Armenian territories that Russia had annexed in the aftermath of the 1877–1878
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 Sèvres, and to give up all
the "Wilsonian Armenia" granted to it at the Sèvres 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.
After the fall of the republic, the February Uprising soon took place in 1921, and
led to the establishment of the Republic of Mountainous Armenia by Armenian
forces under command of Garegin Nzhdeh on 26 April, which fought off both Soviet
and Turkish intrusions in the Zangezur region of southern Armenia. After Soviet
agreements to include the Syunik Province in Armenia's borders, the rebellion ended
and the Red Army took control of the region on 13 July.
Soviet Armenia
Main article: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic
 The coat of arms of Soviet Armenia depicting Mount Ararat in the centre
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.[72][73] With this annexation, the Treaty of
Alexandropol was superseded by the Turkish-Soviet Treaty of Kars. In the
agreement, Turkey allowed the Soviet Union to assume control over Adjara with the
port city of Batumi in return for sovereignty over the cities of Kars, Ardahan, and
Iğdır, all of which were part of Russian Armenia.[72][73]
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.[74]
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.[75]
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.
 Armenians gather at Theater Square in central Yerevan to claim unification of
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast with the Armenian SSR.
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.[76] 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.[77]
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.[78] On 23
August 1990, Armenia declared its sovereignty on its territory. On 17 March 1991,
Armenia, along with the Baltic states, Georgia and Moldova, boycotted a nationwide
referendum in which 78% of all voters voted for the retention of the Soviet Union in
a reformed form.[79]
Restoration of independence
Main article: History of Armenia § Independent Armenia (1991-today)

Armenian soldiers during the Nagorno-Karabakh War

On 21 September 1991, Armenia officially declared its independence after the
failed August coup in Moscow. Levon Ter-Petrosyan was popularly elected the first
President of the newly independent Republic of Armenia on 16 October 1991. He had
risen to prominence by leading the Karabakh movement for the unification of the
Armenian-populated Nagorno-Karabakh.[80] On 26 December 1991, the Soviet Union
ceased to exist and Armenia's independence was recognised.
Ter-Petrosyan led Armenia alongside Defense Minister Vazgen Sargsyan
through the Nagorno-Karabakh War with neighbouring Azerbaijan. The initial post-
Soviet years were marred by economic difficulties, which had their roots early in the
Karabakh conflict when the Azerbaijani Popular Front managed to pressure the
Azerbaijan SSR to instigate a railway and air blockade against Armenia. This move
effectively crippled Armenia's economy as 85% of its cargo and goods arrived
through rail traffic.[80] In 1993, Turkey joined the blockade against Armenia in
support of Azerbaijan.[81]

The 21 September 2011 parade in Yerevan, marking the 20th anniversary of

Armenia's re-independence
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.[82] 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.[83]
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.[84] Its relations with Europe, the Middle East, and the
Commonwealth of Independent States have allowed Armenia to increase trade.[85][86]
Gas, oil, and other supplies come through two vital routes: Iran and Georgia.
Armenia maintains cordial relations with both countries.[87]
 Armenia and neighbouring countries
Geography
Main article: Geography of Armenia
Armenia is a landlocked country in the geopolitical Transcaucasus (South
Caucasus) region, that is located in the Southern Caucasus Mountains and their
lowlands between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, and northeast of the Armenian
Highlands. Armenia is bordered on the north by Georgia, the east by Azerbaijan; the
south by Iran; and the southwest and west by Turkey. Armenia lies between latitudes
38° and 42° N, and meridians 43° and 47° E.
Topography

Armenia's mountainous and volcanic topography

The Republic of Armenia has a territorial area of 29,743 square kilometres
(11,484 sq mi). The terrain is mostly mountainous, with fast flowing rivers, and few
forests. The climate is highland continental, which means that Armenia is subjected
to hot summers and cold winters. The land rises to 4,090 metres (13,419 feet) above
sea level at Mount Aragats, and no point is below 390 metres (1,280 ft) above sea
level.[88]
Mount Ararat
Mount Ararat, which was historically part of Armenia, is the highest mountain
in the region. Now located in Turkey, but clearly visible from Armenia, it is regarded
by the Armenians as a symbol of their land. Because of this, the mountain is present
on the Armenian national emblem today.[89][90][91]
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.[92]
Climate
Main article: Climate of Armenia
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 colourful 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
Main articles: Government of Armenia and Politics of Armenia

The National Assembly in Yerevan

Politics of Armenia takes place in a framework of a semi-presidential
representative democratic republic. According to the Constitution of Armenia, the
President is the head of state 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 favours 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 co-operation
by the Electoral Commission, and poor maintenance of electoral lists and polling
places. Freedom House categorised 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).[93]
Since 1999, Freedom House's Democracy Score for Armenia has been steadily
on the decline (from 4.79 to 5.21).[94] 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.[95] However, significant progress seems to have been made and the 2008
Armenian presidential election was hailed as largely democratic by OSCE and
Western monitors.[96]
Foreign relations
Main articles: Foreign relations of Armenia, Armenia and the European Union,
and Armenia–Turkey relations

Embassy of Armenia in Moscow

Armenia presently maintains positive 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.[97] To this day, Armenia's borders with Turkey
and Azerbaijan are under severe blockade. In addition, a permanent solution for the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has not been reached despite the mediation provided by
organizations such as the OSCE.
 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 program.
Turkey also has a long history of poor relations with Armenia over its refusal to
acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Interestingly, 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
illegally closed its border with Armenia in 1993. It has not lifted its blockade despite
pressure from the powerful Turkish business lobby interested in Armenian markets.
[97]

On 10 October 2009, Armenia and Turkey signed protocols on normalisation of

relations, which set a timetable for restoring diplomatic ties and reopening their joint
border.[98] The ratification of those had to be made in the national parliaments. In
Armenia it passed through the legislatively required approval of the Constitutional
Court and was sent to parliament for 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 government of Armenia, Russia
maintains a military base in the city of Gyumri located in Northwestern Armenia.[99]
as a deterrent against Turkey.[citation needed] Despite this, Armenia has also been looking
toward Euro-Atlantic 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.[100]
Because of the illicit border blockades by Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenia
continues to maintain solid relations with its southern neighbour Iran especially in the
economic sector. Economic projects such a gas pipeline going from Iran to Armenia
are being developed.
 Russian President Dmitry Medvedev at Armenian Genocide memorial in
Yerevan
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
favour of joining the EU.[101] Several Armenian officials have also expressed the
desire for their country to eventually become an EU member state,[102] some[who?]
predicting that it will make an official bid for membership in a few years.[citation needed] 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 a prospective EU member
provided it meets necessary standards and criteria, although officially such a plan
does not exist in Brussels.[103][104][105][106] The Government of Armenia, however, has
joined the Customs Union of Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia[107] and the Eurasian
Economic Union.[108][109]
Armenia is included in the European Union's European Neighbourhood Policy
(ENP) which aims at bringing the EU and its neighbours closer.
Human rights
Main article: Human rights in Armenia
Armenia is classified "partly free" by Freedom House, which gives it "freedom
rating" of 46.[110]
Military
Main article: Armed Forces of Armenia

Armenian Army BTR-80s

 Armenian soldiers at the 2010 Moscow Victory Day Parade
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 Seyran Ohanyan,
while military command remains in the hands of the General Staff, headed by the
Chief of Staff, who is currently Colonel General Yuri Khatchaturov.
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 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.[111] Armenia also had 46 members of its military peacekeeping
forces as a part of the Coalition Forces in Iraq War until October 2008.[112]
Administrative divisions
Main article: Administrative divisions of Armenia
 Shirak
Lori
Tavush
Aragatsotn
Armavir
Yerevan
Ararat
Kotayk
Gegharkunik
Vayots
Dzor
Syunik

Geghard monastery, Kotayk Province

Armenia is divided into ten provinces (marzer, singular marz), with the city
(kaghak) of Yerevan (Երևան) having special administrative status as the country's
capital. The chief executive in each of the ten provinces is the marzpet (marz
governor), appointed by the government of Armenia. In Yerevan, the chief executive
is the mayor, 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.[113] Additionally, Yerevan is divided
into twelve semi-autonomous districts.
A
Popul
Province Capital rea
ation †
(km²)
Aragats Արագածո Աշտարա 2, 132,92
Ashtarak
otn տն կ 756 5
Արտաշա 2, 260,36
Ararat Արարատ Artashat
տ 090 7
Արմավի 1, 265,77
Armavir Արմավիր Armavir
ր 242 0
Geghark Գեղարքու 5, 235,07
Gavar Գավառ
unik   նիք   349 5
Հրազդա 2, 254,39
Kotayk Կոտայք Hrazdan
ն 086 7
Վանաձո 3, 235,53
Lori Լոռի Vanadzor
ր 799 7
2, 251,94
Shirak Շիրակ Gyumri Գյումրի
680 1
4, 141,77
Syunik Սյունիք Kapan Կապան
506 1
2, 128,60
Tavush Տավուշ Ijevan Իջևան
704 9
Vayots Yeghegn Եղեգնա 2,
Վայոց Ձոր 52,324
Dzor adzor   ձոր   308
22 1,060,
Yerevan Երևան – –
3 138
† 2011 census
Sources: Area and population of provinces.[114]
Economy
Main article: Economy of Armenia
The economy relies heavily on investment and support from Armenians abroad.
[115]
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.[48] Recently, the Intel
Corporation agreed to open a research centre in Armenia, in addition to other
technology companies, signalling the growth of the technology industry in Armenia.
[116]

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.[117] This increase in the importance of agriculture was attributable to
food security needs of the population in the face of uncertainty during the first phases
of transition and the collapse of the non-agricultural sectors of the economy in the
early 1990s. As the economic situation stabilised and growth resumed, the share of
agriculture in GDP dropped to slightly over 20% (2006 data), although the share of
agriculture in employment remained more than 40%.[118]

Yerevan is the economic and cultural centre of Armenia.

Armenian mines produce copper, zinc, gold, and lead. The vast majority of
energy is produced with fuel imported from Russia, including gas and nuclear fuel
(for its one nuclear power plant); the main domestic energy source is hydroelectric.
Small deposits of coal, gas, and petroleum exist but have not yet been developed.
Like other newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, Armenia's
economy suffers from 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.[117]
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.

New buildings in the Ajapnyak District of Yerevan.

This steady economic progress has earned Armenia increasing support from
international institutions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank,
European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and other international
financial institutions (IFIs) and foreign countries are extending considerable grants
and loans. Loans to Armenia since 1993 exceed $1.1 billion. These loans are targeted
at reducing the budget deficit and stabilising the currency; developing private
businesses; energy; agriculture; food processing; transportation; the health and
education sectors; and ongoing rehabilitation in the earthquake zone. The government
joined the World Trade Organization on 5 February 2003. But one of the main
sources of foreign direct investments remains the Armenian diaspora, which finances
major parts of the reconstruction of infrastructure and other public projects. Being a
growing democratic state, Armenia also hopes to get more financial aid from the
Western World.
A liberal foreign investment law was approved in June 1994, and a law on
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 was 18.5% in 2015,[119] still remains a major problem due to
the influx of thousands of refugees from the Karabakh conflict.
Armenia ranked 85th on the 2015 UNDP Human Development Index, the lowest
among the Transcaucasian republics.[120] In the 2015 Transparency International
Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Armenia ranked 95 of 168 countries.[121] In the
2016 Index of Economic Freedom, Armenia ranked 54th, ahead of countries like
France, Portugal and Italy.[84]
Exports and imports
 Cigarettes are ranked first among Armenia's export of finished products

Exports to Imports from

Country Percentage Country Percentage

 Belgium 23%  Russia 15%

 United
 Russia 15% 12%
States

 United
13%  Belgium 10%
States

 Iran 10%  Iran 9%

Others 39% Others 54%

Science and technology
Main article: Science and technology in Armenia
Research spending is low in Armenia, averaging 0.25% of GDP over 2010–
2013. However, the statistical record of research expenditure is incomplete, as
expenditure by privately owned business enterprises is not surveyed in Armenia. The
world average for domestic expenditure on research was 1.7% of GDP in 2013.[122]
 GERD GDP ratio for the Black Sea countries, 2001–2013. Source: UNESCO
Science Report: towards 2030 (2015), Figure 12.3
The country's Strategy for the Development of Science 2011–2020 envisions that
‘by 2020, Armenia is a country with a knowledge-based economy and is competitive
within the European Research Area with its level of basic and applied research.’ It
fixes the following targets:[122]
 Creation of a system capable of sustaining the development of science and
technology;
 Development of scientific potential, modernization of scientific infrastructure;
 Promotion of basic and applied research;
 Creation of a synergistic system of education, science and innovation; and
 Becoming a prime location for scientific specialization in the European
Research Area.
Based on this strategy, the accompanying Action Plan was approved by the
government in June 2011. It defines the following targets:[122]
 Improve the management system for science and technology and create the
requisite conditions for sustainable development;
 Involve more young, talented people in education and research, while
upgrading research infrastructure;
 Create the requisite conditions for the development of an integrated national
innovation system; and
 Enhance international co-operation in research and development.

GERD in the Black Sea region by sector of performance, 2005 and 2013.
Source: UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 (2015), Figure 12.5
 Although the Strategy clearly pursues a ‘science push’ approach, with public
research institutes serving as the key policy target, it nevertheless mentions the goal
of establishing an innovation system. However, the main driver of innovation, the
business sector, is not mentioned. In between publishing the Strategy and Action
Plan, the government issued a resolution in May 2010 on Science and Technology
Development Priorities for 2010–2014. These priorities are:[122]
 Armenian studies, humanities and social sciences;
 Life sciences;
 Renewable energy, new energy sources;
 Advanced technologies, information technologies;
 Space, Earth sciences, sustainable use of natural resources; and
 Basic research promoting essential applied research.
The Law on the National Academy of Sciences was adopted in May 2011. This
law is expected to play a key role in shaping the Armenian innovation system. It
allows the National Academy of Sciences to extend its business activities to the
commercialization of research results and the creation of spin-offs; it also makes
provision for restructuring the National Academy of Sciences by combining institutes
involved in closely related research areas into a single body. Three of these new
centres are particularly relevant: the Centre for Biotechnology, the Centre for
Zoology and Hydro-ecology and the Centre for Organic and Pharmaceutical
Chemistry.[122]
The government is focusing its support on selected industrial sectors. More than
20 projects have been cofunded by the State Committee of Science in targeted
branches: pharmaceuticals, medicine and biotechnology, agricultural mechanization
and machine building, electronics, engineering, chemistry and, in particular, the
sphere of information technology.[122]
Over the past decade, the government has made an effort to encourage science–
industry linkages. The Armenian information technology sector has been particularly
active: a number of public–private partnerships have been established between
companies and universities, in order to give students marketable skills and generate
innovative ideas at the interface of science and business. Examples are Synopsys Inc.
and the Enterprise Incubator Foundation.[122]
Demographics
Main articles: Demographics of Armenia and Armenians
Armenia has a population of 3,238,000 (2008 est.)[123] 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.[124] In the past years emigration levels have declined and there is steady
population growth.
 The Armenian population around the world.
Armenia has a relatively large external diaspora (8 million by some estimates,
greatly exceeding the 3 million population of Armenia itself), with communities
existing across the globe. The largest Armenian communities outside of Armenia can
be found in Russia, France, Iran, the United States, Georgia, Syria, Lebanon,
Argentina, Australia, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Poland, Ukraine and Brazil.
40,000 to 70,000 Armenians still live in Turkey (mostly in and around Istanbul).[125]
About 1,000 Armenians reside in the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of
Jerusalem, a remnant of a once-larger community.[126] 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.[127] Approximately 139,000 Armenians live in the de facto country of
Nagorno-Karabakh where they form a majority.[128]
Ethnic groups
Ethnic Armenians make up 98.1% of the population. Yazidis make up 1.2%, and
Russians 0.4%. Other minorities include Assyrians, Ukrainians, Greeks (usually
called Caucasus Greeks), Kurds, Georgians, Belarusians, and Jews. There are also
smaller communities of Vlachs, Mordvins, Ossetians, Udis, and Tats. Minorities of
Poles and Caucasus Germans also exist though they are heavily Russified.[129] As of
2016, there are an estimated 35,000 Yazidis in Armenia.[130]
During the Soviet era, Azerbaijanis were historically the second largest
population in the country (forming about 2.5% in 1989).[131] 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
Main article: Languages of Armenia
Armenian is the only official language. The main foreign languages that
Armenians know are Russian and English. Due to its Soviet past, most of the
population can speak Russian quite well. According to a 2013 survey, 95% of
Armenians said they had some knowledge of Russian (24% advanced, 59%
intermediate) compared to 40% who said they knew some English (4% advanced,
16% intermediate and 20% beginner). However, more adults (50%) think that English
should be taught in public secondary schools than those who prefer Russian (44%).
[132]

Cities
 See also: List of municipalities of Armenia
 
v
t
e
Largest cities or towns in Armenia
Armenia 2011 census[133][134][135][136][137][138][139][140][141][142][143]
P
R Na Po R Na Pro P
rovinc
ank me p. ank me vince op.
e
1,
Yer Y 1 Gav Geg 2
1 060,13
evan erevan 1 ar harkunik 0,765
8
Gyu S 12 1 Gori Syu 2
2
mri hirak 1,976 2 s nik 0,591
Van L 86 1 Cha Kot 2
3
adzor ori ,199 3 rentsavan ayk 0,363
Vag A 46 1 Arar Ara 2
4
harshapat rmavir ,540 4 at rat 0,235
Abo K 43 1 Mas Ara 2
Yerevan 5
vyan otayk ,495 5 is rat 0,215
Vanadzor
Kap S 43 1 Ash Ara 1
6
an yunik ,190 6 tarak gatsotn 9,615
Vagharsha
Hra K 41 1 Arti Shir 1
7 pat
Gyumri zdan otayk ,875 7 k ak 9,534
Arm A 29 1 Sev Geg 1
8
avir rmavir ,319 8 an harkunik 9,229
Arta A 22 1 Dilij Tav 1
9
shat rarat ,269 9 an ush 7,712
1 Ijev T 21 2 Sisi Syu 1
0 an avush ,081 0 an nik 4,894
Religion
See also: Religion in Armenia

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.
 Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, an event
traditionally dated to AD 301.[144][145][146][147]
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 40–60. 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.[148] The
Armenian Apostolic Church is in communion only with a group of churches within
Oriental Orthodoxy.
The Armenian Evangelical Church has a very sizeable and favourable 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 practising faith based on Nicene Creed in
Armenia are the Pentecostal branches of Protestant community such as the Word of
Life, the Armenian Brotherhood Church,[149] the Baptists which are known as of the
oldest existing denominations in Armenia and were permitted by the authorities of
Soviet Union,[150][151] and Presbyterians.[152]
Catholics also exist in Armenia, both Latin rite and Armenian rite Catholics. The
Mechitarists (also spelled "Mekhitarists" Armenian: Մխիթարեան), 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.[153]
The Yazidi Kurds, who live in the western part of the country, practice
Yazidism. As of 2016, the world's largest Yazidi temple is under construction in the
small village of Aknalish.[130] There are also non-Yazidi Kurds who practice Sunni
Islam.[citation needed]
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.
Health
Life expectancy at birth was 70 for males and 76 for females in 2006.[154] Health
expenditures were about 5.6% of GDP in 2004.[154] Most of those expenditures were
outside the private sector.[154] Government expenditures on health were US$112 per
person in 2006.[155] Vast improvements of health services occurred in the past decade.
Such improvements consisted of easier accessibility to health-care services and an
Open Enrollment program which allows Armenians to freely choose their healthcare
service provider.[156]
Education
Main article: Education in Armenia
In its first years of independence, Armenia made uneven progress in establishing
systems to meet its national requirements in social services.[157] 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.[157]
A literacy rate of 100% was reported as early as 1960.[157] 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.[157]
As in the Soviet period, primary and secondary education in Armenia is free, and
completion of secondary school is compulsory.[157]

Yerevan State Medical University named after Mkhitar Heratsi

In the 1988–89 school year, 301 students per 10,000 population were in
specialised secondary or higher education, a figure slightly lower than the Soviet
average.[157] In 1989 some 58% of Armenians over age fifteen had completed their
secondary education, and 14% had a higher education.[157] In the 1990–91 school
year, the estimated 1,307 primary and secondary schools were attended by 608,800
students.[157] Another seventy specialised secondary institutions had 45,900 students,
and 68,400 students were enrolled in a total of ten postsecondary institutions that
included universities.[157] In addition, 35% of eligible children attended preschools.[157]
In 1992 Armenia's largest institution of higher learning, Yerevan State University,
had eighteen departments, including ones for social sciences, sciences, and law.[157] Its
faculty numbered about 1,300 teachers and its student population about 10,000
students.[157] The National Polytechnic University of Armenia is operating since 1933.
[157]

In the early 1990s, Armenia made substantial changes to the centralised and
regimented Soviet system.[157] Because at least 98% of students in higher education
were Armenian, curricula began to emphasise Armenian history and culture.[157]
Armenian became the dominant language of instruction, and many schools that had
taught in Russian closed by the end of 1991.[157] Russian was still widely taught,
however, as a second language.[157]
 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 Sīnā in
Arabic medicine.

Graduates of the MAB program of the Agribusiness Teaching Center

Foreign students' department for Armenian diaspora established in 1957 later
was enlarged and the enrolment of foreign students began. Nowadays the YSMU is a
Medical Institution corresponding to international requirements, trains medical staff
for not only Armenia and neighbour 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, 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 honourable 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, US 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. Armenia also
hosts a deployment of OLPC – One Laptopschool Per child XO laptop-tablet schools.
[158]

Culture
Main article: Culture of Armenia
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.
Media
Main article: Media of Armenia
Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and
for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, subscription, and other sales-
related revenues. The Constitution of Armenia guarantees freedom of speech and
Armenia ranks 78th in the 2015 Press Freedom Index report compiled by Reporters
Without Borders, between Lesotho and Sierra Leone.[159] As a country in transition,
Armenia's media system is under transformation.[160]
Frequent attacks on journalists of non-state sponsored media is a serious threat
to Armenia's press freedom. The number of assaults has recently declined, but the
physical integrity of journalists remain at stake.[161]
Music and dance
Main article: Music of Armenia

Djivan Gasparyan (left), Sirusho (middle) and Charles Aznavour (right) are
among most popular musicians of Armenia.
Armenian music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by
Djivan Gasparyan's well-known duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive
Christian music.
Instruments like the duduk, 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.

Traditional Armenian dance.

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

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

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 National Art Gallery in Yerevan has more than 16,000 works that date back
to the Middle Ages, which indicate Armenia's rich tales and stories of the times. It
houses paintings by many European masters as well. The Modern Art Museum, the
Children’s Picture Gallery, and the Martiros Saryan Museum are only a few of the
other noteworthy collections of fine art on display in Yerevan. Moreover, many
private galleries are in operation, with many more opening every year, featuring
rotating exhibitions and sales.
 On 13 April 2013, the Armenian government announced a change in law to
allow freedom of panorama for 3D works of art.[162]
Sport
Main articles: Sport in Armenia and Chess in Armenia

The Tsaghkadzor Olympic Sports complex.

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
practised 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."[163]
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.

Chess Grandmaster Levon Aronian is a former FIDE #2 rated player and the
fourth highest rated player in history
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.
Traditional Armenian wrestling is called Kokh and practised in traditional garb;
it was one of the influences included in the Soviet combat sport of Sambo, which is
also very popular.[164]
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.[165]
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 centre was opened in
Yerevan with the aim of helping produce world class Armenian cyclists. The
government has also promised a cash reward of $700,000 to Armenians who win a
gold medal at the Olympics.[165]
Armenia has also been very successful in chess, winning the World Champion
in 2011 and the World Chess Olympiad on three occasions.[166]
Cuisine
Main article: Armenian cuisine

Armenian cuisine
Armenian cuisine is closely related to eastern and Mediterranean cuisine,
various spices, vegetables, fish, and fruits combine to present unique dishes. The
main characteristics of Armenian cuisine are a reliance on the quality of the
ingredients rather than heavily spicing food, the use of herbs, the use of wheat in a
variety of forms, of legumes, nuts, and fruit (as a main ingredient as well as to sour
food), and the stuffing of a wide variety of leaves.
The pomegranate, with its symbolic association with fertility, represents that
nation. The apricot is the national fruit.
See also
 Armenia portal
 Asia portal
 Europe portal
  Outline of Armenia
 Index of Armenia-related articles
 Armenia – Wikipedia book
Notes
Sources
This article incorporates text from a free content work. Licensed
under CC-BY-SA IGO 3.0 UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030,
324–326, UNESCO, UNESCO Publishing.
To learn how to add open-license text to Wikipedia articles, please
see Wikipedia:Adding open license text to Wikipedia.
References
1.
 "The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia (with amendments)".
Constitutional Court of the Republic of Armenia. 5 July 1995. Retrieved 14 October
2012.
  Campbell, George L.; King, Gareth (2013). Compendium of the World's
Languages (3rd ed.). New York: Routledge. p. 115. ISBN 978-1-136-25846-6.
...Eastern Armenian is the written and spoken language of the Republic of Armenia.
  Dalby, Andrew (1998). Dictionary of Languages: The Definitive
Reference to More Than 400 Languages. New York: Columbia University Press.
p. 36. ISBN 978-0-231-11568-1. ...Eastern Armenian of the Present Republic of
Armenia...
  Asatryan, Garnik; Arakelova, Victoria (Yerevan 2002). The Ethnic
Minorities in Armenia. Part of the OSCE. Archived copy at WebCite (16 April 2010).
  Ministry of Culture of Armenia [mincult.am/datas/media/azg.poqr.
%20ev%20xorhurd%20mshak.nax.%20(1).doc The ethnic minorities in Armenia.
Brief information]. As per the most recent census in 2011. [1]
  "National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia – Official Web Site –
parliament.am".
  Lang, David Marshall. Armenia: Cradle of Civilization. London: Allen
and Unwin, 1970, p. 114. ISBN 0-04-956007-7.
  Redgate, Anna Elizabeth. The Armenians. Cornwall: Blackwell, 1998,
pp. 16–19, 23, 25, 26 (map), 30–32, 38, 43 ISBN 0-631-22037-2.
  Redgate, A. E. (2000). The Armenians (Reprint ed.). Oxford: Blackwell.
p. 5. ISBN 0-631-22037-2. However, the most easily identifiable ancestors of the
later Armenian nation are the Urartians.
  de Laet, Sigfried J.; Herrmann, Joachim, eds. (1996). History of
Humanity: From the seventh century B.C. to the seventh century A.D. (1st ed.).
London: Routledge. p. 128. ISBN 9789231028120. The ruler of the part known as
Greater Armenia, Artaxias (Artashes), the founder of a new dynasty, managed to
unite the country...
   Encyclopedia Americana: Ankara to Azusa. Scholastic Library
Publishing. 2005. p. 393. It was named for Artaxias, a general of Antiochus the
Great, who founded the kingdom of Armenia about 190 B.C.
  "The World Fact Book – Armenia". Central Intelligence Agency.
Archived from the original on 19 July 2010. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
  The population of Armenia as of 1 December 2016 according to UN, p.
100.
  "Statistical Service of Armenia" (PDF). Armstat. Retrieved 20 February
2014.
  "Armenia Population". countrymeters.info.
  "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects". World Economic Outlook
Database, October 2016. Washington, D.C.: International Monetary Fund. 4
October 2016. Retrieved 26 October 2016.
  "Gini index". World Bank. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  "Human Development Report 2015" (PDF). United Nations. 2015.
Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  Dum-Tragut, Jasmine (2009). Armenian: Modern Eastern Armenian.
Amsterdam: John Benjamins Publishing. p. 12. ISBN 9789027238146. The
orthography used in Armenia nowadays goes back to the Soviet orthography reform
of 1922 and its revision of 1940.
  "Armenia." Dictionary.com Unabridged. 2015.
  Central Intelligence Agency."The CIA World Factbook 2015" Skyhorse
Publishing Inc, 2014. ISBN 1-62914-903-9
  The UN classification of world regions places Armenia in Western Asia;
the CIA World Factbook "Armenia". The World Factbook. CIA. Archived from the
original on 10 October 2010. Retrieved 2 September 2010. "Armenia". National
Geographic., "Armenia". Encyclopædia Britannica., Calendario Atlante De Agostini
(in Italian) (111 ed.). Novara: Istituto Geografico De Agostini. 2015. p. sub voce.
ISBN 9788851124908. and Oxford Reference Online "Oxford Reference". Oxford
Reference Online. Retrieved 20 October 2012. also place Armenia in Asia.
  The Oxford Encyclopedia of Economic History. Oxford University Press.
2003. p. 156. ISBN 978-0-19-510507-0.
  (Garsoïan, Nina (1997). ed. R.G. Hovannisian, ed. Armenian People
from Ancient to Modern Times. Palgrave Macmillan. p. 81, Vol. 1.)
  Stringer, Martin D. (2005). A Sociological History of Christian Worship.
Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. p. 92. ISBN 0-521-81955-5.
  "Armenia Facts". National Geographic. Retrieved 12 October 2013.
  Smaller nations that have claimed a prior official adoption of Christianity
include Osroene, the Silures, and San Marino. See Timeline of official adoptions of
Christianity.
  Grousset, René (1947). Histoire de l'Arménie (1984 ed.). Payot. p. 122..
Estimated dates vary from 284 to 314. Garsoïan (op.cit. p. 82), following the research
of Ananian, favours the latter.
   The republic has separation of church and state
  "The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia, Article 8.1".
President.am. Archived from the original on 20 December 2010. Retrieved 30
December 2010.
  Razmik Panossian, The Armenians: From Kings And Priests to
Merchants And Commissars, Columbia University Press (2006), ISBN 978-0-231-
13926-7, p. 106.
  Rafael Ishkhanyan, "Illustrated History of Armenia," Yerevan, 1989
  Elisabeth Bauer. Armenia: Past and Present (1981), p. 49
  "Χαλύβοισι πρὸς νότον Ἀρμένιοι ὁμουρέουσι (The Armenians border on
the Chalybes to the south)". Chahin, Mark (2001). The Kingdom of Armenia.
London: Routledge. p. fr. 203. ISBN 978-0-7007-1452-0.
  Xenophon. Anabasis. pp. IV.v.2–9.
  Moses of Chorene,The History of Armenia, Book 1, Ch. 12 (in Russian)
  History of Armenia by Father Michael Chamich from B.C. 2247 to the
Year of Christ 1780, or 1229 of the Armenian era, Bishop's College Press, Calcutta,
1827, page 19: "[Aram] was the first to raise the Armenian name to any degree of
renown; so that contemporary nations... called them the Aramians, or followers of
Aram, a name which has been corrupted into Armenians; and the country they
inhabited, by universal consent, took the name of Armenia."
  Charles, R.H. (1913). The Book of Jubilees 9:5 from The Apocrypha and
Pseudepigrapha of the Old Testament. Clarendon Press.
  "The first leather shoe,". CNN. Archived from the original on 14
October 2010. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  "5,900-year-old women's skirt discovered in Armenian cave". News
Armenia. 13 September 2011. Retrieved 14 September 2011.
  "National Geographic: the first wine-making facility". National
Geographic. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  Kurkjian, Vahan (1958). History of Armenia (1964 ed.). Michigan:
Armenian General Benevolent Union. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  Armenian Soviet Encyclopedia. Yerevan: Armenian Encyclopedia. 1987.
pp. v. 12.
  Movsisyan, Artak (2000). Sacred Highland: Armenia in the spiritual
conception of the Near East. Yerevan.
  Kavoukjian, Martiros (1982). The Genesis of Armenian People.
Montreal.
  Joshua J. Mark. "Assyria". Ancient History Encyclopedia.
  Charles W. Hartley; G. Bike Yazicioğlu; Adam T. Smith, eds. (2012).
The Archaeology of Power and Politics in Eurasia: Regimes and Revolutions.
Cambridge University Press. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-107-01652-1. ...the unique temple-
tomb at Garni, just east of Yerevan – the only Greco-Roman colonnaded building
anywhere in the Soviet Union.
   "The World Factbook: Armenia". CIA. Archived from the original on 14
November 2007. Retrieved 15 November 2007.
  Brunner, Borgna (2006). Time Almanac with Information Please 2007.
New York: Time Home Entertainment. p. 685. ISBN 978-1-933405-49-0.
  Mary Boyce. Zoroastrians: Their Religious Beliefs and Practices
Psychology Press, 2001 ISBN 0-415-23902-8 p 84
  Stokes, Jamie, ed. (2008). Encyclopedia of the Peoples of Africa and the
Middle East. New York: Infobase Publishing. p. 65. ISBN 978-1-4381-2676-0.
Etchmiatzin is located in the west of modern Armenia, close to the border with
Turkey, and its fourth-century cathedral is generally regarded as the oldest in the
world.
  Bauer-Manndorff, Elisabeth (1981). Armenia: Past and Present.
Lucerne: Reich Verlag. OCLC 8063377. Etchmiadzin, with the world's oldest
cathedral and the seat of the Catholicos, draws tourists from all over the world.
  Utudjian, Édouard (1968). Armenian Architecture: 4th to 17th Century.
Paris: Editions A. Morancé. p. 7. OCLC 464421. ...the oldest cathedral in
Christendom, that of Etchmiadzin, founded in the 4th century.
  Holt, Peter Malcolm; Lambton, Ann Katharine Swynford & Lewis,
Bernard (1977). "The Cambridge History of Islam": 231–32.
  Rayfield, Donald (2013). Edge of Empires: A History of Georgia.
Reaktion Books. p. 165. ISBN 978-1-78023-070-2.
  Ward, Steven R. (2014). Immortal, Updated Edition: A Military History
of Iran and Its Armed Forces. Georgetown University Press. p. 43. ISBN 978-1-
62616-032-3.
  Herzig, Edmund; Kurkchiyan, Marina (2004). The Armenians: Past and
Present in the Making of National Identity. Routledge. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-135-
79837-6.
  H. Nahavandi, Y. Bomati, Shah Abbas, empereur de Perse (1587–1629)
(Perrin, Paris, 1998)
  Mikaberidze, Alexander (2011). Conflict and Conquest in the Islamic
World: A Historical Encyclopedia. ABC-CLIO. pp. 33, 351. ISBN 978-1-59884-337-
8.
  Dowling, Timothy C. (2014). Russia at War: From the Mongol Conquest
to Afghanistan, Chechnya, and Beyond [2 volumes]. ABC-CLIO. pp. 728–.
ISBN 978-1-59884-948-6.
  Minahan, James (2010). The complete guide to national symbols and
emblems. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Greenwood Press. p. 310. ISBN 0-313-34497-3.
  Kirakosian, J. S. (1972). Hayastane michazkayin divanakitut'yan ew
sovetakan artakin kaghakakanut'yan pastateghterum, 1828–1923 [Armenia in the
documents of international diplomacy and Soviet foreign policy, 1828–1923] (in
Armenian). Yerevan. pp. 149–358.
   Kieser, Hans-Lukas; Schaller, Dominik J. (2002), Der Völkermord an
den Armeniern und die Shoah [The Armenian genocide and the Shoah] (in German),
Chronos, p. 114, ISBN 3-0340-0561-X
  Walker, Christopher J. (1980), Armenia: The Survival of A Nation,
London: Croom Helm, pp. 200–03
  "Extensive bibliography by University of Michigan on the Armenian
Genocide". Umd.umich.edu. Archived from the original on 16 November 2001.
Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  "Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly Resolution". Armenian
genocide. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  Ferguson, Niall (2006). The War of the World: Twentieth-Century
Conflict and the Descent of the West. New York: Penguin Press. p. 177. ISBN 1-
59420-100-5.
  Robert Melson, Revolution and Genocide: On the Origins of the
Armenian Genocide and the Holocaust, University Of Chicago Press, 15 October
1992, p. 147
  Q&A: Armenian genocide dispute. BBC News. 10 July 2008.
  "Tsitsernakaberd Memorial Complex". Armenian Genocide Museum-
Institute. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  Hovannisian, Richard, and Simon Payaslian. Armenian Cilicia. Costa
Mesa: Mazda Publishers, Inc., 2008. 483. Print.
  "The Soviet Period – History – Azerbaijan – Asia". Retrieved 25 July
2011.
  Закавказская федерация. Большая советская энциклопедия, 3-е изд.,
гл. ред. А. М. Прохоров. Москва: Советская энциклопедия, 1972. Т. 9 (A. M.
Prokhorov; et al., eds. (1972). "Transcaucasian Federation". Great Soviet
Encyclopedia (in Russian). 9. Moscow: Soviet Encyclopedia.)
  Ronald G. Suny, James Nichol, Darrell L. Slider. Armenia, Azerbaijan,
and Georgia. Federal Research Division, Library of Congress. 1995. pp. 17 and
following
  C. Mouradian, L'Armenie sovietique, pp. 278–79
  "Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic". The Great Soviet Encyclopedia
(1979).
  Eastern Europe, Russia and Central Asia 2004 – Page 74 by Imogen
Gladman, Taylor & Francis Group
  Notes from Baku: Black January. Rufat Ahmedov. EurasiaNet Human
Rights.
  "The March Referendum". Archived from the original on 15 October
2006. Retrieved 10 November 2008.
  Croissant, Michael P. (1998). The Armenia-Azerbaijan Conflict: Causes
and Implications. London: Praeger. ISBN 978-0-275-96241-8.
  "The Ties That Divide". Global Heritage Fund. 17 June 2006. Archived
from the original on 20 August 2006. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
   De Waal, Thomas (2004). Black Garden: Armenia And Azerbaijan
Through Peace and War. New York: New York University Press. p. 240. ISBN 978-
0-8147-1945-9.
  A Conflict That Can Be Resolved in Time: Nagorno-Karabakh.
International Herald Tribune. 29 November 2003.
  "Heritage Index of Economic Freedom". The Heritage Foundation.
  "EU negotiations with Armenia and Georgia on Free Trade Agreements
successfully concluded". EPP Group. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  "Armenia will significantly increase its revenues by reinforcing its role
of a transit country between Europe, CIS and Middle East". Arka News Agency.
Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  "Europe Could Draw Gas Through Iran–Armenia Pipeline". European
dialogue. Retrieved 10 February 2016.
  "Geographic Characteristic of The Republic of Armenia" (PDF). Marzes
of the Republic of Armenia in Figures, 2002–2006. National Statistical Service of the
Republic of Armenia. 2007. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  Natasha May Azarian (2007). The Seeds of Memory: Narrative
Renditions of the Armenian Genocide Across Generations. ProQuest. p. 96.
ISBN 978-0-549-53005-3. Retrieved 28 April 2013. Mount Ararat is considered the
'heart' of historical Armenia as it is Armenian folklore which considers the majestic
mountain to be the place where Noah's Arc landed. Armenian businesses,
households, and schools almost ubiquitously have at ...
  Rouben Paul Adalian (13 May 2010). Historical Dictionary of Armenia.
Scarecrow Press. p. 85. ISBN 978-0-8108-7450-3. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
Although the mythology associated with the pagan worship of the mountain is now
lost to popular belief, Mount Ararat has played a very ...
  James Minahan (1998). Miniature empires: a historical dictionary of the
newly independent states. Greenwood Publishing Group. pp. 2–3. ISBN 978-0-313-
30610-5. Retrieved 28 April 2013. Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of
Noah's Ark, is located in what is now modern Turkey. Situated near the border, the
peak is visible from nearly every area of Armenia. Historically, the mountain has
been the Armenian people's most ...
  "Address by President Serzh Sargsyan to the People of Armenia and the
National Assembly on 2 October 2008". President.am. Archived from the original on
9 December 2010. Retrieved 30 December 2010.
  "Nations in Transit 2008" (PDF). Freedom House. Archived from the
original (PDF) on 25 March 2009. Retrieved 1 March 2014.
  "Nations in Transit 2008: Armenia" (PDF). Freedom House. Archived
from the original (PDF) on 19 August 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2008.
  "Freedom in the World 2007" (PDF). Freedom House. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 16 April 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2007.
   Danielyan, Emil (20 February 2008). "Armenian Vote 'Largely
Democratic'". ArmeniaLiberty, Radio Free Europe. Archived from the original on 6
March 2008. Retrieved 20 February 2008.
  "Nagorno-Karabakh: The Crisis in the Caucasus". Retrieved 6 April
2007.
  "Armenia and Turkey sign peace deal". Archived from the original on 14
October 2009.
  "Baku and Moscow – 'One Hundred Percent Strategic Partners'". Hetq
Online. 27 February 2006. Retrieved 20 April 2008.
  "Ancestry Data". U.S. Census Bureau. 2006. Archived from the original
on 3 April 2008. Retrieved 22 July 2009. The 2001 Canadian Census determined that
there are 40,505 persons of Armenian ancestry currently living in Canada. However,
these are liable to be low numbers, since people of mixed ancestry, very common in
North America tend to be under-counted: the 1990 census US indicates 149,694
people who speak the Armenian language at home. "The Armenian Embassy in
Canada". Archived from the original on 26 August 2006. Retrieved 1 June 2016.
estimates 1 million ethnic Armenians in the US and 100,000 in Canada. The
Armenian Church of America makes a similar estimate. By all accounts, over half of
the Armenians in the United States live in California.
  "RFE/RL Caucasus Report". Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 7
January 2005. Archived from the original on 20 November 2010. Retrieved 22 July
2009.
  "Interview with RA National Assembly Speaker Artur Baghdasaryan".
ArmInfo News Agency. 26 October 2005. Archived from the original on 13 January
2009. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  "How Armenia Could Approach the European Union" (PDF). Retrieved
12 March 2013.
  "EUROPA – Press Releases – EU launches negotiations on Association
Agreements with Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia". Europa (web portal). 15 July
2010. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  "Armenia-EU association agreement may be concluded shortly |
Armenia News –". News.am. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  "3rd PLENARY ROUND OF THE EU-ARMENIA NEGOTIATIONS ON
THE ASSOCIATION AGREEMENT". Ec.europa.eu. 15 December 2010. Retrieved
28 August 2012.
  "Eurasian Economic Commission". www.eurasiancommission.org.
Retrieved 13 October 2015.
  "ДОГОВОР О ПРИСОЕДИНЕНИИ РЕСПУБЛИКИ АРМЕНИЯ К
ДОГОВОРУ О ЕВРАЗИЙСКОМ ЭКОНОМИЧЕСКОМ СОЮЗЕ ОТ 29 МАЯ
2014 ГОДА (Минск, 10 октября 2014 года)". www.customs-code.ru. Retrieved 13
October 2015.
  "Armenia To Join Russian-Led Customs Union". Radio Free
Europe/Radio Liberty. 3 September 2013. Retrieved 13 September 2013.
   "Armenia | Freedom House" (PDF). freedomhouse.org. Retrieved 27
January 2016.
  "KFOR Contingent: Armenia". Official Web Site of the Kosovo Force.
23 March 2007. Retrieved 27 October 2008.
  "Last shift of Armenian peacekeepers in Iraq returns home". Ministry of
Defence. 7 October 2008. Retrieved 29 October 2008.
  "Regional Administration Bodies". The Government of the Republic of
Armenia. Retrieved 11 September 2008.
  Armstat:Provinces, area and population
  Demourian, Avet (19 October 2007). "Armenian Eyes, Ears on US
Genocide Vote". The Washington Post. Retrieved 7 July 2009.
  "Intel center to open in Armenia". Panarmenian.Net. 20 January 1990.
Retrieved 12 March 2013.
  Z. Lerman and A. Mirzakhanian, Private Agriculture in Armenia,
Lexington Books, Lanham, MD, 2001.
  Statistical Yearbook 2007, Armenia National Statistical Service,
Yerevan
  "Unemployment Armenia". Armenian Statistical Service of Republic of
Armenia. Retrieved 6 May 2016.
  "Human Development Report 2015 – "Rethinking Work for Human
Development"" (PDF). HDRO (Human Development Report Office) United Nations
Development Programme. Retrieved 14 December 2015.
  "CPI 2015 table". Transparency International. Retrieved 28 January
2016.
  Erocal, Deniz; Yegorov, Igor (2015). Countries in the Black Sea basin.
In: UNESCO Science Report: towards 2030 (PDF). Paris: UNESCO. pp. 324–341.
ISBN 978-92-3-100129-1.
  "Statistical Yearbook of Armenia, 2009: Population" (PDF). ArmStat.
Retrieved 9 February 2010.
  Paul, Amanda. "Armenia's disappearing population". Archived from the
original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 27 July 2011.
  Turay, Anna. "Tarihte Ermeniler". Bolsohays:Istanbul Armenians Like
many other ethnicities Armenians in India too have played a role historically and
had an impact historically. Today however the community has been reduced to about
a hundred living in Calcutta. Archived from the original on 9 February 2008.
Retrieved 4 January 2007.
  "Jerusalem – The Old City: The Armenian Quarter". Jewish Virtual
Library. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  "San Lazzaro degli Armeni – Venice for Visitors".
Europeforvisitors.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2010. Retrieved
30 December 2010.
   "Population in Nagorno-Karabakh 2007" (PDF). National Statistical
Service of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16
April 2010. Retrieved 22 July 2009.
  Asatryan, Garnik; Arakelova, Victoria (2002). "The Ethnic Minorities of
Armenia". Routledge., part of the OSCE
  Sherwood, Harriet (25 July 2016). "World's largest Yazidi temple under
construction in Armenia". The Guardian. Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  (in Russian) The All-Union Population Census of 1989 Archived 4
January 2012 at the Wayback Machine.. Demoscope.ru
  "The South Caucasus Between The EU And The Eurasian Union"
(PDF). Caucasus Analytical Digest #51–52. Forschungsstelle Osteuropa, Bremen
and Center for Security Studies, Zürich. 17 June 2013. pp. 22–23. ISSN 1867-9323.
Retrieved 3 July 2013.
  Aragatsotn
  Tavush
  Kotayk
  Vayots Dzor
  Syunik
  Shirak
  Lori
  Gegharkunik
  Armavir
  Ararat
  Yerevan
  "Armenia – Which Nation First Adopted Christianity?".
Ancienthistory.about.com. 29 October 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  "Visit Armenia, It is Beautiful". Visitarmenia.org. Retrieved 25 January
2010.
  "Armenia Information – Welcome to Armenia". Welcomearmenia.com.
Archived from the original on 6 February 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  "Blog Archive " Which is the first country to adopt Christianity?". Did
You Know it. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  "The Armenian Apostolic Church (World Council of Churches)".
  "Armenian Brotherhood Church of Yerevan".
  "Armenian Evangelical Christian Baptist". Armbaplife.am. Retrieved 28
August 2012.
  "Despite poverty, Baptists prosper in Armenia" (PDF). Biblical
Recorder. Baptist State convention of North Carolina. 17 July 2004. Archived from
the original (PDF) on 19 November 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2010.
  "Armenian Presbyterian Church to Commemorate 1700th Anniversary
of Christianity in Armenia with Concert and Khachkar Dedication". The Armenian
Reporter. 20 October 2001. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011. Retrieved
21 May 2011.
   Lane, Christel (1978). Christian religion in the Soviet Union  : a
sociological study. Albany: State univ. of New York P. p. 107. ISBN 0-87395-327-4.
  "Microsoft Word – cjl – ARM_MPSEURO_countryprofile.doc" (PDF).
Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 November 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  "Human Development Report 2009 – Armenia". Hdrstats.undp.org.
Archived from the original on 9 January 2010. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
  Knapp, Caprice; Madden, Vanessa; Fowler-Kerry, Susan (2011).
Pediatric palliative care  : global perspectives. Dordrecht: Springer. p. 84.
ISBN 9400725698.
  Curtis, Glenn E. and Ronald G. Suny. "Education". Armenia: A Country
Study. Library of Congress Federal Research Division (March 1994). This article
incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain.
  "Nagorno Karabakh and Armenia – One Laptop per Child".
  Freedom House, Armenia, 2015 Press Freedom report
  Anais Melikyan, Armenia, EJC Press Landscapes (circa 2009)
  Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, The Protection of
media freedom in Europe.Background report prepared by Mr William Horsley,
special representative for media freedom of the Association of European Journalists
  "Legislation: National Assembly of RA". Parliament.am. Retrieved 26
April 2013.
  "Ambassadors in Sport?: Independent Armenia far below the glory of
Soviet times on the pitch, mat – Features". ArmeniaNow.com. Retrieved 25 January
2010.
  Green, ed. by Thomas A. (2001). Martial arts of the world : en
encyclopedia. Santa Barbara, Calif.: ABC-CLIO. p. 718. ISBN 978-1-57607-150-2.
  "Ambassadors in Sport?: Independent Armenia far below the glory of
Soviet times on the pitch, mat – Features". ArmeniaNow.com. Retrieved 28 August
2012.
 "Chess News – BBC lecture: Armenia, the cleverest nation on earth".
ChessBase.com. Retrieved 30 December 2010.