ARMENIAMore about Armenia Information about travelling to ArmeniaArmenia is located in Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey |
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Facts about Armenia
General info about Armenia
Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian separatists' control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.
Languages spoken Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census) What about drugs? illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe Ethnic division Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census) HIV/AIDS prevalence rate 0.1% (2003 est.) Climate highland continental, hot summers, cold winters Resources small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite Economy Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia has made progress in implementing many economic reforms including privatization, price reforms, and prudent fiscal policies. The conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates. Economic growth has averaged over 10% in recent years. Armenia has managed to reduce poverty, slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics, in exchange for raw materials and energy. Armenia has since switched to small-scale agriculture and away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. Nuclear power plants built at Metsamor in the 1970s were closed following the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, though they sustained no damage. One of the two reactors was re-opened in 1995, but the Armenian government is under international pressure to close it due to concerns that the Soviet era design lacks important safeguards. Metsamor provides 40 percent of the country's electricity - hydropower accounts for about one-fourth. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector. The electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002 and bought by Russia's RAO-UES in 2005. Construction of a pipeline to deliver natural gas from Iran to Armenia is scheduled for completion in Spring 2009. Armenia has some mineral deposits (copper, gold, bauxite). Pig iron, unwrought copper, and other nonferrous metals are Armenia's highest valued exports. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. The government made some improvements in tax and customs administration in recent years, but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement. Despite strong economic growth, Armenia's unemployment rate remains high. Armenia will need to pursue additional economic reforms in order to improve its economic competitiveness and to build on recent improvements in poverty and unemployment, especially given its economic isolation from two of its nearest neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan. The disruption of rail transit into Armenia during the Georgia-Russia conflict in August 2008 highlighted how Armenia's supply chains for key goods - such as gasoline - were vulnerable to instances of regional instability. Environment soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy crisis of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone Cities in Armeniaabovyan agarak agarakadzor aghavnadzor aghavnatun akhuryan aknalich aknashen alaverdi amasia amberd anushavan apaga aparan aragats aragyukh aramus arapi ararat arazap archis areni arevabuyr arevashat arevashogh arevik arevshat argavand argel armash armavir arshaluys artashat arteni artimet artsvaberd artsvanist arzakan arzni ashnak ashtarak astghadzor avshar aygavan aygedzor aygehovit aygek aygepat aygeshat aygestan aygezard aygut ayrum azatamut azatan azatavan baghramyan bagratashen balahovit bambakashat bardzrashen bazum berd berdavan brnakot brun buzhakan byurakan byuravan byureghavan chambarak chochkan dalar dalarik darakert darpas dashtavan ddmashen dilijan dimitrov doghs drakhtik dsegh dvin dzitankov dzoraghbyur dzoragyukh fantan fioletovo gagarin gandzak garni gavar gay geghamasar geghamavan geghanist getahovit getashen getazat ghukasavan gladzor gogaran goris gosh griboyedov gyulagarak gyumri haghartsin hayanist haykashen haykavan hnaberd hoktember horom hovtashat hovtashen hrazdan ijevan janfida jermuk jrahovit jrashen kamaris kamo kanakeravan kapan kaputan karbi karchaghbyur kasakh khashtarak khndzoresk kosh lanjaghbyur lchashen lenughi lernakert lernanist lernantsk lernapat lernavan lorut lukashin madina maisyan malishka maralik margahovit margara marmarashen marmashen martuni masis mayakovski meghradzor meghrashen meghri merdzavan mets masrik mets parni metsamor metsavan mosesgegh mrganush mrgashat mrgashen mrgavan mrgavet musaler musayelyan myasnikyan nalbandyan navur nizami nor armavir nor geghi nor gyukh nor yerznka norakert noramarg norashen noratus noyakert noyemberyan nshavan odzun oshakan paravakar pemzashen pokr mantash proshyan pshatavan ptghni ranchpar rind samaghar saramech saratak sarigyukh sarukhan sasunik sevan shaghat shahumyan shatin shenavan shinuhayr shirak shirakamut shnogh sis sisavan sisian solak sovetakan spandaryan spitak surenavan talin tandzut taronik tashir tazagyukh tegh tsaghkaber tsaghkadzor tsaghkahovit tsiatsan tsovagyugh tsovak tsovazard tsovinar tumanyan urut ushi vagharshapat vaghashen vahagni vahan vanadzor vardablur vardadzor vardenik vardenis varser vedi verin artashat verin dvin verin getashen verishen vernashen voskehask voskehat voskevan voskevaz vostan yeghegnavan yeghegnut yeghvard yeraskhahun yerazgavors yerevan zangakatun zar zaritap zhdanov zorak zoravan zovaber zovuni |
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The Cheers Travel World / Armenia travel