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4/9/2014 Armenia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armenia 1/31 Republic of Armenia Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Hanrapetutyun Flag Coat of arms Anthem: Մեր Հայրենիք Mer Hayrenik Our Fatherland Armenia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Hayastan / Hayasdan lead to this page. For other uses, see Hayastan (disambiguation) Armenia ( i / ɑr ˈ m n i ə/, / ɑr ˈ m n j ə/ Armenian: Հայաստան Hayastan), officially the Republic of Armenia (Armenian: Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն, Hayastani Hanrapetut’yun), is a mountainous country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, [14] it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. Armenia is a unitary, multi-party, democratic nation- state with an ancient cultural heritage. The Satrapy of Armenia was established in the 6th century BC, after the fall of Urartu. In the first century BC the Kingdom of Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great. Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion, [15] in the early years of the 4th century (the traditional date is 301 AD). [16] For this reason, Armenia is often referred to as the "first Christian nation." [17][18][19] An Armenian principality and later a kingdom, known as Cilician Armenia, existed on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between the 11th and 14th centuries. Between the 16th and early 19th century, the traditional Armenian homeland composed of Eastern Armenia and Western Armenia came under rule of the rivaling Ottoman and Persian Empires, often being passed between the former and the latter during the course of centuries, with all its native peoples inside it. By the mid 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been conquered by Russia over Persia, while most of the western parts of the traditional Armenian homeland still remained under Ottoman rule. During World War I, the Armenians living in their ancestral lands in the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated in the Armenian Genocide. After almost 600 years of statelessness, Armenia was able to become independent in 1918; however, the First Republic of Armenia, surrounded by hostile countries, was 0:00 MENU

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Republic of Armenia

Հայաստանի ՀանրապետությունHayastani Hanrapetutyun

Flag Coat of arms

Anthem: Մեր ՀայրենիքMer HayrenikOur Fatherland

ArmeniaFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Hayastan / Hayasdan lead to this page. For other uses, see Hayastan (disambiguation)

Armenia ( i/ɑrˈmiː niə/, /ɑrˈmiː njə/ Armenian:Հայաստան Hayastan), officially the Republic ofArmenia (Armenian: ՀայաստանիՀանրապետություն, Hayastani Hanrapetut’yun),is a mountainous country in the South Caucasus regionof Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia

and Eastern Europe,[14] it is bordered by Turkey to thewest, Georgia to the north, the de facto independentNagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan to theeast, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave ofNakhchivan to the south.

Armenia is a unitary, multi-party, democratic nation-state with an ancient cultural heritage. The Satrapy ofArmenia was established in the 6th century BC, afterthe fall of Urartu. In the first century BC the Kingdomof Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great.Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt

Christianity as its official religion,[15] in the early years

of the 4th century (the traditional date is 301 AD).[16]

For this reason, Armenia is often referred to as the

"first Christian nation."[17][18][19] An Armenianprincipality and later a kingdom, known as CilicianArmenia, existed on the coast of the MediterraneanSea between the 11th and 14th centuries.

Between the 16th and early 19th century, thetraditional Armenian homeland composed of EasternArmenia and Western Armenia came under rule of therivaling Ottoman and Persian Empires, often beingpassed between the former and the latter during thecourse of centuries, with all its native peoples inside it.By the mid 19th century, Eastern Armenia had beenconquered by Russia over Persia, while most of thewestern parts of the traditional Armenian homeland stillremained under Ottoman rule. During World War I,the Armenians living in their ancestral lands in theOttoman Empire were systematically exterminated inthe Armenian Genocide. After almost 600 years ofstatelessness, Armenia was able to becomeindependent in 1918; however, the First Republic ofArmenia, surrounded by hostile countries, was

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Capitaland largest city

Yerevan

40°11′N 44°31′E

Official languages Armenian[1]

Official written language Eastern Armenian[2][3]

Official script Armenian alphabet(Reformed orthography)[4]

Ethnic groups ( ) 97.9% Armenian

1.3% Yazidis

0.5% Russian

0.3% other

Demonym Armenian

Government Semi-presidential

republic[1]

- President Serzh Sargsyan

- Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan

Legislature National Assembly

Formation and independence

- Satrapy of Armenia 6th century BC

- Kingdom of GreaterArmenia united underthe Artaxiad

Dynasty[6]

190 BC[7]

- Bagratid Armenia 885 AD

- First Republic ofArmenia declared

28 May 1918

- Independence fromthe Soviet Union

23 August 1990 (declared)21 September 1991(referendum)

Area

- Total 29,743 km2 (141st)

11,484 sq mi

- Water (%) 4.71[8]

Population

- 2011 census 3,018,854[9][10] (134th)

- Density 101.5/km2 (99th)

262.9/sq mi

GDP (PPP) 2013 estimate

- Total $20.831 billion[11]

- Per capita $6,128[11]

GDP (nominal) 2013 estimate

- Total $10.325 billion[11]

- Per capita $3,037[11]

Gini (2008) 30.9[12]

medium

Sovietized in 1920. Between 1922 and 1991, Armeniawas part of the Soviet Union. The modern Republic ofArmenia became independent in 1991.

The Republic of Armenia recognizes the ArmenianApostolic Church, the world's oldest national church,

as the country's primary religious establishment.[20][21]

Armenians have their own unique alphabet, which wasinvented by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD.

Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe and theCollective Security Treaty Organization. Armeniasupports the de-facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which was proclaimed in 1991.

Contents

1 Etymology

2 History

2.1 Antiquity

2.2 Middle Ages

2.3 Early Modern era

2.4 World War I and the Armenian

Genocide

2.5 First Republic of Armenia

2.6 Soviet Armenia

2.7 Restoration of independence

3 Geography

3.1 Location

3.2 Topography

3.3 Environment

3.4 Climate

4 Government and politics

4.1 Foreign relations

4.2 Human rights

4.3 Military

4.4 Administrative divisions

5 Economy

6 Demographics

6.1 Cities

6.2 Diaspora

[5]

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HDI (2013) 0.730[13]

high · 87th

Currency Dram (դր.) (AMD)

Time zone UTC (UTC+4)

Drives on the right

Calling code +374

Patron saint St. Gregory the Illuminator

ISO 3166 code AM

Internet TLD .am

6.3 Ethnic groups

6.4 Languages

6.5 Health

6.6 Religion

6.7 Education

7 Culture

7.1 Music and dance

7.2 Art

7.3 Sport

7.4 Cuisine

8 See also

9 References

10 External links

Etymology

The native Armenian name for the country is Hayk’. The name in the Middle Ages was extended to Hayastan,by addition of the Persian suffix -stan (place). The name has traditionally been derived from Hayk (Հայկ), thelegendary patriarch of the Armenians and a great-great-grandson of Noah, who, according to the 5th-centuryAD author Moses of Chorene, defeated the Babylonian king Bel in 2492 BC and established his nation in the

Ararat region.[22] The further origin of the name is uncertain.

The exonym Armenia is attested in the Old Persian Behistun Inscription (515 BC) as Armina (

). The ancient Greek terms Ἀρμενία (Armenía) and Ἀρμένιοι (Arménioi, "Armenians") are first mentioned

by Hecataeus of Miletus in 476 BC.[23] Xenophon, a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions,describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality in around 401 BC. He relates that the people

spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the language of the Persians.[24] According to the histories of bothMoses of Chorene and Michael Chamchian, Armenia derives from the name of Aram, a lineal descendant of

Hayk.[25][26]

History

Antiquity

Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the biblical mountains of Ararat, upon which Noah's Ark is said tohave come to rest after the flood. (Bible, Gen. 8:4). There is evidence of an early civilization in Armenia in theBronze Age and earlier, dating to about 4000 BC. Archaeological surveys in 2010 and 2011 at the Areni-1

cave complex have resulted in the discovery of the world's earliest known leather shoe,[27] skirt,[28] and wine-

producing facility.[29]

The Haik Calendar begins on Navasardi 1 (calculated to be equivalent to August 11), 2492 BCE, when KingHaik defeated the Babylonian King Bel (Nemruth). By tradition, Armenia traces its foundation to this date.Several bronze-era states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire (at the height of

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Reconstruction of Herodotus' world map c. 450

BC, with Armenia shown in the center

The Kingdom of Armenia at its greatest extent

under Tigranes the Great, who reigned between 95

and 66 BC

The Armenian pagan Temple of

Garni, probably built 1st century AD,

is the only "Greco-Roman colonnaded

building" in Armenia and the entire

former Soviet Union.[35]

its power), Mitanni (South-Western historical Armenia),and Hayasa-Azzi (1500–1200 BC). The Nairi people(12th to 9th centuries BC) and the Kingdom of Urartu(1000–600 BC) successively established theirsovereignty over the Armenian Highland. Each of theaforementioned nations and tribes participated in the

ethnogenesis of the Armenian people.[30][31][32][33] Alarge cuneiform lapidary inscription found in Yerevanestablished that the modern capital of Armenia wasfounded in the summer of 782 BC by king Argishti I.Yerevan is the world's oldest city to have documentedthe exact date of its foundation.

Around 600 BC, the Kingdom of Armenia wasestablished under the Orontid Dynasty. The kingdomreached its height between 95 and 66 BC underTigranes the Great, becoming one of the most powerfulkingdoms of its time within the region. In the nextcenturies, Armenia was in the Persian Empire's sphere ofinfluence. Throughout its history, the kingdom ofArmenia enjoyed both periods of independence andperiods of autonomy subject to contemporary empires.Its strategic location between two continents hassubjected it to invasions by many peoples, including theAssyrians (under Ashurbanipal, at around 669-627 BC,the boundaries of the Assyrian Empire reached as far as

Armenia & the Caucasus Mountains),[34] Greeks,Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Persians, Ottoman Turks and Russians.

Religion in ancient Armenia was historically related to a set of beliefswhich, in Persia, led to the emergence of Zoroastrianism. Itparticularly focused on the worship of Mihr (Avestan Mithra) and alsoincluded a pantheon of native Aryan gods, such as Aramazd, Vahagn,Anahit, and Astghik. The country used the solar Hayk Armeniancalendar, which consisted of 12 months.

Christianity spread into the country as early as AD 40. King TiridatesIII (AD 238–314) made Christianity the state religion in AD

301,[36][37] becoming the first officially Christian state, ten yearsbefore the Roman Empire granted Christianity an official tolerationunder Galerius, and 36 years before Constantine the Great wasbaptized.

After the fall of the Armenian kingdom in AD 428, most of Armeniawas incorporated as a marzpanate within the Sassanid Empire. Following an Armenian rebellion in AD 451,Christian Armenians maintained their religious freedom, while Armenia gained autonomy.

Middle Ages

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The Etchmiadzin Cathedral, Armenia's

Mother Church traditionally dated 303

AD, is considered the oldest cathedral

in the world.[38][39][40]

The Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, 1199–

1375.

After the Marzpanate period (428–636), Armenia emerged as the Emirate of Armenia, an autonomousprincipality within the Arabic Empire, reuniting Armenian landspreviously taken by the Byzantine Empire as well. The principalitywas ruled by the Prince of Armenia, and recognized by the Caliphand the Byzantine Emperor. It was part of the administrativedivision/emirate Arminiya created by the Arabs, which also includedparts of Georgia and Caucasian Albania, and had its center in theArmenian city, Dvin. The Principality of Armenia lasted until 884,when it regained its independence from the weakened Arab Empire.

The re-emergent Armenian kingdom was ruled by the Bagratunidynasty and lasted until 1045. In time, several areas of the BagratidArmenia separated as independent kingdoms and principalities suchas the Kingdom of Vaspurakan ruled by the House of Artsruni in thesouth, Kingdom of Syunik in the east, or Kingdom of Artsakh on theterritory of modern Nagorno Karabakh, while still recognizing thesupremacy of the Bagratid kings.

In 1045, the Byzantine Empire conquered Bagratid Armenia.Soon, the other Armenian states fell under Byzantine control aswell. The Byzantine rule was short lived, as in 1071 Seljuk Turksdefeated the Byzantines and conquered Armenia at the Battle ofManzikert, establishing the Seljuk Empire. To escape death orservitude at the hands of those who had assassinated his relative,Gagik II, King of Ani, an Armenian named Roupen, went withsome of his countrymen into the gorges of the Taurus Mountainsand then into Tarsus of Cilicia. The Byzantine governor of thepalace gave them shelter where the Armenian Kingdom of Ciliciawas eventually established.

Cilicia was a strong ally of the European Crusaders, and sawitself as a bastion of Christendom in the East. Cilicia'ssignificance in Armenian history and statehood is also attested by the transfer of the seat of the Catholicos of theArmenian 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 noblefamily drove out the Seljuk Turks and established a semi-independent Armenian principality in Northern andEastern Armenia, known as Zakarid Armenia, which lasted under the patronage of the Georgian Kingdom. Thenoble family of Orbelians shared control with the Zakarids in various parts of the country, especially in Syunikand Vayots Dzor, while the Armenian family of Hasan-Jalalians controlled provinces of Artsakh and Utik as theKingdom of Artsakh.

Early Modern era

During the 1230s, the Mongol Empire conquered the Zakaryan Principality, as well as the rest of Armenia. TheMongolian invasions were soon followed by those of other Central Asian tribes such as the (Kara Koyunlu,Timurid and Ak Koyunlu), which continued from the 13th century until the 15th century. After incessantinvasions, each bringing destruction to the country, with time Armenia became weakened. In the 16th century,the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia divided Armenia. From 1604 Abbas I of Persia implemented a"scorched earth" policy in the region to protect his north-western frontier against any invading Ottoman forces, a

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Seizure of Yerevan fortress by

Russian troops in 1827 by Franz

Roubaud.

Armenian Genocide victims in 1915

policy which involved a forced resettlement of many Armenians outside of their homelands.[41] In 1813 and1828 the Russian Empire annexed Eastern Armenia from Persia (consisting of the Erivan and Karabakh

khanates[42]).[43]

Under Ottoman rule, the Armenians were granted considerable autonomy within their own enclaves and lived inrelative harmony with other groups in the empire (including the ruling Turks). However, as Christians under astrict Muslim social system, Armenians faced pervasive discrimination. When they began pushing for more rightswithin the Ottoman Empire, Sultan ‘Abdu’l-Hamid II, in response,organized state-sponsored massacres against the Armenians between1894 and 1896, resulting in an estimated death toll of 80,000 to300,000 people. The Hamidian massacres, as they came to beknown, gave Hamid international infamy as the "Red Sultan" or"Bloody Sultan."

The Ottoman Empire began to collapse, and in 1908, the Young TurkRevolution overthrew the government of Sultan Hamid. Armeniansliving in the empire hoped that the Committee of Union and Progresswould change their second-class status. Armenian reform package(1914) was presented as a solution by appointing an inspector general

over Armenian issues.[44]

World War I and the Armenian Genocide

When World War I broke out leading to confrontation between theOttoman Empire and the Russian Empire in the Caucasus and PersianCampaigns, the new government in Istanbul began to look on theArmenians with distrust and suspicion. This was because the Russianarmy contained a contingent of Armenian volunteers. On 24 April1915, Armenian intellectuals were arrested by Ottoman authoritiesand, with the Tehcir Law (29 May 1915), eventually a largeproportion of Armenians living in Anatolia perished in what hasbecome known as the Armenian Genocide.

There was local Armenian resistance in the region, developed againstthe activities of the Ottoman Empire. The events of 1915 to 1917 are regarded by Armenians and the vast

majority of Western historians to have been state-sponsored mass killings, or genocide.[45] Turkish authorities,however, maintain that the deaths were the result of a civil war coupled with disease and famine, with casualtiesincurred by both sides. According to the research conducted by Arnold J. Toynbee, an estimated 600,000

Armenians died during deportation (1915–16).[46][47][48] The International Association of Genocide Scholars

places the death toll at "more than a million".[49]

Armenia and the Armenian diaspora have been campaigning for official recognition of the events as genocide forover 30 years. These events are traditionally commemorated yearly on 24 April, the Armenian Martyr Day, orthe Day of the Armenian Genocide.

First Republic of Armenia

Although the Russian army succeeded in gaining most of Ottoman Armenia during World War I, their gainswere lost with the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. At the time, Russian-controlled Eastern Armenia, Georgia, andAzerbaijan attempted to bond together in the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. This federation,

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The Government house of the First

Republic of Armenia (1918–1920)

Advance of the 11th Red Army into

the city of Yerevan

however, lasted from only February to May 1918, when all three parties decided to dissolve it. As a result,Eastern Armenia became independent as the First Republic of Armenia on 28 May.

The DRA's short-lived independence was fraught with war, territorialdisputes, 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 helpthe newly founded Armenian state through relief funds and otherforms of support.

At the end of the war, the victorious powers sought to divide up theOttoman Empire. Signed between the Allied and Associated Powersand Ottoman Empire at Sèvres on 10 August 1920, the Treaty ofSèvres promised to maintain the existence of the Armenian republicand to attach the former territories of Ottoman Armenia to it. Becausethe new borders of Armenia were to be drawn by United StatesPresident Woodrow Wilson, Ottoman Armenia was also referred to as "Wilsonian Armenia." In addition, justdays prior, on 5 August 1920, Mihran Damadian of the Armenian National Union, the de facto Armenianadministration in Cilicia, declared the independence of Cilicia as an Armenian autonomous republic under

French protectorate.[50]

There was even consideration of possibly making Armenia a mandate under the protection of the United States.The treaty, however, was rejected by the Turkish National Movement, and never came into effect. Themovement used the treaty as the occasion to declare itself the rightful government of Turkey, replacing themonarchy based in Istanbul with a republic based in Ankara.

In 1920, Turkish nationalist forces invaded the fledgling Armenianrepublic from the east. In response, Armenia declared war and theTurkish-Armenian War began. Turkish forces under the command ofKazım Karabekir captured Armenian territories that Russia hadannexed in the aftermath of the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War andoccupied the old city of Alexandropol (present-day Gyumri). Theviolent conflict finally concluded with the Treaty of Alexandropol on 2December 1920.

The treaty forced Armenia to disarm most of its military forces, cedeall former Ottoman territory granted to it by the Treaty of Sèvres, andto give up all the "Wilsonian Armenia" granted to it at the Sèvrestreaty. Simultaneously, the Soviet Eleventh Army, under the commandof Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze, invaded Armenia at Karavansarai (present-day Ijevan) on 29 November. By 4December, Ordzhonikidze's forces entered Yerevan and the short-lived Armenian republic collapsed.

Soviet Armenia

Armenia was annexed by Bolshevist Russia and along with Georgia and Azerbaijan, it was incorporated into theSoviet Union as part of the Transcaucasian SFSR (TSFSR) on 4 March 1922. With this annexation, the Treatyof Alexandropol was superseded by the Turkish-Soviet Treaty of Kars. In the agreement, Turkey allowed theSoviet Union to assume control over Adjara with the port city of Batumi in return for sovereignty over the citiesof Kars, Ardahan, and Iğdır, all of which were part of Russian Armenia.

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The coat of arms of Soviet Armenia

depicting Mount Ararat in the center.

Armenians gather at Theater Square

in central Yerevan to claim unification

of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous

Oblast with the Armenian SSR

The TSFSR existed from 1922 to 1936, when it was divided up into three separate entities (Armenian SSR,Azerbaijan SSR, and Georgian SSR). Armenians enjoyed a period of relative stability under Soviet rule. Theyreceived medicine, food, and other provisions from Moscow, and communist rule proved to be a soothing balmin contrast to the turbulent final years of the Ottoman Empire. The situation was difficult for the church, whichstruggled under Soviet rule. After the death of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin took the reins of power and began

an era of renewed fear and terror for Armenians.[51]

Armenia was not the scene of any battles in World War II. Anestimated 500,000 Armenians (nearly a third of the population)

served in the military during the war, and 175,000 died.[52]

Fears decreased when Stalin died in 1953 and Nikita Khruschevemerged as the Soviet Union's new leader. Soon, life in SovietArmenia began to see rapid improvement. The church, which sufferedgreatly under Stalin, was revived when Catholicos Vazgen I assumedthe duties of his office in 1955. In 1967, a memorial to the victims ofthe Armenian Genocide was built at the Tsitsernakaberd hill above theHrazdan gorge in Yerevan. This occurred after mass demonstrationstook place on the tragic event's fiftieth anniversary in 1965.

During the Gorbachev eraof the 1980s, with thereforms of Glasnost and

Perestroika, Armenians began to demand better environmental carefor their country, opposing the pollution that Soviet-built factoriesbrought. Tensions also developed between Soviet Azerbaijan and itsautonomous district of Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority-Armenianregion separated by Stalin from Armenia in 1923. About 484,000

Armenians lived in Azerbaijan in 1970.[53] The Armenians ofKarabakh demanded unification with Soviet Armenia. Peacefulprotests in Yerevan supporting the Karabakh Armenians were metwith anti-Armenian pogroms in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait.Compounding Armenia's problems was a devastating earthquake in

1988 with a moment magnitude of 7.2.[54]

Gorbachev's inability to alleviate any of Armenia's problems created disillusionment among the Armenians andfed 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 andSoviet Internal Security Forces (MVD) troops based in Yerevan when Armenians decided to commemorate theestablishment of the 1918 First Republic of Armenia. The violence resulted in the deaths of five Armenians killedin a shootout with the MVD at the railway station. Witnesses there claimed that the MVD used excessive forceand that they had instigated the fighting.

Further firefights between Armenian militiamen and Soviet troops occurred in Sovetashen, near the capital andresulted in the deaths of over 26 people, mostly Armenians. The pogrom of Armenians in Baku in January 1990

forced almost all of the 200,000 Armenians in the Azerbaijani capital Baku to flee to Armenia.[55] On 17 March1991, Armenia, along with the Baltic states, Georgia and Moldova, boycotted a nationwide referendum in which

78% of all voters voted for the retention of the Soviet Union in a reformed form.[56]

Restoration of independence

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Armenian soldiers during the

Nagorno-Karabakh War

On 23 August 1990, Armenia declared independence, becoming thefirst non-Baltic republic to secede from the Soviet Union. When, in1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved, Armenia's independence wasofficially recognized. However, the initial post-Soviet years weremarred by economic difficulties as well as the break-out of a full-scalearmed confrontation between the Karabakh Armenians andAzerbaijan (Nagorno-Karabakh War). The economic problems hadtheir roots early in the Karabakh conflict when the AzerbaijaniPopular Front managed to pressure the Azerbaijan SSR to instigate arailway and air blockade against Armenia. This move effectivelycrippled Armenia's economy as 85% of its cargo and goods arrived

through rail traffic.[57] In 1993, Turkey joined the blockade against

Armenia in support of Azerbaijan.[58]

The Karabakh war ended after a Russian-brokered cease-fire was put in place in 1994. The war was a successfor the Karabakh Armenian forces who managed to capture 16% of Azerbaijan's internationally recognised

territory including Nagorno-Karabakh itself.[59] Since then, Armenia and Azerbaijan have held peace talks,mediated by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The status of Karabakh hasyet to be determined. The economies of both countries have been hurt in the absence of a complete resolutionand Armenia's borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan remain closed. By the time both Azerbaijan and Armeniahad finally agreed to a ceasefire in 1994, an estimated 30,000 people had been killed and over a million had

been displaced.[60]

As it enters the 21st century, Armenia faces many hardships. It has made a full switch to a market economy.

One study ranks it the 41st most economically free nation in the world, as of 2014.[61] Its relations with Europe,

the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States have allowed Armenia to increase trade.[62][63]

Gas, oil, and other supplies come through two vital routes: Iran and Georgia. Armenia maintains cordial relations

with both countries.[64]

Geography

Armenia is landlocked in the South Caucasus. Located between the Black and Caspian Seas, the country isbordered on the north and east by Georgia and Azerbaijan, and on the south and west by Iran and Turkey.

Location

Armenia lies between latitudes 38° and 42° N, and meridians 43° and 47° E.

Topography

The Republic of Armenia, covering an area of 29,743 square kilometres (11,484 sq mi), is located in the north-east of the Armenian Highland. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with fast flowing rivers and few forests. Theclimate is highland continental, which means that the country is subjected to hot summers and cold winters. Theland rises to 4,090 metres (13,419 ft) above sea-level at Mount Aragats, and no point is below 390 metres

(1,280 ft) above sea level.[65]

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Armenia's topography is mountainous and

volcanic

Mount Ararat, which was historically part of Armenia, is the highest mountain in the region. Now located inTurkey, but clearly visible in Armenia, it is regarded by the Armenians as a symbol of their land. Because of this,

the mountain is present on the Armenian national emblem today.[66][67][68]

Environment

Armenia has established a Ministry of Nature Protection and introduced taxes for air and water pollution andsolid-waste disposal, whose revenues are used for environmental protection activities. Waste management inArmenia is underdeveloped, as no waste sorting or recyclingtakes place at Armenia's 60 landfills.

Despite the availability of abundant renewable energy sources inArmenia (especially hydroelectric and wind power), theArmenian Government is working toward building a new nuclear

power plant at Metsamor near Yerevan.[69]

Climate

The climate in Armenia is markedly continental. Summers are dryand sunny, lasting from June to mid-September. The temperaturefluctuates between 22 and 36 °C (72 and 97 °F). However, thelow humidity level mitigates the effect of high temperatures.Evening breezes blowing down the mountains provide awelcome refreshing and cooling effect. Springs are short, whileautumns are long. Autumns are known for their vibrant andcolorful foliage.

Winters are quite cold with plenty of snow, with temperatures ranging between −10 and −5 °C (14 and 23 °F).Winter sports enthusiasts enjoy skiing down the hills of Tsakhkadzor, located thirty minutes outside Yerevan.Lake Sevan, nestled up in the Armenian highlands, is the second largest lake in the world relative to its altitude,at 1,900 metres (6,234 ft) above sea level.

Government and politics

Politics of Armenia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic. Accordingto the Constitution of Armenia, the President is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executivepower is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. Theunicameral parliament (also called the Azgayin Zhoghov or National Assembly) is controlled by a coalition offour political parties: the conservative Republican party, the Prosperous Armenia party, the rule of law party andthe Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The main opposition party is Raffi Hovannisian's Heritage party, whichfavors 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 itsform 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 ofArmenia's parliamentary and presidential elections and constitutional referendum since 1995, citing pollingdeficiencies, lack of cooperation by the Electoral Commission, and poor maintenance of electoral lists and

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Embassy of Armenia in

Moscow

polling places. Freedom House categorized Armenia in its 2008 report as a "Semi-consolidated AuthoritarianRegime" (along with Moldova, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia) and ranked Armenia 20th among 29 nations in

transition, with a Democracy Score of 5.21 out of 7 (7 represents the lowest democratic progress).[70]

Since 1999, Freedom House's Democracy Score for Armenia has been steadily on the decline (from 4.79 to

5.21).[71] Furthermore, Freedom House ranked Armenia as "partly free" in its 2007 report, though it did notcategorise Armenia as an "electoral democracy", indicating an absence of relatively free and competitive

elections.[72] However, significant progress seems to have been made and the 2008 Armenian presidential

election was hailed as largely democratic by OSCE and Western monitors.[73]

Foreign relations

Armenia presently maintains good relations with almost every country in theworld, with two major exceptions being its immediate neighbours, Turkey andAzerbaijan. Tensions were running high between Armenians and Azerbaijanisduring the final years of the Soviet Union. The Nagorno-Karabakh War

dominated the region's politics throughout the 1990s.[74] The border betweenthe two rival countries remains closed up to this day, and a permanent solutionfor the conflict has not been reached despite the mediation provided byorganisations such as the OSCE.

Armenia is a member of more than 40 international organisations, including theUnited Nations; the Council of Europe; the Asian Development Bank; theCommonwealth of Independent States; the World Trade Organization; WorldCustoms Organization; the Organization of the Black Sea EconomicCooperation; and La Francophonie. It is a member of the CSTO militaryalliance, and also participates in NATO's Partnership for Peace programme.

Turkey also has a long history of poor relations with Armenia over its refusal to acknowledge the ArmenianGenocide. Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Armenia (the 3rd republic) after itsindependence 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'srefusal to establish them for numerous reasons. During the Nagorno-Karabakh War and citing it as the reason,Turkey closed its land border with Armenia in 1993. It has not lifted its blockade despite pressure from the

powerful Turkish business lobby interested in Armenian markets.[74] However, the Armenian airline companyArmavia regularly flew between the Zvartnots International Airport at Yerevan and Atatürk International Airportat Istanbul from 2005 until its collapse in 2013.

On 10 October 2009, Armenia and Turkey signed protocols on normalisation of relationships, which set a

timetable for restoring diplomatic ties and reopening their joint border.[75] The ratification of those had to bemade in the national parliaments. In Armenia it passed through the required by legislation approval of theConstitutional Court and was sent to the parliament for the final ratification. The President had made multiplepublic announcements, both in Armenia and abroad, that as the leader of the political majority of Armenia heassured the ratification of the protocols if Turkey also ratified them. Despite this, the process stopped, as Turkeycontinuously 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 therequest of the Armenian government, Russia maintains a military base in the northwestern Armenian city of

Gyumri[76] as a deterrent against Turkey. Despite this, Armenia has also been looking toward Euro-Atlantic

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The Government building in Yerevan

Armenian Army BTR-80s.

structures in recent years. It maintains good relations with the United States especially through its Armenian

diaspora. According to the US Census Bureau, there are 427,822 Armenians living in the country.[77]

Because of the blockades by Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armeniacontinues to maintain solid relations with its southern neighbor Iranespecially in the economic sector. Economic projects such a gaspipeline going from Iran to Armenia are in time being developed.

Armenia is also a member of the Council of Europe, maintainingfriendly relations with the European Union, especially with its memberstates such as France and Greece. A 2005 survey reported that 64%

of Armenia's population would be in favor of joining the EU.[78]

Several Armenian officials have also expressed the desire for their

country to eventually become an EU member state,[79] somepredicting that it will make an official bid for membership in a few years. In 2004 its forces joined KFOR, aNATO-led international force in Kosovo. It is also an observer member of the Eurasian Economic Communityand the Non-Aligned Movement.

A former republic of the Soviet Union, Armenia is an emerging democracy and as of 2011 was negotiating withthe European Union to become an associate partner. Legally speaking, it has the right to be considered as anprospective EU member provided it meets necessary standards and criteria, although officially such plan does

not exist in Brussels.[80][81][82][83] The Government of Armenia, however, intends to join the Customs Union of

Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia and become an eventual member of the proposed Eurasian Union.[84]

Armenia is included in the European Union's European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP) which aims at bringing theEU and its neighbours closer.

Human rights

Human rights in Armenia are better than those in most former Soviet republics and have drawn closer toacceptable standards, especially economically. Still, there are several considerable problems. Overall, Armenia'shuman rights record is similar to that of Georgia's. Armenia has been labeled as "partly free" by Freedom

House.[85]

Military

The Armenian Army, Air Force, Air Defence, and Border Guardcomprise the four branches of the Armed Forces of the Republic ofArmenia. The Armenian military was formed after the collapse of theSoviet Union in 1991 and with the establishment of the Ministry ofDefence in 1992. The Commander-in-Chief of the military is thePresident of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. The Ministry of Defence is incharge of political leadership, currently headed by Colonel-GeneralMikael Harutyunyan, while military command remains in the hands ofthe General Staff, headed by the Chief of Staff, who is currentlyLieutenant-General Seyran Ohanian.

Active forces now number about 81,000 soldiers, with an additional reserve of 32,000 troops. Armenianborder guards are in charge of patrolling the country's borders with Georgia and Azerbaijan, while Russiantroops continue to monitor its borders with Iran and Turkey. In the case of an attack, Armenia is able to

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Armenian soldiers at the 2010

Moscow Victory Day Parade.

mobilise every able-bodied man between the age of 15 and 59, with military preparedness.

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which establishes comprehensive limits on key categoriesof military equipment, was ratified by the Armenian parliament in July 1992. In March 1993, Armenia signed themultilateral Chemical Weapons Convention, which calls for theeventual elimination of chemical weapons. Armenia acceded to theNuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weaponsstate 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 forPeace (PiP) program and is in a NATO organisation called Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). Armenia has engaged in apeacekeeping mission in Kosovo as part of non-NATO KFOR

troops under Greek command.[86] Armenia also had 46 members of

its military peacekeeping forces as a part of the Coalition Forces in Iraq War until October 2008.[87]

Administrative divisions

Armenia is divided into ten provinces (marzer,singular marz), with the city (kaghak) ofYerevan (Երևան) having special administrativestatus as the country's capital. The chiefexecutive in each of the ten provinces is themarzpet (marz governor), appointed by thegovernment of Armenia. In Yerevan, the chiefexecutive is the mayor, appointed by thepresident.

Within each province are communities(hamaynkner, singular hamaynk). Eachcommunity is self-governing and consists of oneor more settlements (bnakavayrer, singularbnakavayr). Settlements are classified as eithertowns (kaghakner, singular kaghak) orvillages (gyugher, singular gyugh). As of 2007,Armenia includes 915 communities, of which49 are considered urban and 866 areconsidered rural. The capital, Yerevan, also has

the status of a community.[88] Additionally,Yerevan is divided into twelve semi-autonomous districts.

ShirakLori

Tavush

Aragatsotn

Armavir Yerevan

Ararat

Kotayk Gegharkunik

VayotsDzor

Syunik

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Geghard monastery, Kotayk Province

Province Capital AreaPopulation

(2011 census)

Aragatsotn (Արագածոտն)Ashtarak(Աշտարակ)

2,756 km² 132,925

Ararat (Արարատ)Artashat(Արտաշատ)

2,090 km² 260,367

Armavir (Արմավիր) Armavir (Արմավիր) 1,242 km² 265,770

Gegharkunik (Գեղարքունիք) Gavar (Գավառ) 5,349 km² 235,075

Kotayk (Կոտայք) Hrazdan (Հրազդան) 2,086 km² 254,397

Lori (Լոռի)Vanadzor(Վանաձոր)

3,799 km² 235,537

Shirak (Շիրակ) Gyumri (Գյումրի) 2,680 km² 251,941

Syunik (Սյունիք) Kapan (Կապան) 4,506 km² 141,771

Tavush (Տավուշ) Ijevan (Իջևան) 2,704 km² 128,609

Vayots Dzor (Վայոց Ձոր)Yeghegnadzor(Եղեգնաձոր)

2,308 km² 52,324

Yerevan (Երևան) – 223 km² 1,060,138

Sources: Area and population of provinces.[89]

Economy

The economy relies heavily on investment and support from Armenians abroad.[90] Before independence,Armenia's economy was largely industry-based – chemicals, electronics, machinery, processed food, syntheticrubber, and textile – and highly dependent on outside resources. The republic had developed a modernindustrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange

for raw materials and energy.[36] Recently, the Intel Corporation agreed to open a research center in Armenia,

in addition to other technology companies, signalling the growth of the technology industry in Armenia.[91]

Agriculture accounted for less than 20% of both net material product and total employment before thedissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. After independence, the importance of agriculture in the economyincreased markedly, its share at the end of the 1990s rising to more than 30% of GDP and more than 40% of

total employment.[92] This increase in the importance of agriculture was attributable to food security needs of thepopulation in the face of uncertainty during the first phases of transition and the collapse of the non-agriculturalsectors of the economy in the early 1990s. As the economic situation stabilized and growth resumed, the shareof agriculture in GDP dropped to slightly over 20% (2006 data), although the share of agriculture in employment

remained more than 40%.[93]

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Yerevan is the largest economical

center of Armenia.

Armenian mines produce copper, zinc, gold, and lead. The vastmajority of energy is produced with fuel imported from Russia,including gas and nuclear fuel (for its one nuclear power plant); themain domestic energy source is hydroelectric. Small deposits of coal,gas, and petroleum exist but have not yet been developed.

Like other newly independent states of the former Soviet Union,Armenia's economy suffers from the legacy of a centrally plannedeconomy and the breakdown of former Soviet trading patterns.Soviet investment in and support of Armenian industry has virtuallydisappeared, so that few major enterprises are still able to function. Inaddition, the effects of the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, which killedmore than 25,000 people and made 500,000 homeless, are still being felt. The conflict with Azerbaijan overNagorno-Karabakh has not been resolved. The closure of Azerbaijani and Turkish borders has devastated theeconomy, because Armenia depends on outside supplies of energy and most raw materials. Land routes throughGeorgia and Iran are inadequate or unreliable. The GDP fell nearly 60% between 1989 and 1993, but then

resumed robust growth.[92] The national currency, the dram, suffered hyperinflation for the first years after itsintroduction in 1993.

Nevertheless, the government was able to make wide-ranging economic reforms that paid off in dramaticallylower inflation and steady growth. The 1994 cease-fire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has also helped theeconomy. Armenia has had strong economic growth since 1995, building on the turnaround that began theprevious year, and inflation has been negligible for the past several years. New sectors, such as precious-stoneprocessing and jewellery making, information and communication technology, and even tourism are beginning tosupplement more traditional sectors of the economy, such as agriculture.

This steady economic progress has earned Armenia increasing support from international institutions. TheInternational Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development(EBRD), and other international financial institutions (IFIs) and foreign countries are extending considerablegrants and loans. Loans to Armenia since 1993 exceed $1.1 billion. These loans are targeted at reducing thebudget deficit and stabilizing the currency; developing private businesses; energy; agriculture; food processing;transportation; the health and education sectors; and ongoing rehabilitation in the earthquake zone. Thegovernment joined the World Trade Organization on 5 February 2003. But one of the main sources of foreigndirect investments remains the Armenian diaspora, which finances major parts of the reconstruction ofinfrastructure and other public projects. Being a growing democratic state, Armenia also hopes to get morefinancial aid from the Western World.

A liberal foreign investment law was approved in June 1994, and a law on privatisation was adopted in 1997, aswell as a program of state property privatisation. Continued progress will depend on the ability of thegovernment to strengthen its macroeconomic management, including increasing revenue collection, improving theinvestment climate, and making strides against corruption. However, unemployment, which currently stands ataround 15%, still remains a major problem due to the influx of thousands of refugees from the Karabakhconflict.

Armenia ranked 78th on the 2010 UNDP Human Development Index, the lowest among the Transcaucasian

republics.[94] In the 2007 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Armenia ranked 99

of 179 countries.[95] In the 2008 Index of Economic Freedom, Armenia ranked 28th, ahead of countries like

Austria, France, Portugal and Italy.[61]

Demographics

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The Armenian population in the world

Armenian children at the UN Cup

Chess Tournament in 2005.

Armenia has a population of 3,238,000 (2008 est.)[96] and is the second most densely populated of the formerSoviet republics. There has been a problem of population decline due to elevated levels of emigration after the

break-up of the USSR.[97] However, in the past years, the emigration levels have levelled and there is steadypopulation growth.

Cities

Diaspora

Armenia has a relatively large diaspora (8 million bysome estimates, greatly exceeding the 3 millionpopulation of Armenia itself), with communities existingacross the globe. The largest Armenian communitiesoutside of Armenia can be found in Russia, France,Iran, the United States, Georgia, Syria, Lebanon,Argentina, Australia, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Israel,Poland and Ukraine. 40,000 to 70,000 Armenians still

live in Turkey (mostly in and around Istanbul).[100]

Also, about 1,000 Armenians reside in the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem, a remnant of a once-

larger community.[101] Italy is home to the San Lazzaro degli Armeni, an island located in the Venetian Lagoon,

which is completely occupied by a monastery run by the Mechitarists, an Armenian Catholic congregation.[102]

In addition, approximately 139,000 Armenians live in the de facto country of Nagorno-Karabakh where they

form a majority.[103]

Ethnic groups

Ethnic Armenians make up 97.9% of the population. Yazidis make up1.3%, and Russians 0.5%. Other minorities include Assyrians,Ukrainians, Greeks, Kurds, Georgians, and Belarusians. There arealso smaller communities of Vlachs, Mordvins, Ossetians, Udis, andTats. Minorities of Poles and Caucasus Germans also exist though

they are heavily Russified.[104]

During the Soviet era, Azerbaijanis were historically the second

largest population in the country (forming about 2.5% in 1989).[105]

However, due to the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, virtually all ofthem emigrated from Armenia to Azerbaijan. Conversely, Armeniareceived a large influx of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan, thusgiving Armenia a more homogeneous character.

Languages

Armenian is the only official language. Due to its Soviet past, Russian is still widely used in Armenia and couldbe considered as de facto second language. According to a 2013 survey, 95% of Armenians said they hadsome knowledge of Russian (24% advanced, 59% intermediate) compared to 40% who said they knew someEnglish (4% advanced, 16% intermediate and 20% beginner). However, more adults (50%) think that English

should be taught in public secondary schools than those who prefer Russian (44%).[106]

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The 7th-century Khor Virap

monastery in the shadow of Mount

Ararat, the peak on which Noah's Ark

is said to have landed during the

biblical flood.

Health

Life expectancy at birth was at 70 for males and at 76 for females in 2006.[107] Health expenditure was at about

5.6% of the GDP in 2004.[107] Most of this was outside the private sector.[107] Government expenditure on

health was at US$ 112 per person in 2006.[108]

Religion

Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion,

an event traditionally dated to AD 301.[109][110][111][112]

The predominant religion in Armenia is Christianity. The roots of theArmenian 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 Armeniabetween AD 40–60. Because of these two founding apostles, theofficial name of the Armenian Church is Armenian Apostolic Church.

Over 93% of Armenian Christians belong to the Armenian ApostolicChurch, a form of Oriental (Non-Chalcedonian) Orthodoxy, which isa very ritualistic, conservative church, roughly comparable to the

Coptic and Syriac churches.[113] The Armenian Apostolic Church isin communion only with a group of churches within OrientalOrthodoxy.

The Armenian Evangelical Church has a very sizable and favorable presence among the life of Armenians withover several thousand members throughout the country. It traces its roots back to 1846 which was underpatronage of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople the aim of which was to train qualified clergy for theArmenian Apostolic Church.

Other Christian denominations practicing faith based on Nicene Creed in Armenia are the Pentecostal branches

of Protestant community such as the Word of Life, the Armenian Brotherhood Church,[114] the Baptists whichare known as of the oldest existing denominations in Armenia and were permitted by the authorities of Soviet

Union,[115][116] and Presbyterians.[117]

Catholics also exist in Armenia, both Latin rite and Mekhitarist Catholics. The Mechitarists (also spelled"Mekhitarists" Armenian: Մխիթարեան), are a congregation of Benedictine monks of the Armenian CatholicChurch founded in 1712 by Mekhitar of Sebaste. They are best known for their series of scholarly publicationsof 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 originatedfrom the Russian Orthodox Church.

The Yazidi Kurds, who live in the western part of the country, practice Yazidism. There are also non-YazidiKurds who practice Sunni Islam. There is a Jewish community in Armenia diminished to 750 persons sinceindependence with most emigrants leaving for Israel. There are currently two synagogues in Armenia – in thecapital, Yerevan, and in the city of Sevan located near Lake Sevan.

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Yerevan State Medical University

named after Mkhitar Heratsi

Education

In its first years of independence, Armenia made uneven progress inestablishing systems to meet its national requirements in social

services.[118] Education, held in particular esteem in Armenian culture,changed fastest of the social services, while health and welfareservices attempted to maintain the basic state-planned structure of the

Soviet era.[118]

A literacy rate of 100% was reported as early as 1960.[118] In thecommunist era, Armenian education followed the standard Sovietmodel of complete state control (from Moscow) of curricula andteaching methods and close integration of education activities withother aspects of society, such as politics, culture, and the

economy.[118] As in the Soviet period, primary and secondary education in Armenia is free, and completion of

secondary school is compulsory.[118]

In the 1988–89 school year, 301 students per 10,000 population were in specialized secondary or higher

education, a figure slightly lower than the Soviet average.[118] In 1989 some 58% of Armenians over age fifteen

had completed their secondary education, and 14% had a higher education.[118] In the 1990–91 school year,

the estimated 1,307 primary and secondary schools were attended by 608,800 students.[118] Another seventyspecialized secondary institutions had 45,900 students, and 68,400 students were enrolled in a total of ten

postsecondary institutions that included universities.[118] In addition, 35% of eligible children attended

preschools.[118] In 1992 Armenia's largest institution of higher learning, Yerevan State University, had eighteen

departments, including ones for social sciences, sciences, and law.[118] Its faculty numbered about 1,300

teachers and its student population about 10,000 students.[118] The Yerevan Architecture and Civil Engineering

Institute was founded in 1989.[118]

In the early 1990s, Armenia made substantial changes to the centralized and regimented Soviet system.[118]

Because at least 98% of students in higher education were Armenian, curricula began to emphasize Armenian

history and culture.[118] Armenian became the dominant language of instruction, and many schools that had

taught in Russian closed by the end of 1991.[118] Russian was still widely taught, however, as a second

language.[118]

On the basis of the expansion and development of Yerevan State University a number of higher educationalindependent Institutions were formed including Medical Institute separated in 1930 which was set up on thebasis of medical faculty. In 1980 Yerevan State Medical University was awarded one of the main rewards ofthe former USSR – the Order of Labor red Banner for training qualified specialists in health care and valuableservice in the development of Medical Science. In 1995 YSMI was renamed to YSMU and since 1989 it hasbeen named after Mkhitar Heratsi, the famous medieval doctor. Mkhitar Heratsi was the founder of ArmenianMedical school in Cilician Armenia. The great doctor played the same role in Armenian Medical Science asHippocrates in Western, Galen in Roman, Ibn Sīnā in Arabic medicine.

Foreign students' department for Armenian diaspora established in 1957 later was enlarged and the enrollmentof foreign students began. Nowadays the YSMU is a Medical Institution corresponding to internationalrequirements, trains medical staff for not only Armenia and neighbor countries, i.e. Iran, Syria, Lebanon,Georgia, but also many other leading countries all over the world. A great number of foreign students from India,

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Traditional Armenian dance System of a Down (left), Cher (middle) and Charles

Aznavour (right) are among most popular musicians of

Armenian ancestry.

Nepal, Sri Lanka, the USA and Russian Federation study together with Armenian students. Nowadays theuniversity is ranked among famous higher Medical Institutions and takes its honorable place in the WorldDirectory of Medical Schools published by the WHO.

Other educational institutions in Armenia include the American University of Armenia and the QSI InternationalSchool of Yerevan. The American University of Armenia has graduate programs in Business and Law, amongothers. The institution owes its existence to the combined efforts of the Government of Armenia, the ArmenianGeneral Benevolent Union, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the University of California. Theextension programs and the library at AUA form a new focal point for English-language intellectual life in thecity.

Culture

Armenians have their own distinctive alphabet and language. The alphabet was invented in AD 405 by MesropMashtots and consists of thirty-nine letters, three of which were added during the Cilician period. 96% of thepeople in the country speak Armenian, while 75.8% of the population additionally speaks Russian, althoughEnglish is becoming increasingly popular.

Music and dance

Armenian music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by Djivan Gasparyan's well-knownduduk 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 ofthe oldest types of Armenian music is the Armenian chant which is the most common kind of religious music inArmenia. Many of these chants are ancient in origin, extending to pre-Christian times, while others are relativelymodern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet. Whilstunder Soviet rule, Armenian classical music composer Aram Khatchaturian became internationally well knownfor his music, for various ballets and the Sabre Dance from his composition for the ballet Gayane.

The

Armenian Genocide caused widespreademigration that led to the settlement of Armeniansin various countries in the world. Armenians kept to their traditions and certain diasporans rose to fame withtheir music. In the post-Genocide Armenian community of the United States, the so-called "kef" style Armeniandance music, using Armenian and Middle Eastern folk instruments (often electrified/amplified) and some westerninstruments, was popular. This style preserved the folk songs and dances of Western Armenia, and many artistsalso played the contemporary popular songs of Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries from which theArmenians emigrated. Richard Hagopian is perhaps the most famous artist of the traditional "kef" style and the

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Ancient Armenian Khachkars

(cross-stones)

Queen Zabel’s Return to the Palace,

Vardges Surenyants, (1909).

Vosbikian Band was notable in the 1940s and 1950s for developing their own style of "kef music" heavilyinfluenced by the popular American Big Band Jazz of the time. Later, stemming from the Middle EasternArmenian diaspora and influenced by Continental European (especially French) pop music, the Armenian popmusic genre grew to fame in the 1960s and 1970s with artists such as Adiss Harmandian and HaroutPamboukjian performing to the Armenian diaspora and Armenia; also with artists such as Sirusho, performingpop music combined with Armenian folk music in today's entertainment industry. Other Armenian diasporansthat rose to fame in classical or international music circles are world renown French-Armenian singer andcomposer Charles Aznavour, pianist Sahan Arzruni, prominent opera sopranos such as Hasmik Papian andmore recently Isabel Bayrakdarian and Anna Kasyan. Certain Armenians settled to sing non-Armenian tunessuch as the heavy metal band System of a Down (which nonetheless often incorporates traditional Armenianinstrumentals and styling into their songs) or pop star Cher. In the Armenian diaspora, Armenian revolutionarysongs are popular with the youth. These songs encourage Armenian patriotism and are generally aboutArmenian history and national heroes.

Art

Yerevan Vernissage (arts and crafts market), close to Republic Square,bustles with hundreds of vendors selling a variety of crafts on weekends andWednesdays (though the selection is much reduced mid-week). The marketoffers woodcarving, antiques, fine lace, and the hand-knotted wool carpetsand kilims that are a Caucasus specialty. Obsidian, which is found locally, iscrafted into assortment of jewellery and ornamental objects. Armenian goldsmithery enjoys a long tradition, populating one corner of the market with aselection of gold items. Soviet relics and souvenirs of recent Russianmanufacture – nesting dolls, watches, enamel boxes and so on – are alsoavailable at the Vernisage.

Across from the Opera House, apopular art market fills anothercity park on the weekends.Armenia’s long history as acrossroads of the ancient worldhas 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 fewhours drive from the city. All but the most spectacular remainvirtually undiscovered, allowing visitors to view churches andfortresses in their original settings.

The National Art Gallery in Yerevan has more than 16,000 worksthat date back to the Middle Ages, which indicate Armenia's rich tales and stories of the times. It housespaintings by many European masters as well. The Modern Art Museum, the Children’s Picture Gallery, and theMartiros 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 rotatingexhibitions and sales.

On April 13, 2013, the Armenian government announced a change in law to allow freedom of panorama for 3D

works of art.[119]

Sport

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The Armenia national football team in

Dublin, Ireland

A wide array of sports are played in Armenia, the most popularamong them being wrestling, weightlifting, judo, association football,chess, and boxing. Armenia's mountainous terrain provides greatopportunities for the practice of sports like skiing and climbing. Beinga landlocked country, water sports can only be practiced on lakes,notably Lake Sevan. Competitively, Armenia has been successful inchess, weightlifting and wrestling at the international level. Armenia isalso an active member of the international sports community, with fullmembership in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA)and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It also hosts thePan-Armenian Games.

Prior to 1992, Armenians would participate in the Olympicsrepresenting the USSR. As part of the Soviet Union, Armenia was very successful, winning plenty of medals andhelping the USSR win the medal standings at the Olympics on numerous occasions. The first medal won by anArmenian in modern Olympic history was by Hrant Shahinyan (sometimes spelled as Grant Shaginyan), whowon two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. To highlight the level ofsuccess 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 anySoviet team. But those difficulties notwithstanding, 90 percent of Armenians athletes on Soviet Olympic teams

came back with medals."[120]

Armenia first participated at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona under a unified CIS team, where it wasvery successful, winning three golds and one silver in weightlifting, wrestling and sharp shooting, despite onlyhaving 5 athletes. Since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Armenia has participated as an independentnation.

Armenia participates in the Summer Olympic Games in boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, gymnastics, trackand field, diving, swimming and sharp shooting. It also participates in the Winter Olympic Games in alpine skiing,cross-country skiing and figure skating.

Football is also popular in Armenia. The most successful team was the FC Ararat Yerevan team of the 1970swho won the Soviet Cup in 1973 and 1975 and the Soviet Top League in 1973. The latter achievement sawFC Ararat gain entry to the European Cup where – despite a home victory in the second leg – they lost onaggregate at the quarter final stage to eventual winner FC Bayern Munich. Armenia competed internationally aspart of the USSR national football team until the Armenian national football team was formed in 1992 after thesplit of the Soviet Union. Armenia have never qualified for a major tournament although recent improvementssaw the team to achieve 44th position in the FIFA World Rankings in September 2011. The national team iscontrolled by the Football Federation of Armenia. The Armenian Premier League is the highest level footballcompetition in Armenia, and has been dominated by FC Pyunik in recent seasons. The league currently consistsof 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 the2006 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 Mkrtchyanwon the silver in Men's Freestyle Paperweight (48 kg) category, securing Armenia's first two medals in itsOlympic history.

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World number 2 Chess Champion

Levon Aronian

Armenian cuisine

Traditional Armenian wrestling is called Kokh and practiced intraditional garb; it was one of the influences included in the Soviet

combat sport of Sambo, which is also very popular.[121]

The government of Armenia budgets about $2.8 million annually forsports and gives it to the National Committee of Physical Educationand Sports, the body that determines which programs should benefit

from the funds.[122]

Due to the lack of success lately on the international level, in recentyears, Armenia has rebuilt 16 Soviet-era sports schools and furnishedthem with new equipment for a total cost of $1.9 million. Therebuilding of the regional schools was financed by the Armeniangovernment. $9.3 million has been invested in the resort town ofTsaghkadzor to improve the winter sports infrastructure because ofdismal performances at recent winter sports events. In 2005, a cyclingcenter was opened in Yerevan with the aim of helping produce worldclass Armenian cyclists. The government has also promised a cashreward of $700,000 to Armenians who win a gold medal at the

Olympics.[122]

Armenia is very successful in chess, and their men's team is the current World Champion, Armenia had also won

the World Chess Olympiad twice in a row.[123]

Cuisine

Armenian cuisine is as ancient as the history of Armenia, acombination of different tastes and aromas. The food often has quite adistinct smell. Closely related to eastern and Mediterranean cuisine,various spices, vegetables, fish, and fruits combine to present uniquedishes. The main characteristics of Armenian cuisine are a reliance onthe quality of the ingredients rather than heavily spicing food, the useof herbs, the use of wheat in a variety of forms, of legumes, nuts, andfruit (as a main ingredient as well aa to sour food), and the stuffing ofa wide variety of leaves.

The pomegranate, with its symbolic association with fertilityrepresents that nation. The apricot is the national fruit.

See also

Outline of Armenia

Index of Armenia-related articles

Republic of Mountainous Armenia

Armenia at Wikipedia books

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(https://web.archive.org/web/20080403032043/http%3A//www.armenianchurch.org/heritage/history/america.ht

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Lang=E&T=501&GV=1&GID=0) 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

(http://www.census.gov/population/socdemo/language/table5.txt) 149,694 people who speak Armenian at

home. The Armenian Embassy in Canada

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the Wayback Machine (archived August 26, 2006) estimates 1 million ethnic Armenians in the US and 100,000

in Canada. The Armenian Church of America makes a similar estimate

(http://www.armenianchurch.org/heritage/history/america.html). By all accounts, over half of the Armenians in

the United States live in California.

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External links

General information

Armenia (https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/am.html) entry at The World

Factbook

Armenia (http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/armenia.htm) at UCB Libraries GovPubs

Armenia (http://www.dmoz.org/Regional/Asia/Armenia) at DMOZ

Armenia profile (http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-17398605) from the BBC News

Wikimedia Atlas of Armenia

Geographic data related to Armenia (http://www.openstreetmap.org/browse/relation/364066) at

OpenStreetMap

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Press.

Key Development Forecasts for Armenia (http://www.ifs.du.edu/ifs/frm_CountryProfile.aspx?

Country=AM) from International Futures

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Armenia&oldid=624039533"

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