Armenia
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Armenia

Country Profile

Other Cities: Gyumri (pop. 121,000), Vanadzor (pop. 74,000) and Abovian (pop. 54,000),
Echmiadzin (seat of the patriarchate of the Armenian Apostolic Church).

Local Time: UTC +4h

Geography
Armenia, situated along the route of the Great Silk Road, is a landlocked country of rugged mountains and extinct volcanoes, located in the southern Caucasus, between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea.
It is the smallest of the former Soviet republics, bounded by Georgia on the north, Azerbaijan on the east, Iran on the south, and Turkey on the west.
Location: Asia, in the southern Caucasus.
Total area: 29 800 square kilometers (11 490 square miles)
Terrain: Rugged mountains and extinct volcanoes, one-third of the country is pastureland, forest and woodland cover 12 percent.
Border countries: Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran, Turkey

Climate: Continental, with lower temperatures and more precipitation in higher elevations. In central plateau temperature varies widely with cold winters and hot summers.

Government:
Type: Republic with a presidential governing system.
Head of state: President
Constitution: Approved in 1995 referendum.
Independence: 1918; First Armenian Republic (from Turkey, the then declining Ottoman Empire).
21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union).

People:
Nationality: Noun and Adjective Armenian(s).
Population: between 3.0 - 3.8 million
Ethnic groups: Armenian 98%; Yezidi 1.2%; Russian, Greek, and other 0.8%.
Religion: Armenian Apostolic Church (more than 90% nominally affiliated).
Languages: Armenian (Hayeren) 96%, Russian, other.
Literacy: 99%.

Business

Currency: Dram (AMD)

Natural resources: Small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina.

Agriculture products: Fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock

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

Exports partners: Belgium 18.2%, UK 16.8%, Israel 15.7%, Russia 12.1%, Iran 7.9%, USA 6.3%, Germany 5% (2003)

Imports partners: Belgium 11.6%, Russia 11.6%, Israel 11.3%, USA 9.5%, Iran 8.8%, Germany 6.7%, UAE 5.4%, Italy 4.7%, Ukraine 4.6% (2003)

Introduction

Armenia

Background: An Armenian Apostolic Christian country, Armenia was
incorporated into Russia in 1828 and the USSR 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.

Geography Armenia

Location: Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey

Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 45 00 E

Map references: Asia

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

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

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

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

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

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

Natural resources: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc,
alumina

Land use: arable land: 18% permanent crops: 2% other: 80% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,870 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards: occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts

Environment - current issues: soil pollution from toxic chemicals
such as DDT; energy blockade, the result of conflict with Azerbaijan
and disagreements with Turkey, has 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

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified:
Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

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

People Armenia

Population: 3,330,099 note: Armenia's first census since independence
was conducted in October 2001, but official figures have not yet been
released (July 2002 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.2% (male 374,597; female 363,115) 15-64
years: 67.7% (male 1,104,100; female 1,150,282) 65 years and over: 10.1%
(male 141,330; female 196,675) (2002 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.15% (2002 est.)

Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate: 9.94 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Net migration rate: -3.51 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 41.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: 71.12 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.53 children born/woman (2002 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: less than 500 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Armenian(s) adjective: Armenian

Ethnic groups: Armenian 93%, Azeri 3%, Russian 2%, other (mostly Yezidi
Kurds) 2% (1989) note: as of the end of 1993, virtually all Azeris had
emigrated from Armenia

Religions: Armenian Apostolic 94%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi
(Zoroastrian/animist) 2%

Languages: Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 99% male: 99% female: 98% (1989 est.)

Government Armenia

Country name: Republic of Armenia conventional short form: Republic;
Armenian Republic local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun

Government type: republic

Capital: Yerevan

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

Independence: 21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1991)

Constitution: adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995

Legal system: based on civil law system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30
March 1998) head of
Prime Minister Andranik MARKARYAN (since 12 May 2000) cabinet: elected
by popular vote for a five-year term; special election last held
30 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); prime minister appointed
by the president election results: Robert KOCHARIAN elected president;
percent of vote - Robert KOCHARIAN 59.5%, Karen DEMIRCHYAN 40.5%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin
Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year
terms) elections: results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - Unity Bloc 61 (Republican Party 41, People's Party of Armenia 20),
Stability Group (independent Armenian deputies who have formed a bloc) 21,
ACP 10, ARF (Dashnak) 8, Law and Unity Party 7, NDU 6, Law-Governed Party
6, independents 10, unfilled 2; note - seats by party change frequently

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders: Agro-Technical People's Group
(formerly Stability Group) [Hmayk HOVHANISSIAN]; Armenian Communist
Party or ACP [Vladimir DARBINYAN]; Armenia Democratic Party [Armen
SARGSIAN]; Armenian Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF
[Hrant MARKARYAN]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Azat ARSHAKYN,
chairman]; Constitutional Rights Union [Hrant KHACHATRYAN]; Democratic
Liberal Party/Ramkvar Azatakyan or DL/RA [Ruben MIRZAKHANIAN, chairman];
Law and Unity Party [Artashes GEGAMIAN, chairman]; Law-Governed Party
[Artur BAGDASARIAN, chairman]; National Accord Front [Ashot MANUTCHARIAN];
National Democratic Alliance [Arshak ZADOYAN]; National Democratic Party
[Shavarsh KOCHARIAN]; National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN];
Pan-Armenian National Movement or PANM [Alex ARZOUMANYAN]; People's
Democratic Party [Gagik ASLANYAN]; People's Deputies Group [Hovhannes
HOVHANISSIAN]; People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN]; Republic
Party [Aram SARGSIAN]; Republican Party or RPA [Andranik MARKARYAN];
Shamiram Women's Movement or SWM [Shogher MATEVOSIAN]; Social Democratic
(Hunchak) Party [Yeghia SHAMSHAYN]; Social Democratic Union (formerly
National Self-Determination Union) [Paruyr HAYRIKIAN]; Twenty-first
Century Party [David SHAKHNAZARIAN]; Unity Bloc [Stepan DEMIRCHIAN and
Andranik MARKARYAN] (a coalition of the Republican Party and People's
Party of Armenia); Yerkrapah Union [Manval GRIGORYAN]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS (observer),
OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Arman
KIRAKOSIAN consulate(s) general: Los
[1] (202) 319-1976 chancery:
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John
M. ORDWAY embassy: 18 Baghramyan Ave., Yerevan 375019 mailing address:
American Embassy Yerevan, Department of
[374](1) 521-611, 543-900 FAX:
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue,
and orange

Economy Armenia

Economy - overview: Under the old Soviet central planning system,
Armenia had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine
tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in
exchange for raw materials and energy. Since the implosion of the
USSR in December 1991, Armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture
away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. The
agricultural sector has long-term needs for more investment and updated
technology. The privatization of industry has been at a slower pace, but
has been given renewed emphasis by the current administration. Armenia
is a food importer, and its mineral deposits (gold, bauxite) are small.
The ongoing conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated
region of Nagorno-Karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed
economic system of the former Soviet Union contributed to a severe
economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian
Government had launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic program
that has resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2001. Armenia also
managed to slash inflation and to privatize most small- and medium-sized
enterprises. The chronic energy shortages Armenia suffered in recent
years have been largely offset by the energy supplied by one of its
nuclear power plants at Metsamor. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has
been offset somewhat by international aid, domestic restructuring of
the economy, and foreign direct investment.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $11.2 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 9.6% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,350 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 29% industry: 32% services:
39% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 55% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 35.2% (1996)

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44.4 (1996)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 1.4 million (2001)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 44%, services 14%, industry 42%
(2000 est.)

Unemployment rate: 20% note: official rate is 10.9% for 2000 (2001 est.)

Budget: revenues: $358 million expenditures: $458 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate: 3.8% (2001)

Electricity - production: 5.69 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 36.34% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 32.34% hydro: 31.32%

Electricity - consumption: 4.89 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports: 704 million kWh note: exports an unknown quantity
to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan
(2000)

Electricity - imports: 300 million kWh note: imports an unknown quantity
from Iran (2000)

Agriculture - products: fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock

Exports: $338.5 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Exports - commodities: diamonds, scrap metal, machinery and equipment,
brandy, copper ore

Exports - partners: Belgium 23%, Russia 15%, US 13%, Iran 10% (2000)

Imports: $868.6 million (f.o.b., 2001 est.)

Imports - commodities: natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products,
foodstuffs, diamonds

Imports - partners: Russia 15%, US 12%, Belgium 10%, Iran 9% (2000)

Debt - external: $839 million (June 2001)

Economic aid - recipient: $245.5 million (1995)

Currency: dram (AMD)

Currency code: AMD

Exchange rates: drams per US dollar - 564.08 (January 2002), 555.08
(2001), 539.53 (2000), 535.06 (1999), 504.92 (1998), 490.85 (1997)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications Armenia

Telephones - main lines in use: 568,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 25,000 (2001)

Telephone system: general assessment: system inadequate; now 90%
privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion domestic:
the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment are in Yerevan
(this includes paging and mobile cellular service) international: Yerevan
is connected to the Trans-Asia-Europe fiber-optic cable through Iran;
additional international service is available by microwave radio relay
and landline connections to the other countries of the Commonwealth of
Independent States and through the Moscow international switch and by
satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat
(2000)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: 850,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus an unknown number of repeaters)
(1998)

Televisions: 825,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .am

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 9 (2001)

Internet users: 30,000 (2001)

Transportation Armenia

Railways: total: 852 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines broad gauge: 852 km 1.520-m gauge (779 km electrified)
(2001 est.)

Highways: total: 11,300 km paved: 10,500 km (includes some all-weather
gravel-surfaced roads) unpaved: 800 km (these roads are made of
unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990)

Waterways: NA km

Pipelines: natural gas 900 km (1991)

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 7 (2001)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 7 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to
2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2001)

Military Armenia

Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guards

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 912,650 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 722,035
(2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 34,998
(2002 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $135 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 6.5% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Armenia

Disputes - international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists
in Nagorno-Karabakh and militarily occupies almost one-fifth of Azerbaijan
- Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to
mediate dispute; border with Turkey remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
dispute; traditional demands regarding former Armenian lands in Turkey
have subsided

Illicit drugs: illicit cultivator of cannabis mostly for domestic
consumption; increasingly used as a transshipment point for illicit
drugs - mostly opium and hashish - to Western Europe and the US via Iran,
Central Asia, and Russia

This page was last updated on 1 January 2002

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