Armenia
Republic of ArmeniaHayastani Hanrapetut'yun
republicIndependence 21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Armenia as the 2002 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 115 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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. It was incorporated into Russia in 1828 and the USSR in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim 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
Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey
18 fieldsLand useshare of 29,800 sq km
Terrain
- Armenian Highland with mountains;
- little forest land;
- fast flowing rivers;
- good soil in Aras River valley
Environment - current issues
- 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
Environment - international agreements
- party to:
- Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2002 est.)
Male · female
Ethnic groups(2002)
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.)
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.)
Government
Republic; President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30 March 1998); Prime Minister Andranik MARKARYAN (since 12 May 2000)
18 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 131 seats, elected 30 May 1999one dot, one seat
Country name
- conventional long form:
- Republic of Armenia
- conventional short form:
- Armenia
- local short form:
- Hayastan
- former:
- Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic
- local long form:
- Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
Administrative divisions
11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30 March 1998)
- head of government:
- Prime Minister Andranik MARKARYAN (since 12 May 2000)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
- elections:
- president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
- election last held 19 February and 5 March 2003);
- prime minister appointed by the president;
- the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Assembly refuses to accept their program
- election results:
- Robert KOCHARIAN reelected president; percent of vote - Robert KOCHARIAN 67.5%, Stepan DEMIRCHYAN 32.5%
Legislative branch
unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; 75 members selected by direct vote, 56 by party list)
- elections:
- last held 30 May 1999 (next to be held in the spring of 2003)
- election 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 (Communists) 10, ARF (Dashnak) 8, Law and Unity Party 7, NDU 6, Law-Governed Party 6, independents 11, ANM 1;
- note - seats by party change frequently as deputies switch parties or announce themselves independent
note: electoral law was changed in 2002 so ratio in next elections will be 75 deputies elected by party list, 56 by direct election
Political parties and leaders
- Armenian National Movement or ANM [Ararat ZURABIAN, chairman];
- Agro-Technical People's Group (formerly Stability Group) (parliamentary bloc);
- Armenian Communist Party or ACP [Vladimir DARBINYAN, First Secretary];
- Armenia Democratic Party [Aram SARGSIAN];
- Armenian Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Armen RUSTAMIAN and Aghvan VARTANYAN];
- Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Khosrev HARUTYUNIAN];
- Constitutional Rights Union [Hrant KHACHATRYAN];
- Democratic Liberal Party/Ramkvar Azatakyan or DL/RA [Ruben MIRZAKHANIAN];
- Law-Governed Party [Artur BAGDASARIAN, chairman];
- National Accord Front [Ashot MANUTCHARIAN];
- National Accord Party [Artashes GEGAMIAN, chairman];
- National Democratic Alliance [Arshak ZADOYAN];
- National Democratic Party [Shavarsh KOCHARIAN];
- National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN];
- People's Democratic Party [Gagik ASLANYAN];
- People's Deputies Group [Hovhannes HOVHANISSIAN] (parliamentary bloc);
- People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHYAN];
- Republic Party [Albert BAZEYAN, chairman];
- Republican Party or RPA [Andranik MARKARYAN];
- Shamiram Women's Movement or SWM [Shogher MATEVOSIAN];
- Social Democratic (Hunchak) Party [George HAKOPIAN];
- Social Democratic Union (formerly National Self-Determination Union) [Paruyr HAYRIKIAN];
- Unity Bloc [Stepan DEMIRCHIAN and Andranik MARKARYAN] (a coalition of the Republican Party and People's Party of Armenia)
International organization participation
BSEC, CCC, CE, CIS, COE, 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
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Arman KIRAKOSIAN
- chancery:
- 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
- consulate(s) general:
- Los Angeles
- FAX:
- [1] (202) 319-2982
- telephone:
- [1] (202) 319-1976
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 State, Washington, DC 20521-7020
- telephone:
- [374](1) 521-611, 520-791, 542-177, 542-132, 524-661, 527-001, 524-840
- FAX:
- [374](1) 520-800
Economy
33 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2000 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
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.
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
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)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone 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)
Transportation
8 fieldsAirports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right
Networkskm
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)
Military
Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guards
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
- Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and militarily occupies 16% 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 cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption;
- used as a transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Armenia.” The World Factbook 2002. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/armenia/2002.