Armenia

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

total:

2.95 cu km/yr (30%/4%/66%)

per capita:

977 cu m/yr (2000)

• 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

party to:

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants

noun:

Armenian(s)

adjective:

Armenian

at birth:

1.124 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.15 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.62 male(s)/female

total population:

0.89 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Armenia

conventional short form:

Armenia

local long form:

Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun

local short form:

Hayastan

former:

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Armenian Republic

name:

Yerevan

geographic coordinates:

40 10 N, 44 30 E

time difference:

UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

chief of state:

President Serzh SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008)

head of government:

Prime Minister Tigran SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 19 February 2008 (next to be held in February 2013);
• prime minister appointed by the president based on majority or plurality support in parliament;
• the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Assembly refuses to accept their program

election results:

Serzh SARGSIAN elected president; percent of vote - Serzh SARGSIAN 52.9%, Levon TER-PETROSSIAN 21.5%, Artur BAGHDASARIAN 16.7%, other 8.9%

• Armenian National Congress or ANC (bloc of independent and opposition parties) [Levon TER-PETROSSIAN];
• Armenian National Movement or ANM [Ararat ZURABIAN];
• Armenian Revolutionary Federation ("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Hrant MARKARIAN];
• Heritage Party [Raffi HOVHANNISIAN];
• People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHIAN];
• Prosperous Armenia [Gagik TSARUKIAN];
• Republican Party of Armenia or HHK [Serzh SARGSIAN];
• Rule of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir) [Artur BAGHDASARIAN]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Tatoul MARKARIAN

chancery:

2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 319-1976

FAX:

[1] (202) 319-2982

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles

chief of mission:

Ambassador Marie L. YOVANOVITCH

embassy:

1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082

mailing address:

American Embassy Yerevan, US Department of State, 7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020

telephone:

[374](10) 464-700

FAX:

[374](10) 464-742

• three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange;
• the color red recalls the blood shed for liberty, blue the Armenian skies as well as hope, and orange the land and the courage of the workers who farm it

• Mount Ararat;
• eagle;
• lion

name:

"Mer Hayrenik""(Our Fatherland)

lyrics/music:

Mikael NALBANDIAN/Barsegh KANACHYAN

note: adopted 1991; based on the anthem of the Democratic Republic of Armenia (1918-1922) but with different lyrics

agriculture:

46.2%

industry:

15.6%

services:

38.2% (2006 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.7%

highest 10%:

25.4% (2008)

general assessment:

• telecommunications investments have made major inroads in modernizing and upgrading the outdated telecommunications network inherited from the Soviet era;
• now 100% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion;
• mobile-cellular services monopoly terminated in late 2004 and a second provider began operations in mid-2005

domestic:

• reliable modern fixed-line and mobile-cellular services are available across Yerevan in major cities and towns;
• significant but ever-shrinking gaps remain in mobile-cellular coverage in rural areas

international:

• country code - 374;
• 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, through the Moscow international switch, and by satellite to the rest of the world;
• satellite earth stations - 3 (2010)

• 2 public television networks operating alongside more than 40 privately-owned television stations that provide local to near nationwide coverage;
• major Russian broadcast stations are widely available;
• subscription cable TV services are available in most regions;
• Public Radio of Armenia is a national, state-run broadcast network that operates alongside about 20 privately-owned radio stations;
• several major international broadcasters are available (2008)

total:

869 km

country comparison to the world: 96

broad gauge:

869 km 1.520-m gauge (818 km electrified)

note: some lines are out of service (2010)

total:

8,888 km

country comparison to the world: 139

paved:

7,079 km (includes 1,561 km of expressways)

unpaved:

1,809 km (2008)

males age 16-49:

805,847

females age 16-49:

854,296 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

644,372

females age 16-49:

717,272 (2010 est.)

male:

23,470

female:

21,417 (2010 est.)

• the dispute over the break-away Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Armenian military occupation of surrounding lands in Azerbaijan remains the primary focus of regional instability;
• residents have evacuated the former Soviet-era small ethnic enclaves in Armenia and Azerbaijan;
• Turkish authorities have complained that blasting from quarries in Armenia might be damaging the medieval ruins of Ani, on the other side of the Arpacay valley;
• in 2009, Swiss mediators facilitated an accord reestablishing diplomatic ties between Armenia and Turkey, but neither side has ratified the agreement and the rapprochement effort has faltered;
• local border forces struggle to control the illegal transit of goods and people across the porous, undemarcated Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian borders;
• ethnic Armenian groups in Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian Government

refugees (country of origin):

113,295 (Azerbaijan)

IDPs:

8,400 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, majority have returned home since 1994 ceasefire) (2007)

• illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption;
• minor transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from Southwest Asia to Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe