Armenia

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

agricultural land:

59.7%;

• arable land 15.8%;
• permanent crops 1.9%;
• permanent pasture 42%

forest:

9.1%

other:

31.2% (2011 est.)

total:

2.86 cu km/yr (40%/6%/54%)

per capita:

929.7 cu m/yr (2010)

• 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:

1.13 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.15 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.04 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.83 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.67 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2015 est.)

total number:

19,596

percentage:

4%

note: data represents children ages 7-17 (2007 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)

chief of state:

President Serzh SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008)

head of government:

Prime Minister Hovik ABRAHAMYAN (since 13 April 2014)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in two rounds if needed for a 5-year term (eligible for a second term);
• election last held on 18 February 2013 (next to be held in February 2018);
• prime minister appointed by the president based on majority support in the National Congress;
• the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Congress refuses to accept their program

election results:

• Serzh SARGSIAN reelected president in one round;
• percent of vote - Serzh SARGSIAN (RPA) 58.6%, Raffi HOVHANNISIAN (Heritage Party) 36.7%, Hrant BAGRATIAN (ANM) 2.2%, other 2.5%

description:

unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; 90 members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote and 41 directly elected by simple majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 6 May 2012 (next to be held in the spring of 2017)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - RPA 44%, Prosperous Armenia 30.1%, ANC 7.1%, Heritage Party 5.8%, ARF (Dashnak) 5.7%, Rule of Law 5.5%, other 1.8%;
• seats by party - RPA 69, Prosperous Armenia 37, ANC 7, Heritage Party 5, ARF (Dashnak) 5, Rule of Law 6, independent 2

highest court(s):

• Court of Cassation (consists of the court chairman and organized into a criminal chamber and a civil and administrative chamber, each with a court chairman and 2 judges);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Cassation judges nominated by the Judicial Council, a 9-member body of selected judges and legal scholars;
• judges appointed by the president;
• Constitutional Court judges - 4 appointed by the president, and 5 elected by National Assembly;
• judges of both courts can serve until retirement at age 65

subordinate courts:

• 2 Courts of Appeal (for civil cases and for criminal and military cases);
• district courts;
• Administrative Court

• 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 RPA [Serzh SARGSIAN]
• Rule of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir) [Artur BAGHDASARIAN]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Tigran SARGSIAN (since 14 July 2014)

chancery:

2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 319-1976

FAX:

[1] (202) 319-2982

consulate(s) general:

Glendale (CA)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Richard MILLS (since 13 February 2015)

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

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:

39%

industry:

17%

services:

44% (2011 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.7%

highest 10%:

24.8% (2012)

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 and third provider began operations in 2005 and 2009 respectively

domestic:

• reliable modern fixed-line and mobile-cellular services are available across Yerevan and 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 (2008)

• 2 public TV networks operating alongside about 40 privately owned TV 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 21 privately owned radio stations;
• several major international broadcasters are available (2015)

total:

780 km

broad gauge:

780 km 1.520-m gauge (780 km electrified)

note: 726 km operational (2014)

country comparison to the world: 96

• 18-27 years of age for voluntary or compulsory military service;
• 2-year conscript service obligation;
• 17 year olds are eligible to become cadets at military higher education institutes, where they are classified as military personnel (2012)

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 the Javakheti region of Georgia seek greater autonomy from the Georgian Government

refugees (country of origin):

14,994 (Syria - ethnic Armenians) (2014)

IDPs:

8,400 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2014)

stateless persons:

206 (2014)

• 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