Armenia

• Southwestern Asia, between Turkey (to the west) and Azerbaijan;
• note - Armenia views itself as part of Europe;
• geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within Europe, the Middle East, or both

• 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.)

• most of the population is located in the northern half of the country;
• the capital of Yerevan is home to more than five times as many people as Gyumri, the second largest city in the country

• soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT;
• deforestation;
• 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

• most of the population is located in the northern half of the country;
• the capital of Yerevan is home to more than five times as many people as Gyumri, the second largest city in the country

at birth:

1.13 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.14 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.93 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.84 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.67 male(s)/female

total population:

0.94 male(s)/female (2016 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

etymology:

• the etymology of the country's name remains obscure;
• according to tradition, the country is named after Hayk, the legendary patriarch of the Armenians and the great-great-grandson of Noah;
• Hayk's descendant, Aram, purportedly is the source of the name Armenia

name:

Yerevan

geographic coordinates:

40 10 N, 44 30 E

time difference:

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

history:

previous 1915, 1978; latest adopted 5 July 1995

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic or by the National Assembly;
• passage requires approval by the president, by the National Assembly, and by a referendum with at least 25% registered voter participation and more than 50% of votes;
• constitutional articles on the form of government and democratic procedures are not amendable;
• amended 2005, 2007, 2008, last in 2015

note: a 2015 amendment, approved in December 2015 by a public referendum and effective for the 2017-18 electoral cycle, changes the government type from the current semi-presidential system to a parliamentary system (2017)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Armenia

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

3 years

description:

unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (minimum 101 seats, currently 105; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms)

elections:

last held on 2 April 2017 (next to be held in spring of 2022)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - RPA 49.2%, Tsarukyan Alliance 27.4%, Yelk (Way Out) 7.8%, ARF (Dashnak) 6.6%, other 9%;
• seats by party - RPA 58, Tsarukyan Alliance 31, Yelk (Way Out) 9, ARF (Dashnak) 7

highest court(s):

• Court of Cassation (consists of the court chairman and organized into the criminal chamber and a civil and administrative chamber, each with a chamber 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 or ARF ("Dashnak" Party) [Hrant MARKARIAN]
• Heritage Party [Raffi HOVHANNISIAN]
• People's Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHIAN]
• Prosperous Armenia [Gagik TSARUKYAN]
• Republican Party of Armenia or RPA [Serzh SARGSIAN]
• Rule of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir) [Artur BAGHDASARIAN]
• Tsarukyan Alliance [Gagik TSARUKYAN]
• Yelk (Way Out) Alliance [Edmon Marukyan]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Grigor HOVHANNISSIAN (since 28 January 2016)

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:

36.3%

industry:

17%

services:

46.7% (2013 est.)

lowest 10%:

3.5%

highest 10%:

25.7% (2014)

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;
• mobile-cellular coverage available in most 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 (2015)

• 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;
• Armenian TV completed conversion from analog to digital broadcasting in late 2016;
• 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 (2017)

total:

780 km

broad gauge:

780 km 1.520-m gauge (780 km electrified)

note: 726 km operational (2014)

country comparison to the world: 97

• 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)

• 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):

14,626 (Syria - ethnic Armenians) (2016)

IDPs:

8,400 (conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh) (2016)

stateless persons:

512 (2016)

• 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