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

• 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

noun:

Armenian(s)

adjective:

Armenian

total:

38.9 years (2024 est.)

male:

37.6 years

female:

40.3 years

• 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:

1.07 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.1 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.71 male(s)/female

total population:

0.96 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

11.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2024 est.)

male:

13.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

10 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

76.7 years (2024 est.)

male:

73.4 years

female:

80.1 years

total:

3.77 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.52 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.46 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

2.78 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0.01 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

25.5% (2020 est.)

male:

49.4% (2020 est.)

female:

1.5% (2020 est.)

women married by age 15:

0%

women married by age 18:

5.3%

men married by age 18:

0.4% (2016 est.)

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

urban population:

63.7% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

0.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

particulate matter emissions:

34.13 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

5.16 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

2.91 megatons (2020 est.)

municipal:

650 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

industrial:

190 million cubic meters (2020 est.)

agricultural:

1.99 billion cubic meters (2020 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)

etymology:

name likely derives from the ancient Urartian fortress of Erebuni established on the current site of Yerevan in 782 B.C. and whose impressive ruins still survive

• 21 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union);
• notable earlier dates: 321 B.C. (Kingdom of Armenia established under the Orontid Dynasty), A.D. 884 (Armenian Kingdom reestablished under the Bagratid Dynasty);
• 1198 (Cilician Kingdom established);
• 28 May 1918 (Democratic Republic of Armenia declared)

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, 2015, last in 2020;
• the Constitutional Reform Council formed in 2019 was dissolved in December 2021, and replaced by a new Constitutional Reform Council, whose members were officially appointed in late January 2022;
• the new council is expected to address the form of government, i.e. presidential or semi-presidential or parliamentary, and whether to merge the Court of Cassation with the Constitutional Court

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; current - 107 seats; members directly elected in single-seat constituencies by closed party-list proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms; four mandates are reserved for national minorities)

elections:

last held early on 20 June 2021 (next to be held in June 2026)

election results:

• percent of vote by party/coalition - Civil Contract 53.9%, Armenia Alliance 21%, I Have Honour Alliance 5.2%, other 19.9%;
• seats by party/coalition - Civil Contract 71, Armenia Alliance 29, I Have Honour Alliance 7;
• composition - men 68, women 39, percentage women 36.5%

note 1: additional seats allocated as necessary; the numbers usually change with each parliamentary convocation

note 2: four mandates are reserved for national minorities; no more than 70% of the top membership of a party list can belong to the same sex; political parties must meet a 5% threshold and alliances a 7% threshold to win seats; at least three parties must be seated in the Parliament

highest court(s):

• Court of Cassation or Appeals Court (consists of the Criminal Chamber with a chairman and 5 judges and the Civil and Administrative Chamber with a chairman and 10 judges – with both civil and administrative specializations);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Cassation judges nominated by the Supreme Judicial Council, a 10-member body of selected judges and legal scholars;
• judges appointed by the president;
• judges can serve until age 65;
• Constitutional Court judges - 4 appointed by the president, and 5 elected by the National Assembly;
• judges can serve until age 70

subordinate courts:

• criminal and civil appellate courts;
• administrative appellate court;
• first instance courts;
• specialized administrative and bankruptcy courts

• Armenia Alliance or HD
• Armenian National Congress or ANC
• Bright Armenia
• Civil Contract or KP
• Country To Live In
• Homeland of Armenians
• Homeland Party
• I Have Honor Alliance (formerly known as the Republican Party of Armenia) PUD
• Liberal Party
• National Democratic Party
• Prosperous Armenia or BHK
• Republic Party (Hanrapetutyun Party)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Lilit MAKUNTS (since 15 September 2021)

chancery:

2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 319-1976

FAX:

[1] (202) 319-2982

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://usa.mfa.am/en/

consulate(s) general:

Glendale (CA)

chief of mission:

Ambassador Kristina A. KVIEN (since 21 February 2023)

embassy:

1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082

mailing address:

7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020

telephone:

[374] (10) 464-700

FAX:

[374] (10) 464-742

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://am.usembassy.gov/

• 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

total World Heritage Sites:

3 (3 cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin;
• Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley;
• Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin

• EEU-and CIS-member state but seeking more EU and US trade;
• business-friendly growth environments;
• stable monetary regime but vulnerable demand economy;
• key copper and gold exporter;
• persistent unemployment;
• large diaspora and remittances

Fitch rating:

B+ (2020)

Moody's rating:

Ba3 (2019)

note: The year refers to the year in which the current credit rating was first obtained.

agriculture:

8.4% (2023 est.)

industry:

23.9% (2023 est.)

services:

59% (2023 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

19% (2023 est.)

male:

21.5% (2023 est.)

female:

16% (2023 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

lowest 10%:

3.9% (2022 est.)

highest 10%:

23% (2022 est.)

note: % share of income accruing to lowest and highest 10% of population

Number of operational nuclear reactors:

1 (2023)

Net capacity of operational nuclear reactors:

0.42GW (2023 est.)

Percent of total electricity production:

31.1% (2023 est.)

Number of nuclear reactors permanently shut down:

1 (2023)

production:

60 metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

23,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

exports:

32.3 metric tons (2022 est.)

imports:

47,000 metric tons (2022 est.)

proven reserves:

317 million metric tons (2022 est.)

consumption:

2.861 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

imports:

2.861 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

general assessment:

• the telecom sector was able to post modest gains in the mobile and broadband segments;
• fixed-line services continue to decrease with the rollout of fiber networks;
• the fixed broadband market remains undeveloped due to the lack of infrastructure outside the main cities;
• mobile broadband is expected increase by 2026 (2024)

domestic:

• roughly 13 per 100 fixed-line and 135 per 100 mobile-cellular;
• reliable fixed-line and mobile-cellular services are available across Yerevan and in major cities and towns;
• mobile-cellular coverage available in most rural areas (2022)

international:

• country code - 374;
• Yerevan is connected to the Caucasus Cable System fiber-optic cable through Georgia and Iran to Europe;
• 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 (2019)

• Armenia’s government-run Public Television network operates alongside 100 privately owned TV stations that provide local to near nationwide coverage;
• three Russian TV companies are broadcast in Armenia under interstate agreements;
• subscription cable TV services are available in most regions;
• several major international broadcasters are available, including CNN;
• 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 18 privately owned radio stations (2019)

total:

7,700 km (2019)

urban:

3,780 km

non-urban:

3,920 km

• the military's inventory includes mostly Russian and Soviet-era equipment;
• in recent years however, Armenia has looked to other countries besides Russia to provide military hardware, including France and India (2024)

refugees (country of origin):

27,929 (Azerbaijan) (mid-year 2022)

IDPs:

8,400 (2022)

stateless persons:

816 (2022)