Introduction

 

Background: 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. Turkey imposed an economic blockade on Armenia and closed the common border because of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.

 

Geography

 

Location: Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey

 

Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 45 00 E

 

Map references: Asia

 

Area: total: 29,800 sq km; land: 28,400 sq km; water: 1,400 sq km

 

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

 

Land boundaries: total: 1,254 km; border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km

 

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

 

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

 

Climate: highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

 

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

 

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Debed River 400 m; highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m

 

Natural resources: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina

Land use: arable land: 17.55%; permanent crops: 2.3%;other: 80.15% (2001)

 

Irrigated land: 2,870 sq km (1998 est.)

 

Natural hazards: occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts

 

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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, 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

 

Population: 2,982,904 (July 2005 est.)

 

Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.6% (male 339,453/female 305,214); 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 938,734/female 1,074,240); 65 years and over: 10.9% (male 131,519/female 193,744) (2005 est.)

 

Median age: total: 30.07 years; male: 27.45 years; female: 32.84 years (2005 est.)

 

Population growth rate: -0.25% (2005 est.)

 

Birth rate: 11.76 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Death rate: 8.16 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Net migration rate: -6.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

 

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.17 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.11 male(s)/female;15-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female;65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female; total population: 0.9 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

 

Infant mortality rate: total: 23.28 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 28.51 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 17.13 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

 

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.55 years; male: 67.97 years; female: 75.75 years (2005 est.)

 

Total fertility rate: 1.32 children born/woman (2005 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2003 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 2,600 (2003 est.)

 

HIV/AIDS - deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

 

Nationality: noun: Armenian(s);adjective: Armenian

 

Ethnic groups: Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census)

 

Religions: Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%

 

Languages: Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census)

 

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write; total population: 98.6%;male: 99.4%;female: 98% (2003 est.)

 

Government

 

Country name: 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

 

Government type: republic

 

Capital: Yerevan

 

Administrative divisions: 11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan

 

Independence: 21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

 

National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1991)

 

Constitution: adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995

 

Legal system: based on civil law system

 

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

 

Executive branch: chief of state: President Robert KOCHARIAN (since 30 March 1998)

head of government: Prime Minister Andranik MARGARYAN (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 (next to be held NA 2008); 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 elected by party list, 56 by direct vote)

elections: last held 25 May 2003 (next to be held in the spring of 2007)

note: percent of vote by party - Republican Party 23.5%, Justice Bloc 13.6%, Rule of Law 12.3%, ARF (Dashnak) 11.4%, National Unity Party 8.8%, United Labor Party 5.7%; seats by party - Republican Party 23, Justice Bloc 14, Rule of Law 12, ARF (Dashnak) 11, National Unity 9, United Labor 6; note - seats by party change frequently as deputies switch parties or announce themselves independent

 

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court)

 

Economy

 

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 (copper, 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 liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2003. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. Armenia also has managed to slash inflation, stabilize the local currency (the dram), and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. The chronic energy shortages Armenia suffered in the early and mid-1990s have been offset by the energy supplied by one of its nuclear power plants at Metsamor. Armenia is now a net energy exporter, although it does not have sufficient generating capacity to replace Metsamor, which is under international pressure to close. The electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid and foreign direct investment. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector.

 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $13.65 billion (2004 est.)

 

GDP - real growth rate: 9% (2004 est.)

 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,600 (2004 est.)

 

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 22.9%;industry: 36.1%;services: 41.1% (2004 est.)

 

Labor force: 1.4 million (2001)

 

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 45%, industry 25%, services 30% (2002 est.)

 

Unemployment rate: 30% (2003 est.)

 

Population below poverty line: 50% (2002 est.)

 

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3%;highest 10%: 46.2% (1999)

 

Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44.4 (1996)

 

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (2004 est.)

 

Investment (gross fixed): 19.8% of GDP (2004 est.)

 

Budget: revenues: $428.1 million; expenditures: $491.2 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)

 

Agriculture - products: fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock

 

Industries: diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy

 

Industrial production growth rate: 15% (2002 est.)

 

Electricity - production: 6.492 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - consumption: 5.797 billion kWh (2002)

 

Electricity - exports: 704 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2002)

 

Electricity - imports: 463 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2002)

 

Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - consumption: 5,700 bbl/day (2001 est.)

 

Oil - exports: NA

 

Oil - imports: NA

 

Natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - consumption: 1.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)

 

Natural gas - imports: 1.4 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Current account balance: $-240.4 million (2004 est.)

 

Exports: $850 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Exports - commodities: diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy

 

Exports - partners: Belgium 16.8%, Israel 14.3%, Russia 14.2%, Germany 11.4%, Iran 9.9%, US 7.8%, Netherlands 5.8% (2004)

 

Imports: $1.3 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

 

Imports - commodities: natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds

 

Imports - partners: Belgium 10.3%, Iran 10.2%, Russia 9.8%, Israel 8.6%, US 7.7%, UAE 6.2%, Italy 5.4%, Germany 5%, France 4.6%, Ukraine 4.5% (2004)

 

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $555 million (2004 est.)

 

Debt - external: $905 million (June 2001)

 

Economic aid - recipient: ODA $170 million (2000)

 

Currency (code): dram (AMD)

 

Exchange rates: drams per US dollar - 533.45 (2004), 578.76 (2003), 573.35 (2002), 555.08 (2001), 539.53 (2000)

 

Fiscal year: calendar year

 

Communications

 

Telephones - main lines in use: 562,600 (2003)

 

Telephones - mobile cellular: 114,400 (2003)

 

Telephone 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: 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 and through the Moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (2000)

 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998)

 

Television broadcast stations: 3 (plus an unknown number of repeaters); (1998)

 

Internet country code: .am
 

Internet hosts: 2,206 (2004)

 

Internet users: 150,000 (2003)

 

Transportation

 

Railways: total: 845 km; broad gauge: 845 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified)

note: some lines are out of service (2004)

 

Highways: total: 8,431 km