Armenia

Location

• 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
• landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Yerevan	1,141,100	Capital
Malatia-Sebastia	150,000
Shengavit	140,400
Nor Nork	136,900
Kentron	132,800
Erebuni	129,500
Ajapnyak	122,300
Arabkir	118,870
Gyumri	112,301
Vanadzor	78,100

Size

• 11,506 square miles
• 29,800 square kilometers
• slightly smaller than Maryland

History

Armenia prides itself on being the first state to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Armenia has existed as a political entity for centuries, but for much of its history it was under the sway of various empires, including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, Ottoman, and Russian. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire instituted a policy of forced resettlement that, coupled with other harsh practices targeting its Armenian subjects, resulted in at least 1 million deaths; these actions have been widely recognized as constituting genocide. During the early 19th century, significant Armenian populations fell under Russian rule. Armenia declared its independence in 1918 in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, but it was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenia, along with Azerbaijan and Georgia, was initially incorporated into the USSR as part of the Transcaucasian Federated Soviet Socialist Republic; in 1936, the republic was separated into its three constituent entities, which were maintained until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. For over three decades, Armenia had a longstanding conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan about the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which historically had a mixed Armenian and Azerbaijani population, although ethnic Armenians have constituted the majority since the late 19th century. In 1921, Moscow placed Nagorno-Karabakh within Soviet Azerbaijan as an autonomous oblast. In the late Soviet period, a separatist movement developed that sought to end Azerbaijani control over the region. Fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988 and escalated after Armenia and Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By the time a cease-fire took effect in 1994, separatists with Armenian support controlled Nagorno‑Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani territories. Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in a second military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020; Armenia lost control over much of the territory it had previously captured, returning the southern part of Nagorno-Karabakh and the territories around it to Azerbaijan. In September 2023, Azerbaijan took military action to regain control over Nagorno-Karabakh; after an armed conflict that lasted only one day, nearly the entire ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh fled to Armenia. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan during the first period of conflict with Armenia and has since maintained a closed border, leaving Armenia with closed borders both in the west (with Turkey) and east (with Azerbaijan). Armenia and Turkey engaged in intensive diplomacy to normalize relations and open the border in 2009, but the signed agreement was not ratified in either country. In 2015, Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union alongside Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. In 2017, Armenia signed a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the EU. In 2018, former President of Armenia (2008-18) Serzh SARGSIAN of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) tried to extend his time in power, prompting protests that became known as the “Velvet Revolution.” After SARGSIAN resigned, the National Assembly elected the leader of the protests, Civil Contract party chief Nikol PASHINYAN, as the new prime minister. PASHINYAN’s party has prevailed in subsequent legislative elections, most recently in 2021. 

Climate

highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

Terrain

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

Languages

Armenian (official) 97.9%, Kurmanji (spoken by Yezidi minority) 1%, other 1.1%; note - Russian is widely spoken (2011 est.)major-language sample(s): Աշխարհի Փաստագիրք, Անփոխարինելի Աղբյւր Հիմնական Տեղեկատվւթյան. (Armenian)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Armenian Apostolic Christian 95.2%, other Christian 1.6%, other 0.9%, none 0.6%, unspecified 1.7% (2022 est.)

Government

parliamentary democracy; note - constitutional changes adopted in December 2015 transformed the government to a parliamentary system

• Constitution: history: previous 1915, 1978; latest adopted 5 July 1995amendment process: proposed by the president of the republic or by the National Assembly; passage requires approval by the president, the National Assembly, and 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
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Vahagn KHACHATURYAN (since 13 March 2022)head of government: Prime Minister Nikol PASHINYAN (since 10 September 2021)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime ministerelection/appointment process: president indirectly elected by the National Assembly in 3 rounds, if needed, for a single 7-year term; prime minister indirectly elected by majority vote in two rounds, if needed, by the National Assemblymost recent election date: 3 March 2022election results: 2022: Vahagn KHACHATURYAN elected president in second round; note - Vahagn KHACHATURYAN (independent) ran unopposed and won the Assembly vote 71-02018: Armen SARKISSIAN elected president in first round; note - Armen SARKISSIAN (indpendent) ran unopposed and won the Assembly vote 90-10expected date of next election: 2029
• Judicial Branch: 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 70subordinate courts: criminal and civil appellate courts; administrative appellate court; first instance courts; specialized administrative and bankruptcy courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: National Assembly (Azgayin Zhoghov)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 107 (all directly elected)electoral system: proportional representationscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 6/20/2021parties elected and seats per party: Civil Contract Party (71); Armenia Alliance (29); I Have the Honour Alliance (7)percentage of women in chamber: 38.3%expected date of next election: June 2026note 1: additional seats allocated as necessary; the numbers usually change with each parliamentary convocationnote 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

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• upper-middle income, fast-growing Caucasus economy; stable fiscal and monetary regime but vulnerable to geopolitical shocks; economic and energy ties to Russia but seeking more EU and US trade; key copper and gold exporter; business-friendly and anti-corruption reforms; persistent unemployment; influx of migrants from Ukraine war easing
• Budget: revenues: $5.812 billion (2023 est.)expenditures: $6.27 billion (2023 est.)note: central government revenues (excluding grants) and expenditures converted to US dollars at average official exchange rate for year indicated
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite
• Industries: brandy, mining, diamond processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging and pressing machines, electric motors, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry, software, food processing
• Agricultural Products: milk, potatoes, grapes, vegetables, wheat, tomatoes, watermelons, apricots, apples, barley (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 58.8% (2022 est.)arable land: 15.6% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 2.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 41.1% (2022 est.)forest: 11.5% (2022 est.)other: 29.6% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: cars, gold, diamonds, broadcasting equipment, natural gas (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Russia 29%, China 12%, Vietnam 6%, Georgia 5%, Iran 4% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: gold, diamonds, copper ore, broadcasting equipment, jewelry (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: Russia 37%, UAE 25%, Hong Kong 7%, China 5%, Georgia 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports