Background:
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| 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. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with 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, ethnic 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 closed the common border with Armenia because of the Armenian separatists' control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas. |
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Location:
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| Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey
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Geographic coordinates:
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40 00 N, 45 00 E
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Area:
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total: 29,743 sq km
country comparison to the world: 149
land:
28,203 sq km
water:
1,540 sq km
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Maryland
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Land boundaries:
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total: 1,254 km
border countries:
Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km
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Coastline:
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0 km (landlocked)
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Maritime claims:
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none (landlocked)
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Climate:
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highland continental, hot summers, cold winters
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Terrain:
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Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point: Debed River 400 m
highest point:
Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m
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Natural resources:
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small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite
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Land use:
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arable land: 16.78%
permanent crops:
2.01%
other:
81.21% (2005)
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Irrigated land:
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2,860 sq km (2003)
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Total renewable water resources:
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10.5 cu km (1997)
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Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
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total: 2.95 cu km/yr (30%/4%/66%)
per capita:
977 cu m/yr (2000)
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Natural hazards:
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occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts
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Environment - current issues:
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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
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
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Geography - note:
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landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range |
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Population:
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| 2,967,004 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 138
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 18.2% (male 289,119/female 252,150)
15-64 years:
71.1% (male 986,764/female 1,123,708)
65 years and over:
10.6% (male 122,996/female 192,267) (2009 est.)
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Median age:
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total: 31.5 years
male:
28.8 years
female:
34.4 years (2009 est.)
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Population growth rate:
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-0.03% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 207
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Birth rate:
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12.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 160
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Death rate:
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8.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 100
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Net migration rate:
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-4.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 162
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Urbanization:
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urban population: 64% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization:
-0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
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Sex ratio:
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at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years:
1.15 male(s)/female
15-64 years:
0.88 male(s)/female
65 years and over:
0.64 male(s)/female
total population:
0.89 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total: 20.21 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 106
male:
24.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female:
14.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total population: 72.68 years
country comparison to the world: 116
male:
69.06 years
female:
76.81 years (2009 est.)
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Total fertility rate:
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1.36 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 201
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.1% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 114
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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2,400 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 135
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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fewer than 200 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 104
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Nationality:
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noun: Armenian(s)
adjective:
Armenian
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Ethnic groups:
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Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census)
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Religions:
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Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%
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Languages:
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Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census)
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population:
99.4%
male:
99.7%
female:
99.2% (2001 census)
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School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
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total: 11 years
male:
11 years
female:
12 years (2006)
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Education expenditures:
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3.2% of GDP (2001)
country comparison to the world: 139
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