sovereign state in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Armenia (Armenian: Հայաստան, romanized: Hayastān), officially the Republic of Armenia,[lower-alpha 1] is a landlocked country located in the Armenian Highlands, spanning Eastern Europe and Western Asia.[8][9][10][11]
Republic of Armenia Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun | |
---|---|
Motto: Մեկ Ազգ, Մեկ Մշակույթ Mek Azg, Mek Mshakuyt "One Nation, One Culture" | |
Anthem: Մեր Հայրենիք Mer Hayrenik "Our Fatherland" | |
Capital and largest city | Yerevan 40°11′N 44°31′E |
State language | Armenian[1] |
Ethnic groups (2011) | |
Religion (2011) |
|
Demonym(s) | Armenian |
Government | Unitary parliamentary republic |
• President | Vahagn Khachaturyan |
• Prime Minister | Nikol Pashinyan |
• President of the National Assembly | Alan Simonyan |
Legislature | National Assembly |
Establishment history | |
• Patriarch Hayk | 2492 BC |
• Kingdom of Urartu | 860 BC–590 BC |
• Kingdom of Armenia (antiquity) | 321 BC–428 AD |
• Kingdom of Armenia (medieval) | 885–1045 |
1198–1375 | |
• First Republic of Armenia | 28 May 1918 |
• Soviet conquest | 29 November 1920 |
• Indepence restored | 23 September 1991 |
• CIS Accesion | 21 December 1991 |
• Admitted to the United Nations | 2 March 1992 |
• Current constitution | 5 July 1995 |
Area | |
• Total | 29,743[3] km2 (11,484 sq mi) (147th) |
• Land | 28,203[4] km2 (10,889 sq mi) |
• Water | 1,540[5] km2 (590 sq mi) |
Population | |
• CIA 2022 estimate | 3,000,756[6] (138th) |
• 2011 census | 3,018,854 |
• Density | 101.5/km2 (262.9/sq mi) (99th) |
GDP (PPP) | 2021 estimate |
• Total | $43.550 billion[7] |
• Per capita | $14,701[7] |
GDP (nominal) | 2021 estimate |
• Total | $13.612 billion[7] (127th) |
• Per capita | $4,595[7] (104th) |
Gini (2019) | 29.9 low |
HDI (2019) | 0.776 high · 81st |
Currency | Dram (֏) (AMD) |
Time zone | UTC+4 (AMT) |
Driving side | right |
Calling code | +374 |
ISO 3166 code | AM |
Internet TLD |
The Hittites and Hayasa-Azzi may have played a significant role in the ethnicity of Armenians. It has an ancient cultural heritage. One of the earliest Armenian kingdoms such as Urartu was established in 860 BC and by the 6th century BC it was replaced by the Satrapy of Armenia. The Kingdom of Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great in the 1st century BC and became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official state religion in the late 3rd or early 4th century AD.[12][13][14] The official date of state adoption of Christianity is 301.[15]
Between the 16th century and 19th century, the traditional Armenian homeland composed of Eastern Armenia and Western Armenia came under the rule of the Ottoman and Iranian empires, repeatedly ruled by either of the two over the centuries. By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been conquered by the Russian Empire, while most of the western parts of the traditional Armenian homeland remained under Ottoman rule.
During World War I, Armenians living in their ancestral lands in the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated in the Armenian Genocide, perpetrated by Ottoman Young Turks. Around 1.5 million people were slaughtered and many more deported. In 1918, following the Russian Revolution, all non-Russian countries declared their independence after the Russian Empire ceased to exist, leading to the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia. By 1920, the state was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, and in 1922 became a founding member of the Soviet Union. In 1936, the Transcaucasian state was dissolved, transforming its constituent states, including the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, into full Union republics. The modern Republic of Armenia became independent in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Armenia is divided into ten provinces, with the city of Yerevan having special administrative status as the country's capital. The chief executive in each of the ten provinces is the marzpet (marz governor), appointed by the government of Armenia. In Yerevan, the chief executive is the mayor, appointed by the president.
As of 2007[update], Armenia includes 915 communities, of which 49 are considered urban and 866 are considered rural.
Province | Capital | Area (km²) | Population † | ||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Aragatsotn | Արագածոտն | Ashtarak | Աշտարակ | 2,756 | 132,925 |
Ararat | Արարատ | Artashat | Արտաշատ | 2,090 | 260,367 |
Armavir | Արմավիր | Armavir | Արմավիր | 1,242 | 265,770 |
Gegharkunik | Գեղարքունիք | Gavar | Գավառ | 5,349 | 235,075 |
Kotayk | Կոտայք | Hrazdan | Հրազդան | 2,086 | 254,397 |
Lori | Լոռի | Vanadzor | Վանաձոր | 3,799 | 235,537 |
Shirak | Շիրակ | Gyumri | Գյումրի | 2,680 | 251,941 |
Syunik | Սյունիք | Kapan | Կապան | 4,506 | 141,771 |
Tavush | Տավուշ | Ijevan | Իջևան | 2,704 | 128,609 |
Vayots Dzor | Վայոց Ձոր | Yeghegnadzor | Եղեգնաձոր | 2,308 | 52,324 |
Yerevan | Երևան | – | – | 223 | 1,060,138 |
† 2011 census
Sources: Area and population of provinces.[16]
Armenia is a Christian majority country, with European and some wider Eurasian cultural influences.[17] The Republic of Armenia recognises the Armenian Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church, as the country's primary religious establishment.[18][19] The unique Armenian alphabet was invented by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD. Armenia also has a minority of Yazidis who settled in the country after fleeing persecution and have long established themselves into the wider Armenian society and have been integrated into the country.
Armenia is a member of the Council of Europe, the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Armenia supports the de facto independent Republic of Artsakh, which was proclaimed in 1991.
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