Coordinates	12°58′0″N77°34′0″N
Native name
Conventional long name	Republic of Armenia
Common name	Armenia
Image coat	Coat of arms of Armenia.svg
National anthem	(Armenian) (transcription)"Our Fatherland"File:Mer Hayrenik instrumental.ogg
Official languages	Armenian
Ethnic groups	97.9% Armenian, 1.3% Yazidis, 0.5% Russian, 0.3% others.
Capital	Yerevan
Largest city	capital
Government type	Presidential republic
Leader title1	President
Leader title2	Prime Minister
Leader title3	Speaker
Leader name1	Serzh Sargsyan
Leader name2	Tigran Sargsyan
Leader name3	Hovik Abrahamyan
Sovereignty type	Formation and independence
Established event1	Traditional date
Established date1	August 11th 2492 BC
Established event2	Nairi
Established date2	1200 BC
Established event3	Kingdom of Ararat
Established date3	840s BC
Established event4	Orontid Dynasty
Established date4	560 BC
Established event5	Kingdom of Armeniaformed
Established date5	190 BC
Established event6	Democratic Republic of Armenia established
Established date6	28 May 1918
Established event7	Independencefrom the Soviet Union
Established date7	23 August 199021 September 199125 December 1991
Area km2	29,743
Area sq mi	11,484
Area rank	141st
Area magnitude	1 E10
Percent water	4.71
Population estimate	3,262,200
Population estimate year	2010
Population estimate rank	134th
Population density km2	108.4
Population density sq mi	280.7
Population density rank	99th
Gdp ppp year	2010
Gdp ppp	$16.858 billion
Gdp ppp per capita	$5,110
Gdp nominal	$9.389 billion
Gdp nominal year	2010
Gdp nominal per capita	$2,846
Gini	37
Gini year	2006
Gini category	medium
Hdi year	2010
Hdi	0.695
Hdi rank	76th
Hdi category	high
Currency	Dram (դր.)
Currency code	AMD
Time zone	UTC
Utc offset	+4
Time zone dst	DST
Utc offset dst	+5
Demonym	Armenian
Patron saint	St. Bartholomew the Apostle, St. Gregory the Illuminator, St. Jude the Apostle, Virgin Mary
Drives on	Right
Cctld	.am
Calling code	374 }}

Armenia (; , transliterated ''Hayastan'', ), officially the Republic of Armenia (Հայաստանի Հանրապետություն, ''Hayastani Hanrapetut’yun'', ), is a landlocked mountainous country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the ''de facto'' independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic and Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.

A former republic of the Soviet Union, Armenia is a unitary, multiparty, democratic nation-state with an ancient and historic cultural heritage. The Kingdom of Armenia became the first state to adopt Christianity as its religion in the early years of the 4th century (the traditional date is 301). The modern Republic of Armenia recognizes the Armenian Apostolic Church as the national church of Armenia, although the republic has separation of church and state.

Armenia is a member of more than 40 international organisations, including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Asian Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the World Trade Organization, World Customs Organization, the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation, and La Francophonie. It is a member of the CSTO military alliance, and also participates in NATO's Partnership for Peace (PfP) programme. In 2004 its forces joined KFOR, a NATO-led international force in Kosovo. It is also an observer member of the Eurasian Economic Community and the Non-Aligned Movement. The country is an emerging democracy, and is currently in a negotiation process with the European Union, of which it may become an Associate Member in the near future. The Government of Armenia holds European integration as a key priority in its foreign policy as it is considered a European country by the European Union.

Etymology of name

The native Armenian name for the country is ''''. The name in the Middle Ages was extended to ''Hayastan'', by addition of the Iranian suffix ''-stan'' (land). The name has traditionally been derived from Hayk (), the legendary patriarch of the Armenians and a great-great-grandson of Noah, who according to Moses of Chorene defeated the Babylonian king Bel in 2492 BC, and established his nation in the Ararat region. The further origin of the name is uncertain.

The exonym ''Armenia'' is attested in the Old Persian Behistun inscription (515 BC) as ''Armina'' (30x20pxpx 30x20pxpx 30x20pxpx 30x20pxpx 30x20pxpx). Ancient Greek ''Armenia'', ''Αρμενια'' "Armenians" is first mentioned by Hecataeus of Miletus (476 BC). Xenophon, a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions, describes many aspects of Armenian village life and hospitality. He relates that the people spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the language of the Persians. According to the histories of both Moses of Chorene and Michael Chamich, ''Armenia'' derives from the name of Aram, a lineal descendent of Hayk.

History

Antiquity

Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat, upon which Noah's Ark is said to have come to rest after the flood. (Bible, Gen. 8:4). Recent archeological studies have found the world's earliest leather shoe, skirt, and wine-producing facility in Armenia, dated to about 4000 B.C. This points to an advanced early civilization In the Bronze Age; several states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire (at the height of its power), Mitanni (South-Western historical Armenia), and Hayasa-Azzi (1500–1200 BC). The Nairi people (12th to 9th centuries BC) and the Kingdom of Urartu (1000–600 BC) successively established their sovereignty over the Armenian Highland. Each of the aforementioned nations and tribes participated in the ethnogenesis of the Armenian people. Yerevan, the modern capital of Armenia, was founded in 782 BC by king Argishti I.

Around 600 BC, the Kingdom of Armenia was established under the Orontid Dynasty. The kingdom reached its height between 95 and 66 BC under Tigranes the Great, becoming one of the most powerful kingdoms of its time within the region. Throughout its history, the kingdom of Armenia enjoyed periods of independence intermitted with periods of autonomy subject to contemporary empires. Armenia's strategic location between two continents has subjected it to invasions by many peoples, including the Assyrians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Mongols, Persians, Ottoman Turks and Russians.

Armenia was historically Mazdean Zoroastrian (as opposed to the Zurvanite Sassanid dynasty), particularly focused on the worship of Mihr (Avestan Mithra), and Christianity spread into the country as early as AD 40. King Tiridates III (AD 238–314) made Christianity the state religion in AD 301, becoming the first officially Christian state, ten years before the Roman Empire granted Christianity an official toleration under Galerius, and 36 years before Constantine the Great was baptized.

After the fall of the Armenian kingdom in AD 428, most of Armenia was incorporated as a marzpanate within the Sassanid Empire. Following an Armenian rebellion in AD 451, Christian Armenians maintained their religious freedom, while Armenia gained autonomy.

Middle Ages

After the Marzpanate period (428–636), Armenia emerged as the Emirate of Armenia, an autonomous principality within the Arabic Empire, reuniting Armenian lands previously taken by the Byzantine Empire as well. The principality was ruled by the Prince of Armenia, recognised by the Caliph and the Byzantine Emperor. It was part of the administrative division/emirate ''Arminiyya'' created by the Arabs, which also included parts of Georgia and Caucasian Albania, and had its center in the Armenian city Dvin. The Principality of Armenia lasted until 884, when it regained its independence from the weakened Arabic Empire.

The re-emergent Armenian kingdom was ruled by the Bagratuni dynasty, and lasted until 1045. In time, several areas of the Bagratid Armenia separated as independent kingdoms and principalities such as the Kingdom of Vaspurakan ruled by the House of Artsruni, while still recognizing the supremacy of the Bagratid kings.

In 1045, the Byzantine Empire conquered Bagratid Armenia. Soon, the other Armenian states fell under Byzantine control as well. The Byzantine rule was short lived, as in 1071 Seljuk Turks defeated the Byzantines and conquered Armenia at the Battle of Manzikert, establishing the Seljuk Empire. To escape death or servitude at the hands of those who had assassinated his relative, Gagik II, King of Ani, an Armenian named Roupen went with some of his countrymen into the gorges of the Taurus Mountains and then into Tarsus of Cilicia. The Byzantine governor of the palace gave them shelter where the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia was eventually established.

Cilicia was a strong ally of the European Crusaders, and saw itself as a bastion of Christendom in the East. Cilicia's significance in Armenian history and statehood is also attested by the transfer of the seat of the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church, spiritual leader of the Armenian people, to the region.

The Seljuk Empire soon started to collapse. In the early 12th century, Armenian princes of the Zakarid noble family established a semi-independent Armenian principality in Northern and Eastern Armenia, known as Zakarid Armenia, lasted under patronages of Seljuks, Georgian Kingdom, Atabegs of Azerbaijan and Khwarezmid Empire. The noble family of Orbelians shared control with the Zakarids in various parts of the country, especially in Syunik and Vayots Dzor.

Early Modern era

During the 1230s, the Mongol Empire conquered the Zakaryan Principality, as well as the rest of Armenia. The Mongolian invasions were soon followed by those of other Central Asian tribes (Kara Koyunlu, Timurid and Ak Koyunlu), which continued from the 13th century until the 15th century. After incessant invasions, each bringing destruction to the country, Armenia in time became weakened. During the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire and Safavid Persia divided Armenia among themselves. From 1604 Abbas I of Persia implemented a "scorched earth" policy in the region to protect his north-western frontier against any invading Ottoman forces, a policy which involved the forced resettlement of many Armenians from their homelands. The Russian Empire later incorporated Eastern Armenia (consisting of the Erivan and Karabakh khanates within Persia) in 1813 and 1828.

Under Ottoman rule, the Armenians were granted considerable autonomy within their own enclaves and lived in relative harmony with other groups in the empire (including the ruling Turks). However, as Christians under a strict Muslim social system, Armenians faced pervasive discrimination. When they began pushing for more rights within the Ottoman Empire, Sultan ‘Abdu’l-Hamid II, in response, organised state-sponsored massacres against the Armenians between 1894 and 1896, resulting in an estimated death toll of 80,000 to 300,000 people. The Hamidian massacres, as they came to be known, gave Hamid international infamy as the "Red Sultan" or "Bloody Sultan".

The Ottoman Empire began to collapse and in 1908 the Young Turk Revolution overthrew the government of Sultan Hamid. Armenians living in the empire hoped that the Committee of Union and Progress would change their second-class status. Armenian reform package (1914) was presented as a solution by appointing an inspector general over Armenian issues.

World War I and the Armenian Genocide

When World War I broke out leading to confrontation of the Ottoman Empire and the Russian Empire in the Caucasus and Persian Campaigns, the new government in Constantinople began to look on the Armenians with distrust and suspicion. This was due to the fact that the Russian army contained a contingent of Armenian volunteers. On 24 April 1915, Armenian intellectuals were arrested by Ottoman authorities and, with the Tehcir Law (29 May 1915), eventually a large proportion of Armenians living in Anatolia perished in what has become known as the Armenian Genocide.

There was local Armenian resistance in the region, developed against the activities of the Ottoman Empire. The events of 1915 to 1917 are regarded by Armenians and the vast majority of Western historians to have been state-sponsored mass killings, or genocide. Turkish authorities, however, maintain that the deaths were the result of a civil war coupled with disease and famine, with casualties incurred by both sides. According to the research conducted by Arnold J. Toynbee an estimated 600,000 Armenians died during the Armenian Genocide in 1915–16.

According to the International Association of Genocide Scholars, the death toll was "more than a million". Armenia and the Armenian diaspora have been campaigning for official recognition of the events as genocide for over 30 years. These events are traditionally commemorated yearly on 24 April, the Armenian Martyr Day, or the Day of the Armenian Genocide.

Democratic Republic of Armenia (DRA)

Although the Russian army succeeded in gaining most of Ottoman Armenia during World War I, their gains were lost with the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. At the time, Russian-controlled Eastern Armenia, Georgia, and Azerbaijan attempted to bond together in the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. This federation, however, only lasted from February to May 1918, when all three parties decided to dissolve it. As a result, Eastern Armenia became independent as the Democratic Republic of Armenia (DRA) on 28 May.

The DRA's short-lived independence was fraught with war, territorial disputes, and a mass influx of refugees from Ottoman Armenia bringing with them disease and starvation. The Entente Powers, appalled by the actions of the Ottoman government, sought to help the newly found Armenian state through relief funds and other forms of support.

At the end of the war, the victorious powers sought to divide up the Ottoman Empire. Signed between the Allied and Associated Powers and Ottoman Empire at Sèvres on 10 August 1920, the Treaty of Sèvres promised to maintain the existence of the Armenian republic and to attach the former territories of Ottoman Armenia to it. Because the new borders of Armenia were to be drawn by United States President Woodrow Wilson, Ottoman Armenia is also referred to as "Wilsonian Armenia." In addition, just days prior, on 5 August 1920, Mihran Damadian of the Armenian National Union, the de facto Armenian administration in Cilicia, declared the independence of Cilicia as an Armenian autonomous republic under French protectorate.

There was even consideration of possibly making Armenia a mandate under the protection of the United States. The treaty, however, was rejected by the Turkish National Movement, and never came into effect. The movement, under Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, used the treaty as the occasion to declare itself the rightful government of Turkey, replacing the monarchy based in Istanbul with a republic based in Ankara. In 1920, Turkish nationalist forces invaded the fledgling Armenian republic from the east and the Turkish-Armenian War began. Turkish forces under the command of Kazım Karabekir captured Armenian territories that Russia had annexed in the aftermath of the 1877–1878 Russo-Turkish War and occupied the old city of Alexandropol (present-day Gyumri). The violent conflict finally concluded with the Treaty of Alexandropol on 2 December 1920.

The treaty forced Armenia to disarm most of its military forces, cede more than 50% of its pre-war territory, and to give up all the "Wilsonian Armenia" granted to it at the Sèvres treaty. Simultaneously, the Soviet Eleventh Army, under the command of Grigoriy Ordzhonikidze, invaded Armenia at Karavansarai (present-day Ijevan) on 29 November. By 4 December, Ordzhonikidze's forces entered Yerevan and the short-lived Armenian republic collapsed.

Soviet Armenia

Armenia was annexed by Bolshevist Russia and along with Georgia and Azerbaijan, it was incorporated into the Soviet Union as part of the Transcaucasian SFSR (TSFSR) on 4 March 1922. With this annexation, the Treaty of Alexandropol was superseded by the Turkish-Soviet Treaty of Kars. In the agreement, Turkey allowed the Soviet Union to assume control over Adjara with the port city of Batumi in return for sovereignty over the cities of Kars, Ardahan, and Iğdır, all of which were part of Russian Armenia.

The TSFSR existed from 1922 to 1936, when it was divided up into three separate entities (Armenian SSR, Azerbaijan SSR, and Georgian SSR). Armenians enjoyed a period of relative stability under Soviet rule. They received medicine, food, and other provisions from Moscow, and communist rule proved to be a soothing balm in contrast to the turbulent final years of the Ottoman Empire. The situation was difficult for the church, which struggled under Soviet rule. After the death of Vladimir Lenin, Joseph Stalin took the reins of power and began an era of renewed fear and terror for Armenians. As with various other ethnic groups who lived in the Soviet Union during Stalin's Great Purge, tens of thousands of Armenians were either executed or deported.

Armenia was spared the devastation and destruction that wrought most of the western Soviet Union during the Great Patriotic War of World War II. The Nazis never reached the South Caucasus, which they intended to do in order to capture the oil fields in Azerbaijan. Still, Armenia played a valuable role in aiding the allies both through industry and agriculture. An estimated 500,000 Armenians, out of a population of 1.4 million, were mobilised. 175,000 of these men died in the war.

Fears decreased when Stalin died in 1953 and Nikita Khruschev emerged as the Soviet Union's new leader. Soon, life in Soviet Armenia began to see rapid improvement. The church which suffered greatly under Stalin was revived when Catholicos Vazgen I assumed the duties of his office in 1955. In 1967, a memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide was built at the Tsitsernakaberd hill above the Hrazdan gorge in Yerevan. This occurred after mass demonstrations took place on the tragic event's fiftieth anniversary in 1965.

During the Gorbachev era of the 1980s with the reforms of Glasnost and Perestroika, Armenians began to demand better environmental care for their country, opposing the pollution that Soviet-built factories brought. Tensions also developed between Soviet Azerbaijan and its autonomous district of Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority-Armenian region separated by Stalin from Armenia in 1923. The Armenians of Karabakh demanded unification with Soviet Armenia. Peaceful protests in Yerevan supporting the Karabakh Armenians were met with anti-Armenian pogroms in the Azerbaijani city of Sumgait. Compounding Armenia's problems was a devastating earthquake in 1988 with a moment magnitude of 7.2.

Gorbachev's inability to alleviate any of Armenia's problems created disillusionment among the Armenians and fed a growing hunger for independence. In May 1990, the New Armenian Army (NAA) was established, serving as a defence force separate from the Soviet Red Army. Clashes soon broke out between the NAA and Soviet Internal Security Forces (MVD) troops based in Yerevan when Armenians decided to commemorate the establishment of the 1918 Democratic Republic of Armenia. The violence resulted in the deaths of five Armenians killed in a shootout with the MVD at the railway station. Witnesses there claimed that the MVD used excessive force and that they had instigated the fighting.

Further firefights between Armenian militiamen and Soviet troops occurred in Sovetashen, near the capital and resulted in the deaths of over 26 people, mostly Armenians. The pogrom of Armenians in Baku in January 1990 forced almost all of the 200,000 Armenians in the Azerbaijani capital Baku to flee to Armenia. On 17 March 1991, Armenia, along with the Baltic states, Georgia and Moldova, boycotted a nationwide referendum in which 78% of all voters voted for the retention of the Soviet Union in a reformed form.

Restoration of independence

On 23 August 1990, Armenia declared independence, becoming the first non-Baltic republic to secede from the Soviet Union. When, in 1991, the Soviet Union was dissolved, Armenia's independence was officially recognized. However, the initial post-Soviet years were marred by economic difficulties as well as the break-out of a full-scale armed confrontation between the Karabakh Armenians and Azerbaijan. The economic problems had their roots early in the Karabakh conflict when the Azerbaijani Popular Front managed to pressure the Azerbaijan SSR to instigate a railway and air blockade against Armenia. This move effectively crippled Armenia's economy as 85% of its cargo and goods arrived through rail traffic. In 1993, Turkey joined the blockade against Armenia in support of Azerbaijan.

The Karabakh war ended after a Russian-brokered cease-fire was put in place in 1994. The war was a success for the Karabakh Armenian forces who managed to secure 14% of Azerbaijan's internationally recognised territory including Nagorno-Karabakh itself. Since then, Armenia and Azerbaijan have held peace talks, mediated by the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE). The status over Karabakh has yet to be determined. The economies of both countries have been hurt in the absence of a complete resolution and Armenia's borders with Turkey and Azerbaijan remain closed. By the time both Azerbaijan and Armenia had finally agreed to a ceasefire in 1994, an estimated 30,000 people had been killed and over a million had been displaced.

As it enters the 21st century, Armenia faces many hardships. Still, it has managed to make some improvements. It has made a full switch to a market economy and as of 2009, is the 31st most economically free nation in the world. Its relations with Europe, the Middle East, and the Commonwealth of Independent States have allowed Armenia to increase trade. Gas, oil, and other supplies come through two vital routes: Iran and Georgia. Armenia maintains cordial relations with both countries.

Geography

Armenia is landlocked in the South Caucasus. Located between the Black and Caspian Seas, the country is bordered on the north and east by Georgia and Azerbaijan, and on the south and west by Iran and Turkey.

Location

Armenia lies between latitudes 38° and 42° N, and meridians 43° and 47° E.

Topography

The Republic of Armenia, covering an area of , is located in the north-east of the Armenian Highland. The terrain is mostly mountainous, with fast flowing rivers and few forests. The climate is highland continental, which means that the country is subjected to hot summers and cold winters. The land rises to above sea-level at Mount Aragats, and no point is below above sea level.

Mount Ararat, which was historically part of Armenia, is the highest mountain in the region. Now located in Turkey, but clearly visible in Armenia, it is regarded by the Armenians as a symbol of their land. Because of this, the mountain is present on the Armenian national emblem today.

Environment

Armenia has established a Ministry of Nature Protection and introduced taxes for air and water pollution and solid waste disposal, whose revenues are used for environmental protection activities. Waste management in Armenia is underdeveloped as no waste sorting or recycling takes place at Armenia's 60 landfills.

Despite the availability of abundant renewable energy sources in Armenia (especially hydroelectric and wind power) the Armenian Government is working toward building a new Nuclear Power Plant at Medzamor near Yerevan.

Climate

The climate in Armenia is markedly continental. Summers are dry and sunny, lasting from June to mid-September. The temperature fluctuates between . However, the low humidity level mitigates the effect of high temperatures. Evening breezes blowing down the mountains provide a welcome refreshing and cooling effect. Springs are short, while falls are long. Autumns are known for their vibrant and colorful foliage.

Winters are quite cold with plenty of snow, with temperatures ranging between . Winter sports enthusiasts enjoy skiing down the hills of Tsakhkadzor, located thirty minutes outside Yerevan. Lake Sevan, nestled up in the Armenian highlands, is the second largest lake in the world relative to its altitude, at above sea level.

Government and politics

Politics of Armenia takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic republic. According to the Constitution of Armenia, the President is the head of government and of a multi-party system. Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament. The unicameral parliament (also called the Azgayin Zhoghov or ''National Assembly'') is controlled by a coalition of four political parties: the conservative Republican party, the Prosperous Armenia party, the Rule of Law party and the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The main opposition party is Raffi Hovannisian's Heritage party, which favors eventual Armenian membership in the European Union and NATO.

The Armenian government's stated aim is to build a Western-style parliamentary democracy as the basis of its form of government. It has universal suffrage above the age of eighteen. International observers of Council of Europe and U.S. Department of State have questioned the fairness of Armenia's parliamentary and presidential elections and constitutional referendum since 1995, citing polling deficiencies, lack of cooperation by the Electoral Commission, and poor maintenance of electoral lists and polling places. Freedom House categorized Armenia in its 2008 report as a "Semi-consolidated Authoritarian Regime" (along with Moldova, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia) and ranked Armenia 20th among 29 nations in transition, with a Democracy Score of 5.21 out of 7 (7 represents the lowest democratic progress).

Since 1999, Freedom House's Democracy Score for Armenia has been steadily on the decline (from 4.79 to 5.21). Furthermore, Freedom House ranked Armenia as "partly free" in its 2007 report, though it did not categorise Armenia as an "electoral democracy", indicating an absence of relatively free and competitive elections. However, significant progress seems to have been made and the 2008 Armenian presidential election was hailed as largely democratic by OSCE and Western monitors.

Foreign relations

Armenia presently maintains good relations with almost every country in the world, with two major exceptions being its immediate neighbours, Turkey and Azerbaijan. Tensions were running high between Armenians and Azerbaijanis during the final years of the Soviet Union. The Nagorno-Karabakh War dominated the region's politics throughout the 1990s. The border between the two rival countries remains closed up to this day, and a permanent solution for the conflict has not been reached despite the mediation provided by organisations such as the OSCE.

Turkey also has a long history of poor relations with Armenia over its refusal to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. Turkey was one of the first countries to recognize the Republic of Armenia (the 3rd republic) after its independence from the USSR in 1991. Despite this, for most of the 20th century and early 21st century, relations remain tense and there are no formal diplomatic relations between the two countries due to Turkey's refusal to establish them for numerous reasons. During the Karabakh conflict and bringing it as the reason, Turkey closed its land border with Armenia in 1993. It has not lifted its blockade despite pressure from the powerful Turkish business lobby interested in Armenian markets. Since 2005, however, the Armenian airline company Armavia regularly flies between the Zvartnots International Airport of Yerevan and Atatürk International Airport of Istanbul.

On 10 October 2009, Armenia and Turkey signed protocols on normalisation of relationships, which set a timetable for restoring diplomatic ties and reopening their joint border. The ratification of those had to be made in the national parliaments. In Armenia it passed through the required by legislation approval of the Constitutional Court and was sent to the parliament for the final ratification. The President had publicly announced for multiple times both, abroad and in Armenia, that as the leader of the political majority of Armenia he assures the ratification of the protocols if Turkey has it done. Despite this, the process stopped, as Turkey continuously added more preconditions to its ratification and also "delayed it beyond any reasonable time-period". Due to its position between two unfriendly neighbours, Armenia has close security ties with Russia. At the request of the Armenian government, Russia maintains a military base in the northwestern Armenian city of Gyumri as a deterrent against Turkey. Despite this, Armenia has also been looking toward Euro-Atlantic structures in recent years. It maintains good relations with the United States especially through its Armenian diaspora. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, there are 427,822 Armenians living in the country.

Because of the blockades by Azerbaijan and Turkey, Armenia continues to maintain solid relations with its southern neighbor Iran especially in the economic sector. Economic projects such a gas pipeline going from Iran to Armenia are in time being developed.

Armenia is also a member of the Council of Europe, maintaining friendly relations with the European Union, especially with its member states such as France and Greece. A 2005 survey reported that 64% of Armenia's population would be in favor of joining the EU. Several Armenian officials have also expressed the desire for their country to eventually become an EU member state, some predicting that it will make an official bid for membership in a few years.

Human rights

Human rights in Armenia are better than those in most former Soviet republics and have drawn closer to acceptable standards, especially economically. Still, there are several considerable problems. Overall, Armenia's human rights record is similar to that of Georgia's. Armenia has been labeled as "partly free" by Freedom House.

Military

The Armenian Army, Air Force, Air Defence, and Border Guard comprise the four branches of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia. The Armenian military was formed after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 and with the establishment of the Ministry of Defence in 1992. The Commander-in-Chief of the military is the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan. The Ministry of Defence is in charge of political leadership, currently headed by Colonel-General Mikael Harutyunyan, while military command remains in the hands of the General Staff, headed by the Chief of Staff, who is currently Lieutenant-General Seyran Ohanian.

Active forces now number about 81,000 soldiers, with an additional reserve of 32,000 troops. Armenian border guards are in charge of patrolling the country's borders with Georgia and Azerbaijan, while Russian troops continue to monitor its borders with Iran and Turkey. In the case of an attack, Armenia is able to mobilise every able-bodied man between the age of 15 and 59, with military preparedness.

The Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe, which establishes comprehensive limits on key categories of military equipment, was ratified by the Armenian parliament in July 1992. In March 1993, Armenia signed the multilateral Chemical Weapons Convention, which calls for the eventual elimination of chemical weapons. Armenia acceded to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a non-nuclear weapons state in July 1993.

Armenia is member of Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) along with Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. It participates in NATO's Partnership for Peace (PiP) program and is in a NATO organisation called Euro-Atlantic Partnership Council (EAPC). Armenia has engaged in a peacekeeping mission in Kosovo as part of non-NATO KFOR troops under Greek command. Armenia also had 46 members of its military peacekeeping forces as a part of the Coalition Forces in Iraq War until October 2008.

Administrative divisions

Armenia is divided into ten provinces (''marzer'', singular ''marz''), with the city (''kaghak'') 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.

Within each province are communities (''hamaynkner'', singular ''hamaynk''). Each community is self-governing and consists of one or more settlements (''bnakavayrer'', singular ''bnakavayr''). Settlements are classified as either towns (''kaghakner'', singular ''kaghak'') or villages (''gyugher'', singular ''gyugh''). As of 2007, Armenia includes 915 communities, of which 49 are considered urban and 866 are considered rural. The capital, Yerevan, also has the status of a community. Additionally, Yerevan is divided into twelve semi-autonomous districts.

Economy

According to Forbes magazine Armenia had the second worst economy in the world in 2011.

The economy relies heavily on investment and support from Armenians abroad. Before independence, Armenia's economy was largely industry-based – chemicals, electronics, machinery, processed food, synthetic rubber, and textile – and highly dependent on outside resources. The republic had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy. Agriculture accounted for less than 20% of both net material product and total employment before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. After independence, the importance of agriculture in the economy increased markedly, its share at the end of the 1990s rising to more than 30% of GDP and more than 40% of total employment. This increase in the importance of agriculture was attributable to food security needs of the population in the face of uncertainty during the first phases of transition and the collapse of the non-agricultural sectors of the economy in the early 1990s. As the economic situation stabilized and growth resumed, the share of agriculture in GDP dropped to slightly over 20% (2006 data), although the share of agriculture in employment remained more than 40%.

Armenian mines produce copper, zinc, gold, and lead. The vast majority of energy is produced with fuel imported from Russia, including gas and nuclear fuel (for its one nuclear power plant); the main domestic energy source is hydroelectric. Small deposits of coal, gas, and petroleum exist but have not yet been developed.

Like other newly independent states of the former Soviet Union, Armenia's economy suffers from the legacy of a centrally planned economy and the breakdown of former Soviet trading patterns. Soviet investment in and support of Armenian industry has virtually disappeared, so that few major enterprises are still able to function. In addition, the effects of the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, which killed more than 25,000 people and made 500,000 homeless, are still being felt. The conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh has not been resolved. The closure of Azerbaijani and Turkish borders has devastated the economy, because Armenia depends on outside supplies of energy and most raw materials. Land routes through Georgia and Iran are inadequate or unreliable. GDP fell nearly 60% between 1989 and 1993, but then resumed robust growth. The national currency, the dram, suffered hyperinflation for the first years after its introduction in 1993.

Nevertheless, the government was able to make wide-ranging economic reforms that paid off in dramatically lower inflation and steady growth. The 1994 cease-fire in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict has also helped the economy. Armenia has had strong economic growth since 1995, building on the turnaround that began the previous year, and inflation has been negligible for the past several years. New sectors, such as precious stone processing and jewellery making, information and communication technology, and even tourism are beginning to supplement more traditional sectors of the economy, such as agriculture.

This steady economic progress has earned Armenia increasing support from international institutions. The International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), and other international financial institutions (IFIs) and foreign countries are extending considerable grants and loans. Loans to Armenia since 1993 exceed $1.1 billion. These loans are targeted at reducing the budget deficit and stabilizing the currency; developing private businesses; energy; agriculture; food processing; transportation; the health and education sectors; and ongoing rehabilitation in the earthquake zone. The government joined the World Trade Organization on 5 February 2003. But one of the main sources of foreign direct investments remains the Armenian diaspora, which finances major parts of the reconstruction of infrastructure and other public projects. Being a growing democratic state, Armenia also hopes to get more financial aid from the Western World.

A liberal foreign investment law was approved in June 1994, and a law on privatisation was adopted in 1997, as well as a program of state property privatisation. Continued progress will depend on the ability of the government to strengthen its macroeconomic management, including increasing revenue collection, improving the investment climate, and making strides against corruption. However, unemployment, which currently stands at around 15%, still remains a major problem due to the influx of thousands of refugees from the Karabakh conflict.

Armenia ranked 78th on the 2010 UNDP Human Development Index, the lowest among the Transcaucasian republics. In the 2007 Transparency International Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI), Armenia ranked 99 of 179 countries. In the 2008 Index of Economic Freedom, Armenia ranked 28th, ahead of countries like Austria, France, Portugal and Italy.

Demographics

Armenia has a population of 3,238,000 (2008 est.) and is the second most densely populated of the former Soviet republics. There has been a problem of population decline due to elevated levels of emigration after the break-up of the USSR. The steady outflow of Armenia's population, fueled by a prolonged economic slump is already causing existential concerns in the country.

Cities

Diaspora

Armenia has a relatively large diaspora (8 million by some estimates, greatly exceeding the 3 million population of Armenia itself), with communities existing across the globe. The largest Armenian communities outside of Armenia can be found in Russia, France, Iran, the United States, Georgia, Syria, Lebanon, Argentina, Australia, Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Poland and Ukraine. 40,000 to 70,000 Armenians still live in Turkey (mostly in and around Istanbul).

Also, about 1,000 Armenians reside in the Armenian Quarter in the Old City of Jerusalem in Israel, a remnant of a once-larger community. Italy is home to the San Lazzaro degli Armeni, an island located in the Venetian Lagoon, which is completely occupied by a monastery run by the Mechitarists, an Armenian Catholic congregation. In addition, approximately 139,000 Armenians live in the de facto country of Nagorno-Karabakh where they form a majority.

Ethnic groups

Ethnic Armenians make up 97.9% of the population. Yazidis make up 1.3%, and Russians 0.5%. Other minorities include Assyrians, Ukrainians, Greeks, Kurds, Georgians, and Belarusians. There are also smaller communities of Vlachs, Mordvins, Ossetians, Udis, and Tats. Minorities of Poles and Caucasus Germans also exist though they are heavily Russified.

During the Soviet era, Azerbaijanis were historically the second largest population in the country (forming about 2.5% in 1989). However, due to the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh virtually all of them emigrated from Armenia to Azerbaijan. Conversely, Armenia received a large influx of Armenian refugees from Azerbaijan, thus giving Armenia a more homogeneous character.

Languages

Armenian is the only official language even though Russian is widely used, especially in education, and could be considered as ''de facto'' "second language". 94% of adult Armenians consider it important that their children learn Russian.

Health

Life expectancy at birth was at 70 for males and at 76 for females in 2006. Health expenditure was at about 5.6 % of the GDP in 2004. Most of this was outside the private sector. Government expenditure on health was at US$ 112 per person in 2006.

Religion

Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity as a state religion, an event traditionally dated to AD 301.

The predominant religion in Armenia is Christianity. The roots of the Armenian Church go back to the 1st century. According to tradition, the Armenian Church was founded by two of Jesus' twelve apostles – Thaddaeus and Bartholomew – who preached Christianity in Armenia between AD 40–60. Because of these two founding apostles, the official name of the Armenian Church is Armenian Apostolic Church.

Over 93% of Armenian Christians belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, a form of Oriental (Non-Chalcedonian) Orthodoxy, which is a very ritualistic, conservative church, roughly comparable to the Coptic and Syriac churches. Armenian Apostolic Church is in communion only with a group of churches within Oriental Orthodoxy.

Other religious denominations in Armenia are the Baptists and Presbyterians.

Catholics also exist in Armenia, both Latin rite and Mekhitarist Catholics. The Mechitarists (also spelled "Mekhitarists" ), are a congregation of Benedictine monks of the Armenian Catholic Church founded in 1712 by Mechitar of Sebaste. They are best known for their series of scholarly publications of ancient Armenian versions of otherwise lost ancient Greek texts.

The Armenian Catholic denomination is headquartered in Bzoummar, Lebanon.

The Yazidi Kurds, who live in the western part of the country, practice Yazidism. There are also non-Yazidi Kurds who practice Sunni Islam.. There is a Jewish community in Armenia diminished to 750 persons since independence with most emigrants leaving for Israel. There are currently two synagogues in Armenia – in the capital, Yerevan, and in the city of Sevan located near Lake Sevan.

Education

In its first years of independence, Armenia made uneven progress in establishing systems to meet its national requirements in social services. Education, held in particular esteem in Armenian culture, changed fastest of the social services, while health and welfare services attempted to maintain the basic state-planned structure of the Soviet era.

A literacy rate of 100% was reported as early as 1960. In the communist era, Armenian education followed the standard Soviet model of complete state control (from Moscow) of curricula and teaching methods and close integration of education activities with other aspects of society, such as politics, culture, and the economy. As in the Soviet period, primary and secondary education in Armenia is free, and completion of secondary school is compulsory.

In the 1988–89 school year, 301 students per 10,000 population were in specialized secondary or higher education, a figure slightly lower than the Soviet average. In 1989 some 58 % of Armenians over age fifteen had completed their secondary education, and 14 % had a higher education. In the 1990–91 school year, the estimated 1,307 primary and secondary schools were attended by 608,800 students. Another seventy specialized secondary institutions had 45,900 students, and 68,400 students were enrolled in a total of ten postsecondary institutions that included universities. In addition, 35 % of eligible children attended preschools. In 1992 Armenia's largest institution of higher learning, Yerevan State University, had eighteen departments, including ones for social sciences, sciences, and law. Its faculty numbered about 1,300 teachers and its student population about 10,000 students. The Yerevan Architecture and Civil Engineering Institute was founded in 1989.

In the early 1990s, Armenia made substantial changes to the centralized and regimented Soviet system. Because at least 98 % of students in higher education were Armenian, curricula began to emphasize Armenian history and culture. Armenian became the dominant language of instruction, and many schools that had taught in Russian closed by the end of 1991. Russian was still widely taught, however, as a second language.

On the basis of the expansion and development of Yerevan State University a number of higher educational independent Institutions were formed including Medical Institute separated in 1930 which was set up on the basis of medical faculty. In 1980 Yerevan State Medical University was awarded one of the main rewards of the former USSR – the Order of Labor red Banner for training qualified specialists in health care and valuable service in the development of Medical Science. In 1995 YSMI was renamed to YSMU and since 1989 it has been named after Mkhitar Heratsi, the famous medieval doctor. Mkhitar Heratsi was the founder of Armenian Medical school in Cilician Armenia. The great doctor played the same role in Armenian Medical Science as Hippocrates in Western, Galen in Roman, Ibn Sīnā in Arabic medicine.

Foreign students' department for Armenian Diaspora established in 1957 later was enlarged and the enrollment of foreign students began. Nowadays the YSMU is a Medical Institution corresponding to international requirements, trains medical staff not only for Armenia and neighbor countries, i.e. Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Georgia but for many other leading countries all over the world. A great number of foreign students from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, the USA and Russian Federation study together with Armenian students. Nowadays the university is ranked among famous higher Medical Institutions and takes its honorable place in the World Directory of Medical schools published by the WHO.

Other schools in Armenia include the American University of Armenia and the QSI International School of Yerevan. The American University of Armenia has graduate programs in Business and Law, among others. The institution owes its existence to the combined efforts of the Government of Armenia, the Armenian General Benevolent Union, U.S. Agency for International Development, and the University of California. The extension programs and the library at AUA form a new focal point for English-language intellectual life in the city.

Culture

Armenians have their own distinctive alphabet and language. The alphabet was invented in AD 405 by Saint Mesrob Mashtots and consists of thirty-eight letters, two of which were added during the Cilician period. 96% of the people in the country speak Armenian, while 75.8% of the population additionally speaks Russian although English is becoming increasingly popular.

Music and Dance

Armenian music is a mix of indigenous folk music, perhaps best-represented by Djivan Gasparyan's well-known duduk music, as well as light pop, and extensive Christian music.

Instruments like the duduk, the dhol, the zurna and the kanun are commonly found in Armenian folk music. Artists such as Sayat Nova are famous due to their influence in the development of Armenian folk music. One of the oldest types of Armenian music is the Armenian chant which is the most common kind of religious music in Armenia. Many of these chants are ancient in origin, extending to pre-Christian times, while others are relatively modern, including several composed by Saint Mesrop Mashtots, the inventor of the Armenian alphabet. Whilst under Soviet rule, Armenian classical music composer Aram Khatchaturian became internationally well known for his music, for various ballets and the Sabre Dance from his composition for the ballet Gayane.

The Armenian Genocide caused widespread emigration that led to the settlement of Armenians in various countries in the world. Armenians kept to their traditions and certain diasporans rose to fame with their music. In the post-Genocide Armenian community of the United States, the so called "kef" style Armenian dance music, using Armenian and Middle Eastern folk instruments (often electrified/amplified) and some western instruments, was popular. This style preserved the folk songs and dances of Western Armenia, and many artists also played the contemporary popular songs of Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries from which the Armenians emigrated. Richard Hagopian is perhaps the most famous artist of the traditional "kef" style and the Vosbikian Band was notable in the 40s and 50s for developing their own style of "kef music" heavily influenced by the popular American Big Band Jazz of the time. Later, stemming from the Middle Eastern Armenian diaspora and influenced by Continental European (especially French) pop music, the Armenian pop music genre grew to fame in the 60s and 70s with artists such as Adiss Harmandian and Harout Pamboukjian performing to the Armenian diaspora and Armenia. Also with artists such as Sirusho, performing pop music combined with Armenian folk music in today's entertainment industry. Other Armenian diasporans that rose to fame in classical or international music circles are world renown French-Armenian singer and composer Charles Aznavour, pianist Sahan Arzruni, prominent opera sopranos such as Hasmik Papian and more recently Isabel Bayrakdarian and Anna Kasyan. Certain Armenians settled to sing non-Armenian tunes such as the heavy metal band System of a Down (which nonetheless often incorporates traditional Armenian instrumentals and styling into their songs) or pop star Cher. In the Armenian diaspora, Armenian revolutionary songs are popular with the youth. These songs encourage Armenian patriotism and are generally about Armenian history and national heroes.

Art

Yerevan's Vernisage (arts and crafts market), close to Republic Square, bustles with hundreds of vendors selling a variety of crafts on weekends and Wednesdays (though the selection is much reduced mid-week). The market offers woodcarving, antiques, fine lace, and the hand-knotted wool carpets and kilims that are a Caucasus specialty. Obsidian, which is found locally, is crafted into assortment of jewellery and ornamental objects. Armenian gold smithery enjoys a long tradition, populating one corner of the market with a selection of gold items. Soviet relics and souvenirs of recent Russian manufacture—nesting dolls, watches, enamel boxes and so on, are also available at the Vernisage.

Across from the Opera House, a popular art market fills another city park on the weekends. Armenia’s long history as a crossroads of the ancient world has resulted in a landscape with innumerable fascinating archaeological sites to explore. Medieval, Iron Age, Bronze Age and even Stone Age sites are all within a few hours drive from the city. All but the most spectacular remain virtually undiscovered, allowing visitors to view churches and fortresses in their original settings.

The National Art Gallery in Yerevan has more than 16,000 works that date back to the Middle Ages, which indicate Armenia's rich tales and stories of the times. It houses paintings by many European masters as well. The Modern Art Museum, the Children’s Picture Gallery, and the Martiros Saryan Museum are only a few of the other noteworthy collections of fine art on display in Yerevan. Moreover, many private galleries are in operation, with many more opening every year, featuring rotating exhibitions and sales.

Sport

A wide array of sports are played in Armenia, the most popular among them being wrestling, weightlifting, judo, soccer, chess, and boxing. Armenia's mountainous terrain provides great opportunities for the practice of sports like skiing and climbing. Being a landlocked country, water sports can only be practiced on lakes, notably Lake Sevan. Competitively, Armenia has been successful in chess, weightlifting and wrestling at the international level. Armenia is also an active member of the international sports community, with full membership in the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). It also hosts the Pan-Armenian Games.

Prior to 1992, Armenians would participate in the Olympics representing the USSR. As part of the Soviet Union, Armenia was very successful, winning plenty of medals and helping the USSR win the medal standings at the Olympics on numerous occasions. The first medal won by an Armenian in modern Olympic history was by Hrant Shahinian (sometimes spelled as Grant Shaginian), who won two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. To highlight the level of success of Armenians in the Olympics, Shahinian was quoted as saying:

“ Armenian sportsmen had to outdo their opponents by several notches for the shot at being accepted into any Soviet team. But those difficulties notwithstanding, 90 percent of Armenians athletes on Soviet Olympic teams came back with medals."

Armenia first participated at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona under a unified CIS team, where it was very successful, winning three golds and one silver in weightlifting, wrestling and sharp shooting, despite only having 5 athletes. Since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Armenia has participated as an independent nation.

Armenia participates in the Summer Olympic Games in boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, gymnastics, track and field, diving, swimming and sharp shooting. It also participates in the Winter Olympic Games in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and figure skating.

Football is also popular in Armenia. The most successful team was the FC Ararat Yerevan team of the 1970s who won the Soviet Cup in 1973 and 1975 and the Soviet Top League in 1973. The latter achievement saw FC Ararat gain entry to the European Cup where - despite a home victory in the second leg - they lost on aggregate at the quarter final stage to eventual winner FC Bayern Munich. Armenia competed internationally as part of the USSR national football team until the Armenian national football team was formed in 1992 after the split of the Soviet Union. Armenia have never qualified for a major tournament although recent improvements saw the team achieve their highest ever position in the FIFA World Rankings in November 2010. The national team is controlled by the Football Federation of Armenia. The Armenian Premier League is the highest level football competition in Armenia, and has been dominated by FC Pyunik in recent seasons. The league currently consists of eight teams and relegates to the Armenian First League.

Armenia and the Armenian diaspora have produced many successful footballers, including Youri Djorkaeff, Alain Boghossian, Andranik Eskandarian, Andranik Teymourian, Edgar Manucharyan and Nikita Simonyan. Djokaeff and Boghossian won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France, Andranik Teymourian competed in the 2006 World Cup for Iran and Edgar Manucharyan played in the Dutch Eredivisie for Ajax.

Wrestling has been a successful sport in the Olympics for Armenia. At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Armen Nazaryan won the gold in the Men's Greco-Roman Flyweight (52 kg) category and Armen Mkertchian won the silver in Men's Freestyle Paperweight (48 kg) category, securing Armenia's first two medals in its Olympic history.

Traditional Armenian wrestling is called Kokh and practiced in traditional garb; it was one of the influences included in the Soviet combat sport of Sambo, which is also very popular.

The government of Armenia budgets about $2.8 million annually for sports and gives it to the National Committee of Physical Education and Sports, the body that determines which programs should benefit from the funds.

Due to the lack of success lately on the international level, in recent years, Armenia has rebuilt 16 Soviet-era sports schools and furnished them with new equipment for a total cost of $1.9 million. The rebuilding of the regional schools was financed by the Armenian government. $9.3 million has been invested in the resort town of Tsaghkadzor to improve the winter sports infrastructure because of dismal performances at recent winter sports events. In 2005, a cycling center was opened in Yerevan with the aim of helping produce world class Armenian cyclists. The government has also promised a cash reward of $700,000 to Armenians who win a gold medal at the Olympics.

Armenia was very successful in chess, having won the World Chess Olympiad twice in a row.

See also

Republic of Mountainous Armenia

Russian Armenia

References

External links

; Government

Government of Armenia

The Judiciary of Armenia

Armenian Nuclear Regulatory Authority

Armenian Customs Service

Central Electoral Commission

Chief of State and Cabinet Members

; General information

Armenia at ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''

; Travel

Armeniainfo.am ''official government Tourist Board''

Zvartnots International Airport

; Other

Armeniapedia.org – Armenian wiki (primarily English)

Central Bank of Armenia

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Category:Western Asian countries Category:European countries Category:Bicontinental countries Category:Russian-speaking countries and territories Category:Caucasus Category:Western Asia Category:Near Eastern countries Category:Landlocked countries Category:Republics Category:States and territories established in 1991 Category:Member states of the Commonwealth of Independent States Category:Member states of the United Nations

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Coordinates	12°58′0″N77°34′0″N
Official name	Yerevan
Native name	Երևան
Native name lang	hy
Image seal	Yerevan seal.png
Pushpin map	Armenia
Map caption	Location of Yerevan in Armenia
Coordinates region	AM
Subdivision type	Country
Subdivision name
Established title	Established
Established date	782 BC
Leader title	Mayor
Leader name	Karen Karapetyan
Area total km2	227
Population as of	2009
Population total	1,111,300
Population metro	1,245,700
Population density km2	4896
Timezone	GMT+4
Utc offset	+4
Timezone dst	GMT+5
Utc offset dst	+5
Area code	+374 10
Elevation m	989.4
Website	www.yerevan.am
Footnotes	Sources: Yerevan city area Sources: City population }}

Yerevan (, ) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously-inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country. It has been the capital since 1918, the thirteenth in the history of Armenia.

The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC by king Argishti I at the western extreme of the Ararat plain. After World War I, Yerevan became the capital of the Democratic Republic of Armenia as thousands of survivors of the Armenian Genocide settled in the area. The city expanded rapidly during the 20th century as Armenia became one of the fifteen republics in the Soviet Union. In fifty years, Yerevan was transformed from a town of a few thousand residents within the Russian Empire, to Armenia's principal cultural, artistic, and industrial center, as well as becoming the seat of national government.

With the growth of the economy of the country, Yerevan has been undergoing major transformation as many parts of the city have been the recipient of new construction since the early 2000s, and retail outlets such as restaurants, shops and street cafes, which were rare during Soviet times, have multiplied.

In 2009, the population of Yerevan was estimated to be 1,111,300 people with the agglomeration around the city regrouping 1,245,700 people (2007 official estimate), more than a third of all the population of Armenia.

Yerevan was named the 2012 World Book Capital by UNESCO.

Etymology and symbols

One theory regarding the origin of Yerevan's name is the city was named after the Armenian king, Yervand IV (the Last), the last leader of the Orontid Dynasty, and founder of the city of Yervandashat. However, it is likely that the city's name is derived from the Urartian military fortress of Erebuni (Էրեբունի), which was founded on the territory of modern-day Yerevan in 782 BC by Argishti I. As elements of the Urartian language blended with that of the Armenian one, the name eventually evolved into ''Yerevan'' (Erebuni = Erevani = Erevan = Yerevan). Scholar Margarit Israelyan notes these changes when comparing inscriptions found on two cuneiform tablets at Erebuni:

Israelyan, Margarit A. ''Էրեբունի: Բերդ-Քաղաքի Պատմություն'' (''Erebuni: The History of a Fortress-City''). Yerevan, Armenian SSR: Hayastan Publishing Press, 1971, p. 137.}}

Early Christian Armenian chroniclers attributed the origin of the name, "Yerevan," to a derivation from an expression exclaimed by Noah, in Armenian. While looking in the direction of Yerevan, after the ark had landed on Mount Ararat and the flood waters had receded, Noah is believed to have exclaimed, "Yerevats!" ("it appeared!").

In Armenian manuscripts, Yerevan was also mentioned as Erevan, Erewan, Ervan, Eruan, Arevan, Iravan (''Irevan''), Revan and Ayravan.

However, the predominant former names of the city are Erebuni and Erevan.

The principal symbol of Yerevan is Mount Ararat, which is visible from any area in the capital. The seal of the city is a crowned lion on a pedestal with the inscription "Yerevan." The lion's head is turned backwards while it holds a scepter using the right front leg, the attribute of power and royalty. The symbol of eternity is on the breast of the lion with a picture of Ararat in the upper part. The emblem is a rectangular shield with a blue border.

On 27 September 2004, Yerevan adopted a hymn, "Erebuni-Yerevan", written by Paruyr Sevak and composed by Edgar Hovhanissian. It was selected in a competition for a new hymn and new flag that would best represent the city. The chosen flag has a white background with the city's seal in the middle, surrounded by twelve small red triangles that symbolize the twelve historic capitals of Armenia. The flag includes the three colours of the Armenian National flag. The lion is portrayed on the orange background with blue edging.

History

Early history

The ancient kingdom of Van (Ararat or Urartu or Biainili), was formed in the 9th century BC in the basin of Lake Van of the Armenian Highland, including the territory of modern-day Yerevan. King Arame was the founder of the state which was one of the most developed states of its age.

However, the territory of Yerevan-Erebuni was settled in the fourth millennium B.C., fortified settlements from the Bronze Age include Shengavit, Tsitsernakaberd, Teishebaini, Arin Berd, Karmir Berd and Berdadzor. Archaeological evidence, such as a cuneiform inscription, indicates that the Urartian military fortress of ''Erebuni'' (Էրեբունի) was founded in 782 BC (29 years earlier than Rome) by the orders of King Argishti I at the site of current-day Yerevan, to serve as a fort and citadel guarding against attacks from the north Caucasus. Yerevan, as mentioned, is one of the most ancient cities in the world.

The cuneiform inscription found at Erebuni Fortress reads:

Between the sixth and fourth centuries BC, Yerevan was one of the main centers of the Armenian satrapy of the Achaemenid Empire. During the height of Urartian power, irrigation canals and an artificial reservoir were built on Yerevan's territory. In 585 BC, the fortress of Teishebaini (Karmir Blur), thirty miles to the north of Yerevan, was destroyed by an alliance of Medes and the Scythians.

Due to the absence of historical data, the timespan between the fourth century BC and the third century AD is known as the "Yerevan Dark Ages."

Armenia became a Christian nation in 301. The first church in Yerevan; the church of St. Peter and Paul, was built in the fifth century, and was demolished in 1931 to build a cinema hall. The Tsiranavor Church (595-602) of Avan district which was partly damaged in the 1679 earthquake, is the city's oldest surviving church.

Arab, Persian and Ottoman rule

In 658 AD, Yerevan was conquered, during the height of Arab invasions. Since then, and as a result of the Arab trade activities, the site has been strategically important as a crossroads for the Arab caravan routes passing between Europe and India through lands controlled by the Arabs. It has been known as "Yerevan" since at least the seventh century AD. Between the ninth and eleventh centuries, Yerevan was a secure part of the Armenian Bagratuni Kingdom, before being overrun by Seljuks. The city was seized and pillaged by Tamerlane in 1387 and subsequently became an administrative center of the Ilkhanate. Due to its strategic significance, Yerevan was constantly fought over, and passed back and forth, between the dominion of Persia and the Ottomans.

At the height of the Turkish-Persian wars, Yerevan changed hands fourteen times between 1513 and 1737. In 1604, under the order of Shah Abbas I, tens of thousands of Armenians including citizens from Yerevan were deported to Persia. As a consequence, population became 80 percent Muslim (Persians, Turco, Kurds) and 20 percent Armenian. Muslims were either sedentary, semi-sedentary, or nomadic. Armenians lived in Erevan or the villages. The Armenians dominated the various professions and trade in the area and were of great economic significance to the Persian administration. The Ottomans, Safavids, and Ilkhanids, all maintained a mint in Yerevan. During the 1670s, the Frenchman Jean Chardin visited Yerevan and gave a description of the city in his ''Travels of Cavalier Chardin in Transcaucasia in 1672-1673''. On 7 June 1679, a devastating earthquake razed the city to the ground. During the Safavid Dynasty rule, Yerevan and adjacent territories were part of the Čoḵūr Saʿd administrative territory. This lasted until 1828, when the region was incorporated into Russian Empire.

Russian rule

During the second Russian-Persian war, Yerevan was captured by Russian troops under general Ivan Paskevich on 1 October 1827. It was formally ceded by the Persians in 1828, following the Treaty of Turkmenchay. Tsarist Russia sponsored Armenian resettlement from Persia and Turkey. Due to the resettlement, Armenians' share in city population increased from 28% to 53.8%. The resettlement was intended to create Russian power bridgehead in the Middle East. In 1829, Armenian repatriates from Persia were resettled in the city and a new quarter was built.

Yerevan has served as the seat of the newly-formed Armenian Oblast between 1828-1840. By the time of Nicholas I's visit in 1837, Yerevan had become an uyezd. In 1840, the Armenian Oblast was dissolved and its territory incorporated into a larger new province; the Georgia-Imeretia Governorate. In 1850 the territory of the former oblast was tuned into reorganized into the Erivan Governorate. Yerevan was the centre of the newly established governorate until 1917, when Erivan governorate was dissolved.

Yerevan began to grow economically and politically, with old buildings torn down and new buildings in European style erected instead. The first general plan of the city was made in 1854, during which, St. Hripsime and St. Gayane women's colleges were opened and the English Park was founded. In 1874, Zacharia Gevorkian opened Yerevan's first printing house and in 1879 the first theatre, sited near the church of St. Peter and Paul, was established.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Yerevan city's population was over 29,000, of which 49% were Azerbaijani Tatars (today referred to as Azerbaijanis), 48% Armenians and 2% Russians. In 1902, a railway line linked Yerevan with Alexandropol, Tiflis and Julfa. In the same year, Yerevan's first public library was opened. In 1905, the grandnephew of Napoleon I; prince Louis Joseph Jérôme Napoléon (1864–1932) was appointed as governor of Erivan province.

In 1913, for the first time in the city, a telephone line with eighty subscribers became operational.

Brief independence (1917–1920)

At the start of the 20th century, Yerevan was a small town with a population of 30,000. In 1917, the Russian Empire ended with the October Revolution. In the aftermath, Armenian, Georgian and Muslim leaders of Transcaucasia united to form the Transcaucasian Federation and proclaimed Transcaucasia's secession.

The Federation, however, was short-lived and on 28 May 1918, the Dashnak leader Aram Manougian declared the independence of Armenia. Subsequently, Yerevan became the capital and the centre of the newly-independent Democratic Republic of Armenia, although the members of the Armenian National Council were yet to stay in Tiflis until their arrival in Yerevan to form the government in the summer of the same year.

On 26 May 1919, the government passed a law to open the Yerevan State University, which was situated on the main street of Yerevan, the Astafyan (now Abovyan) street.

However, after a short period of independence, on 29 November 1920, the Bolshevik 11th Red Army entered Yerevan during the Russian Civil War, on 29 November 1920, and Armenia was incorporated into the Soviet Union on 2 December 1920. Although nationalist forces managed to retake the city in February 1921, and successfully released all the political leaders, the city's nationalist elite were once again defeated by Soviet forces on 2 April 1921.

Soviet Yerevan

Yerevan became the capital of the newly formed Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, one of the fifteen republics of the Soviet Union. Yerevan was the first city in the Soviet Union, for which a general plan was developed. The "General Plan of Yerevan" was developed by the academician Alexander Tamanyan which was approved in 1924. The plan was designed for a population of 150,000.

During the Soviet era the city was transformed into a modern industrial metropolis of over a million people, to become a significant scientific and cultural centre.

Tamanian incorporated national traditions with contemporary urban construction. His design presented a radial-circular arrangement that overlaid the existing city. As a result, many historic buildings were demolished, including churches, mosques, the Persian fortress, baths, bazaars and caravanserais. Many of the surrounding districts around Yerevan were named after former Armenian communities that were decimated by the Ottoman Turks during the Armenian Genocide. The districts of Arabkir, Malatya-Sebastia and Nork Marash, for example, were named after the towns Arabkir, Malatya, Sebastia, and Marash, respectively. Following the end of the World War II, German POWs were used to help in the construction of new buildings and structures, such as the Kievyan Bridge.

In 1965, during the commemoration of the fiftieth anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Yerevan was the center of a demonstration, the first such demonstration in the Soviet Union, to demand recognition of the Genocide by the Soviet authorities. In 1968, the city's 2,750th anniversary was commemorated.

Yerevan played a key role in the Armenian national democratic movement that emerged during the Gorbachev era of the 1980s. The reforms of Glasnost and Perestroika opened questions on issues such as the status of Nagorno-Karabakh, the environment, Russification, corruption, democracy, and eventually independence. At the beginning of 1988, nearly one million Yerevantsis engaged in demonstrations concerning these subjects, centered on Theater Square.

Post-USSR independence

Following the dismantling of the USSR or Soviet Union, Yerevan became the capital of the Republic of Armenia on 21 September 1991. Maintaining supplies of gas and electricity proved difficult; constant electricity was not restored until 1996 amidst the chaos of the badly instingated and planned transition to a market based economy.

Since 2000, central Yerevan has been transformed into a vast construction site, with cranes erected all over the Kentron district. Officially, the scores of multi-storied buildings are part of large-scale urban planning projects. Roughly $1.8 billion was spent on such construction in 2006, according to the national statistical service. Prices for downtown apartments have increased by about ten times over the last decade.

Political demonstrations are a common scene in Yerevan. In 2008, unrest in the capital between the authorities and opposition demonstrators led by ex-President Levon Ter-Petrossian occurred after the 2008 Armenian presidential election. The events resulted in ten deaths and a subsequent 20-day state of emergency declared by President Robert Kocharian.

Geography

Topography and location

Altitude: average - minimum - maximum .

Location: to the edge of the Hrazdan river, north-east of the Ararat plain.

Yerevan is located in the center-west of the country in the north-eastern extremity of the Ararat Valley. Historically, the city is situated at the heart of the Armenian Highland, in Kotayk canton ( ''Kotayk gavar'', not to be confused with the current Kotayk Province) of Ayrarat province, within Armenia Major.

The upper part of the city is surrounded with mountains on three sides while it descends to the banks of the river Hrazdan at the south. Hrazdan divides Yerevan into two parts through a picturesque canyon. The city's elevation ranges between above sea level.

As the capital of Armenia, Yerevan is not part of any ''marz'' ("province"). Instead, it is bordered with the following provinces: Kotayk from the north and the east, Ararat from the south and the south-west, Armavir from the west and Aragatsotn from the north-west.

Climate

The climate of Yerevan is a semi-arid, continental climate (Köppen climate classification ''BSk''), with hot and dry summers and cold and snowy winters. This is attributed to the fact that Yerevan is located on a plain surrounded by mountains and to its distance to the sea and its effects. The summers are usually very hot with the temperature in August reaching up to , while winters generally carry snowfall and freezing temperatures with January often being as cold as . The amount of precipitation is small, amounting annually to about . Yerevan experiences an average of 2,700 sunlight hours per year.

Government and politics

Capital

Yerevan has been the capital of Armenia since the independence of the First Republic in 1918. Situated in the Ararat plain, the historic lands of Armenia, it served as the best logical choice for capital of the young republic at the time.

When Armenia became a republic of the Soviet Union, Yerevan remained as capital and accommodated all the political and diplomatic institutions in the republic. In 1991 with the independence of Armenia, Yerevan continued with its status as the political and cultural centre of the country, being home to all the national institutions: the Government house, the Parliament, ministries, the presidential palace, the constitutional court, judicial bodies and other public organisations.

Municipalities

The Armenian Constitution, adopted on 5 July 1995, granted Yerevan the status of a marz (region). Therefore, Yerevan functions similarly to the other regions of the country with a few specificities. The administrative authority of Yerevan is thus represented by: the mayor, appointed by the President (who can remove him at any moment) upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister, alongside a group of four deputy mayors heading eleven ministries (of which financial, transport, urban development etc.), the Yerevan Council, regrouping the Chiefs of neighborhood communities under the authority of the mayor, twelve "neighborhood communities" (or districts), with each having its own chief and their elected councils. Yerevan has a principal city hall and twelve deputy mayors of districts.

The last modification to the Constitution on 27 November 2005 turned the city into a "community" (''hamaynk''); since, the Constitution declares that this community has to be led by a mayor, elected directly or indirectly, and that the city needs to be governed by a specific law. This law is currently in preparation in the Armenian parliament that adopted its first draft in December 2007 and should do the same in the second draft in spring of 2008. The project on the law envisions an indirect election of the mayor.

Artashes Geghamyan was the last mayor of the Armenian SSR and Hambartsoum Galstyan, the first mayor of the newly independent republic. Since 1991, there have been eight mayors of Yerevan. The current mayor, Karen Karapetyan, replaced Gagik Beglaryan, who resigned in December 2010 after allegations he assaulted a government employee at a public event. In addition to the national police and road police, Yerevan has its own municipal police. All three bodies cooperate to maintain law in the city.

Districts

Yerevan is divided into twelve "neighborhood communities" (թաղային համայնքներ), commonly translated as "districts", each with an elected community leader. Each district is divided into neighborhoods (թաղամաս). A district could have up to eight neighborhoods.

+ Districts and neighborhoods of Yerevan	! District(Համայնք)	! Population	! Area	! Neighborhood (Թաղամաս)
AjapnyakԱջափնյակ	125 800	25 km²
	150 200	12.35 km²	Nor Arabkir, Aygedzor, Mergelyan, Raykom, Kanaker Hydro Power Plant
	50 400	8.37 km²	Avan block, Avan-Arinj, Aghi Hank
DavtashenԴավթաշեն	50 500	6.71 km²	Davtashen blocks (4 blocks), Huysi Avan
	126 200	48.41 km²
Kanaker-ZeytunՔանաքեր-Զեյթուն	102 700	8.10 km²	Kanaker, Nor Zeytun, Mounument
	179 100	14.20 km²	Pokr Kentron (Mini Centre), Noragyugh, Nor Kilikia, Aygestan, Kond, Dzoragyugh
Malatia-SebastiaՄալաթիա-Սեբաստիա	158 700	25.80 km²	Nor Malatia, Nor Sebastia, Zoravar Andranik, Shahumyan, Araratyan, Haghtanak
Nork-MarashՆորք-Մարաշ	14 600	4.60 km²
Nor NorkՆոր Նորք	132 100	14.47 km²	Nor Nork blocks (9 blocks), Jrvezh, Bagrevand
NubarashenՆուբարաշեն	9 300	18.11 km²	Nubarashen
	146 100	40.50 km²	Nerkin Shengavit, Verin Shengavit, Nerkin Charbakh, Verin Charbakh, Noragavit, Aeratsia, Harav-Arevmtyan Taghamas (South-Western district, 7 blocks)

Demographics

Originally a small town, Yerevan became the capital of Armenia and a large city with over one million inhabitants.

Until the fall of the Soviet Union, the majority of the population of Yerevan were Armenians with minorities of Russians, Kurds, Azeris and Iranians present as well. However with the breakout of the Nagorno-Karabakh War from 1988 to 1994, the Azeri minority diminished in the country in what was part of population exchanges between Armenia and Azerbaijan. A big part of the Russian minority also fled the country during the 1990s economic crisis in the country. Today, the population of Yerevan is mainly Armenian.

Like the rest of the country and all other ex-Soviet republics, a lot of people fled their countries (mostly to Europe and North America) due to economic crises. The population of Yerevan fell from 1,250,000 in 1989 to 1,103,488 in 2001 and to 1,091,235 in 2003. However, the population of Yerevan has been increasing since. In 2007, the capital had 1,107,800 inhabitants.

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TextData= fontsize:S pos:(50,20) text: Demographic evolution of Yerevan from 1827 to 2006

Sources : Municipality of Yerevan, ArmStat

Growth rate of the population : 0,29 % (in 2006). Birth rate : 1,12 % (in 2006). Death rate : 0,83 % (in 2006). Rate of infantile mortality : 1,05 % (in 2006).

Religion

The Armenian Apostolic Christianity is the dominant religion in Armenia as well as Yerevan. The Armenian Church is represented in the city by the Araratian Patriarchal Diocese which is based within the complex of Surb Sargis Cathedral. Yerevan is home to the largest Armenian church in the world, the Cathedral of Saint Gregory the Illuminator.

After the independence in 1991, the Evangelical Church of Armenia was founded and officially recognized by the authorities on 1 July 1994. The Evangelical church and its headquarters are located on Marshall Baghramyan Street in the centre of Yerevan.

The tiny community of the Orthodox Russians have its own; the Holy Mother of God church, which is located on Zakaria Kanakertsi Street in Kanaker-Zeytun district of Yerevan. The church was built across the barracks of the Cossack troops which had been deployed in Yerevan since the Russian victory in the Russian-Persian war in 1828. The church was closed in the Soviet times to be used first as a warehouse and later as a regimental club. Divine services were resumed in it only in 1991. In 2004, the reconstructed church re-acquired a cupola and a belfry. The consecration of the new Holy Cross Russian Orthodox church of Yerevan was conducted on 18 March 2010, by Patriarch Kirill I of Moscow. The church is being built on Admiral Isakov Avenue, and is set to be finished by 2013.

Yerevan's Blue Mosque of the 18th century was restored and reopened in the latter half of the 1990s funded by Iran, to become the only working mosque in Armenia. Nowadays, Islamic religious services are conducted within the Blue Mosque to serve the Shia Iranian visitors and tradesmen.

Few members of the Yezidi and Jewish communities of Armenia live in Yerevan. The city is the home of the Jewish Council of Armenia.

A variety of other religious communities are also present in the city.

Culture

Museums and Libraries

Yerevan is home to dozens of museums, art galleries, and libraries. The most prominent of these are the National Gallery of Armenia, the History Museum of Armenia, the Cafesjian Museum of Art, the Matenadaran library of ancient manuscripts, and the Armenian Genocide museum. Others include the Modern Art Museum, the Children’s Picture Gallery, and the Martiros Saryan Museum. Moreover, many private galleries are in operation, with many more opening every year, featuring rotating exhibitions and sales.

Constructed in 1921, the National Gallery of Armenia is Yerevan principal museum. It is integrated with the Armenia's History Museum of Armenia. In addition to having a permanent exposition of works of painters such as Aivazovsky, Kandinsky, Chagall, Theodore Rousseau, Monticelli or Eugene Boudin, it usually hosts temporary expositions such as Yann Arthus-Bertrand in 2005 or the one organized on the occasion of the Year of Armenia in France in October 2006. The Armenian Genocide museum is found at the foot of Tsitsernakaberd memorial and features numerous eyewitness accounts, texts and photographs from the time. It comprises a Memorial stone made of three parts, the latter of which is dedicated to the intellectual and political figures who, as the museum's site says, "raised their protest against the Genocide committed against the Armenians by the Turks. Among them there are Armin T. Wegner, Hedvig Büll, Henry Morgenthau, Franz Werfel, Johannes Lepsius, James Bryce, Anatole France, Giacomo Gorrini, Benedict XV, Fritjof Nansen, Fayez el Husseini". This place of remembrance was created by Laurenti Barseghian, the Museum's director, and Pietro Kuciukian, the founder of the "Memory is the Future" Committee for the Righteous for the Armenians. This Memorial hosts the ashes or fistfuls of earth from the tombs of the Righteous and of those non-Armenians who witnessed the genocide and tried to help the Armenians. Here, people also celebrates living characters who stand out for their pro-memory engagement.

The Matenadaran is a library-museum regrouping 17,000 ancient manuscripts and several bibles from the Middle Ages. Its archives hold a rich collection of valuable ancient Armenian, Greek, Assyrian, Hebrew, Roman and Persian manuscripts. It is located in the center of the city on Mesrop Mashdots avenue.

Next to the Hrazdan river, the Sergey Parajanov Museum that was completely renovated in 2002, has 250 works, documents and photos of the Armenian filmmaker and painter. Yerevan has several other museums like the museum of the Middle-East and the Museum of Yerevan.

Here is a list of Yerevan's most important museums: {| style="background:none; font-size:95%;" |- | Erebuni museum | founded in 1968 near the Erebuni fortress. |- | History Museum of Armenia | opened in 1921, contains more than 400,000 items and pieces of Armenian heritage. |- | National Gallery of Armenia | exhibits more than 25,000 painting samples of Armenian, Russian and European artists. |- | Matenadaran | Library, Museum and Institute of ancient manuscripts named after Mesrop Mashtots. |- | Cafesjian Museum of Art | Gerard L. Cafesjian Museum and Art Centre of the Cascade complex, opened on 7 November 2009, showcases a massive collection glass artwork, particularly the works of the Czech artists Libenský / Brychtová. The front gardens showcase sculptures from Gerard Cafesjian's collection. |- | Museum of Folk Art of Armenia | founded in 1978 on Abovyan Street. |- | Armenian Genocide Museum | part of Tsitsernakaberd memorial complex. |- | Museum of Armenian Patriotic Movement (Fedayees) named after Andranik Ozanian | opened in 1995 in Komitas Park. Renovated and reopened in 2006 on the occasion of the 15th anniversary of independence. |- | House-Museum of Hovhannes Tumanyan | opened in 1953, contains a large number of objects belonged to poet Hovhannes Tumanyan along with his personal library. |- | House-Museum of Yeghishe Charents | opened in 1964 on the Mashtots Avnue. |- | House-Museum of Avetik Isahakyan | opened in 1963 on Baghramyan street. |- | House-Museum of Alexander Spendiaryan | opened in 1967 on Nalbantian street. |- | House-Museum of Aram Khachaturian | opened in 1984, contains more than 18,000 valuable items. |- | House-Museum of Yervand Kochar | opened in 1984 to commemorate famous Armenian artist Yervand Kochar. |- | House-Museum of Martiros Saryan | contains the works of the famous painter Martiros Saryan. |- | House-Museum of Khachatur Abovian | the home of writer Khachatur Abovian in Kanaker, turned into museum in 1939. |- | House-Museum of painter Minas Avetisyan | located on Nalbantian street. |- | House-Museum of writer Derenik Demirchian | located on Abovian street. |- | Sergei Parajanov Museum | opened in 1991, exhibits the works of Sergei Parajanov and other film directors. |- | State Museum of Nature of Armenia | contains samples of animal and botanic life in Armenia. |- | "Mayr Hayastan" Military Museum | located in the Victory Park and dedicated to the World War II and Karabakh Liberation war. |- | Museum of Russian Art | founded in 1984 on Isahakyan street, contains a collection of paintings of Russian artists. |- | Museum of Children's creative work | gallery located on Abovyan street, exhibits some talents of Armenian children. |- | Geological Museum of Armenia | located on Abovian street. |- | Museum-Institute of Zoology | institute and research centre located on Sevak street. |- | Charents Museum of Literature and Arts | located on Arami street. |- | ARF History Museum | commemorates the history of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, dedicated to its notable members. |- | Museum of Middle East | museum of the Middle Eastern civilisations and cultures, located on Arami street. |- | Museum of sculptor Ara Sargsian and painter Hakop Kodjoian | located on Mashtots Avenue. |- | Yerevan History Museum | founded in 1931. In 2005 the museum settled in the Yerevan City Hall complex. |- | Museum of Wood Craft | opened in 1977, located on Paronian street. |- | National Museum of Architecture named after Alexander Tamanyan | located on Hanrapetutyan street, home to a research centre and samples of Tamanyan's works. |}

On 6 June 2010, Yerevan was named as the 2012 World Book Capital by The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Aremnian capital was chosen for the quality and variety of the programme it presented to the selection committee, which met at UNESCO’s headquarters in Paris on 2 July 2010.

Cinemas, Theatres, Opera and Concert Halls

The city is home to many cinema halls; among them the famous ''Moskva'' cinema. Most of the world's hit movies are available to watch there. Since 2004, every year ''Moskva'' hosts the Golden Apricot international film festival. Many other cinema halls characterized with important architectural values are operating in the city such as ''Hayrenik'', ''Nayiri'', ''Rossiya'', etc.

The Yerevan Opera and Ballet Theatre consists of two concert halls: Aram Khatchaturian concert hall and the hall of the National Theatre of Opera and Ballet named after Alexander Spendiarian.

Numerous theatres and halls allow the audience to enjoy a multitude of various shows and performances, such as the modern ''Complex named after Karen Demirchyan''. Other significant theatres include: Yerevan State Musical Comedy Theatre named after Hagop Baronian, Russian Drama Theatre named after Constantin Stanislavski, Yerevan State Dramatic Theatre named after Hrachia Ghaplanian, Yerevan State Hamazgain Theatre and the State Pupppet Theatre named after Hovhannes Tumanyan. The Sundukyan State Academic Theatre of Yerevan is the oldest modern theatre in Armenia.

Yerevan in artworks

Many celebrated Armenian singers and composers dedicated their songs to Yerevan: Arno Babajanian, Rouben Hakhverdian, Harout Pamboukjian, Aram Asatryan, Tata Simonian, Arsen Petrosian, Arman Hovhannisian, Rudik Gabrielian, Arame, Tigran Asatryan, Artash Asatryan, Ararat Nurijanyan, Inga and Anush Arshakyans and others.

Yerevan has been a key theme for such movies as "The capital", "Our yard", "Yerevan jan", "Taxi 'Eli lav a'" and others. In 2000 "SHARM Holding" released the "As long as I live" documentary dedicated to the 2782nd anniversary of Yerevan.

Tourism

Tourism in Armenia is developing year by year and the capital city of Yerevan is one of the major tourist destinations. The city has a majority of luxury hotels, modern restaurants, bars, pubs and nightclubs. Zvartnots airport has also conducted renovation projects with the growing number of tourists visiting the country. Numerous places in Yerevan are attractive for tourists, such as the dancing fountains of the Republic Square, the State Opera House, the Cascade complex, the ruins of the Urartian city of Erebuni (Arin Berd), the historical site of Karmir Blur (Teishebaini), etc. The Armenia Marriott Hotel is situated in the heart of the city at Republic Square, while other major chains are also present in downtown Yerevan, such as the Golden Tulip Yerevan Hotel and the Best Western Congress Hotel. Recently, a number of new modern hotels have been inaugurated in the Silikian neighborhood of Ajapnyak district.

The location of Yerevan itself, inspires foreigners to visit the city in order to enjoy the view of the biblical mount of Ararat, as the city lies on the feet of the mountain forming the shape of a Roman amphitheatre.

There are plenty of historical sites, churches and citadels in areas and regions surrounding the city of Yerevan, such as the (Garni Temple, Zvartnots Cathedral, and Khor Virap, etc.).

Music and nightlife

Yerevan has an extensive nightlife scene with a variety of night clubs, live venues, street cafes, jazz cafes, tea houses, casinos, pubs, karaoke clubs and restaurants. Many cafés and restaurants stay open into the late hours as the warm summer evenings bring tourists to the relaxing cafes. The swan lake next to the Opera House, is one of the major night-life areas with hundreds of open top and indoor cafés to choose from. The city prides itself on having connections 24/7 as taxis are available at any time of the day or night. The city has played host to many world-famous musical acts including Charles Aznavour, Cher, Serj Tankian, Jivan Gasparyan, Plácido Domingo, Uriah Heep, Deep Purple, Joe Cocker, John McLaughlin, Brazzaville, The Alan Parsons Project, Jethro Tull, Akvarium, Goran Bregović, Zucchero, Daniel Decker, Michel Legrand, Irina Allegrova, Garou, Alla Pugacheva, Shadmehr, Ian Gillan, Hasmik Papian, Isabel Bayrakdarian, Siavash Ghomayshi, Space, Bambir, Grigory Leps, George Benson, and many more.

Amusement Parks and Zoo

Yerevan Zoo was founded in 1940. Operated by the Yerevan municipality, the zoo is home to 1500 different animals and 260 species.

The Waterworld is a water park in Yerevan. It has several pools, toboggans, bars and restaurants. The park used to close from October to May but the construction of an indoor section called ''Aquatek'' has permitted the water park to be open all year. The indoor section has jacuzzis, pools, hammams, fitness rooms, restaurants and a hotel.

''Play City'' is an enterteinment centre located in Avan district, consists of a bowling arena, a cinema hall, paint-ball, karting ring and video-game rooms.

The green areas in Yerevan are increasing day by day, the municipality is working towards the inauguration of new parks in all districts of Yerevan. The most popular park nowadays is the Lovers' park on Baghramyan street, while the Victory park is one of the largest parks in the city along with the Youth (Circular) park and the Botanical garden. Many other beautiful parks enhance the city of Yerevan, such as the English and Shahumyan parks in Kentron District, Tumanyan park in Ajapnyak, Komitas park in Shengavit, Vahan Zatikian park in Malatia-Sebastia, David Anhaght park in Kanaker-Zeytun, the Family park in Avan, Fridtjof Nansen park in Nor Nork, etc.

Transportation

Air

Yerevan is served by the Zvartnots International Airport, located 12 km west of the city center. It is the primary airport of the country and the hub of Armavia, national air carrier company. Inaugurated in 1961 during the Soviet era, Zvartnots airport was renovated for the first time in 1985 and a second time in 2002 in order to adapt to international norms. It went through a facelift starting in 2004 with the construction of a new terminal. The first phase of the construction ended in September 2006 with the opening of the arrivals zone. A second section designated for departures was inaugurated in May 2007. The departure terminal is anticipated, October 2011 housing state of the art facilities and technology. This will make Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport, the largest, busiest and most modern airport in the entire Caucasus. The entire project costs more than $100 million USD.

The airport serves direct flights to dozens of countries which include France, Russia, Germany, Greece, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, Austria, Netherlands, Czech Republic, China, Cyprus, Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Latvia, Iran, Italy, Bahrain, Lebanon, Spain, Syria, Turkey, Poland, India, Switzerland, Georgia etc.

A second airport, Erebuni Airport, is located just south of the city. Since the independence, "Erebuni" is mainly used for military or private flights. The Armenian Air Force has equally installed its base there and there are several MiG-29s stationed on Erebuni's tarmac.

Bus and Trolleybus

Yerevan has 46 bus lines and 24 trolleybus lines. The Yerevan trolleybus system has been operating since 1949. Old Soviet-era buses have been replaced with new modern ones. Outside the bus lines that cover the city, some buses at the start of the central road train station located in the Nor Kilikia neighborhood serve practically all the cities of Armenia as well as of others abroad, notably Tbilisi in Georgia or Tabriz in Iran.

A new route network has been developed in the city, according to which the number of minibuses will be reduced from the currently existing 2600 to 650 by the end of 2010.

The tramway network that operated in Yerevan since 1906 was decommissioned in January 2004. Its use had a cost 2.4 times higher than the generated profits, which pushed the municipality to shutdown the network, despite a last ditch effort to save it towards the end of 2003. Since the closure, the rails have been dismantled and sold.

Metro

The Yerevan Metro named after Karen Demirchyan, () is a rapid transit system that serves the capital city since 1981. It has a single line of 13.4 km (8.37 miles) length with 10 active stations. The interiors of the stations resemble that of the former western Soviet nations, with chandeliers hanging from the corridors. The metro stations had most of their names changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Independence of the Republic of Armenia.

A northeastern extension of the line with two new stations is currently being developed. The construction of the first station (''Ajapnyak'') and of the one kilometer tunnel linking it to the rest of the network will cost 18 million USD. The time of the end of the project has not yet been defined. Another long term project is the construction of two new lines, but these have been suspended due to lack of finance.

More than 50,000 people are being transported by Yerevan metro on a daily basis.

Train

Yerevan has a single central train station (several train stations of suburbs have not been used since 1990) that is connected to the metro via the ''Sasuntsi Davit'' station. The train station is made in Soviet-style architecture with its long point on the building roof, representing the symbols of communism: red star, hammer and sickle. Due to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades of Armenia, there is only one international train that passes by once every two days, with neighboring Georgia being its destination. For example, for a sum of 9 000 to 18 000 dram, it is possible to take the night train to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi. This train then continues to its destination of Batumi, on the shores of the Black sea.

The only railway that goes to Iran to the south passes by the closed border of Nakhichevan. For this reason, there are no trains that go south from Yerevan. A construction project on a new railway line connecting Armenia and Iran directly is currently being studied.

Recently, the South Caucasus Railway CJSC -which is the current operator of the railway system in Armenia- announced its readyness to put the Yerevan-Gyumri-Kars railway line in service in case the Armenian-Turkish protocols are ratified and the opening of the borders between the two countries is achieved.

There are several number of suburb trains to:

Armavir (4), Gyumri (2);

Yeraskh (1), Ararat (2);

Hrazdan (2), Shorzha (1, on route only in summer).

Economy

Industry

In 2001, Yerevan's share of national industrial production was approximately 50%. Yerevan's manufactures include chemicals, primary metals, machinery, rubber products, plastics, textiles, alcoholic beverages and processed food. Even though the economic crisis of the 90s ravaged the industry of the country, several factories remain always in service, notably in the petrochemical and the aluminium sectors. Not only is Yerevan the headquarters of major Armenian companies, but of international ones as well, as it's seen as an attractive outsourcing location for Western European, Russian and American multinationals. Yerevan is also the country's financial hub, home to the Central Bank of Armenia, the Armenian Stock Exchange (NASDAQ OMX Armenia), as well as some of the country's largest commercial banks.

Armenian beverages, especially the Armenian cognac and beer have a worldwide fame. Hence, Yerevan is home to many leading enterprises of Armenia and the Caucasus for the production of alcoholic beverages, such as Yerevan Brandy Company, Yerevan Ararat Wine Factory, Yerevan Kilikia Beer Company and Yerevan Champagne Wines Factory.

Yerevan is also home to other giant industrial and international plants: ''Nairit'' chemical and rubber plant, ''ArmRosGazProm'' a subsidiary of Russian giants Gazprom, RUSAL ARMENAL aluminium foil mill and ''Cigaronne'' company for tobacco products.

The carpet industry in Armenia has an ancient tradition and a very deep history, therefore, the carpet production is rather developed in Yerevan with three major factories that also produce hand-made carpets.

Yerevan's location on the shores of Hrazdan river has enabled the production of hydroelectricity. Two plants are established on the territory of the municipality. There is also a modern thermal power plant which is unique in the region for its quality and high technology, situated in the southern part of the city, furnished with a new gas-steam combined cycled turbine, to generate electric power.

Construction

The construction sector has experienced strong growth since 2000. Recently, Yerevan has been undergoing massive construction boom, funded mostly by Armenian millionaires from Russia, with an extensive and controversial redevelopment process in which Czarist and Soviet-period buildings have been demolished and replaced with new buildings. This urban renewal plan has been met with opposition and criticism from some residents. Coupled with the construction sector's growth has been the increase in real estate prices. Downtown houses deemed too small are more and more demolished and replaced by high-rise buildings.

Two major construction projects are scheduled in Yerevan: the Northern Avenue and the Main Avenue projects. The Northern Avenue is almost completed and was put in service in 2007, while the Main Avenue is still under development. In the past few years, the city centre has also witnessed major road reconstruction, and the renovation of the Republic square, funded by the American-Armenian billionaire, Kirk Kerkorian. Another diasporan Armenian from Argentina; Eduardo Eurnekian took over the airport, while the cascade development project was funded by the US based Armenian millionaire Gerard L. Cafesjian.

On 29 January 2010, another major project "Yerevan City" was announced by the municipality of Yerevan, to build a new cultural businesslike centre near the hill of Paskevich, where the Noragyugh neighborhood is located. The project will link Admiral Isakov Avenue with Arshakunyats Avenue and will be fulfilled through a cooperation with Moscow city government.

Monuments and landmarks

{| style="background:none; font-size:95%;" |- | Erebuni Fortress | or Arin Berd, where the city of Yerevan was founded in 782 BC by King Argishti I. |- | The Cascade | massive white steps with fountains ascend through Tamanyan street towards Haghtanak Park, home to the Cafesjian Museum of Art. |- | Cossack Monument | dedicated to the Cossacks killed during the Russian-Persian wars in 1826-1827. |- | Karen Demirchyan Complex | or ''Hamalir'', concert hall and sports complex. |- | Komitas Pantheon | cemetery where many famous Armenians are buried. |- | Lover's Park | or Boghossian gardens, located on Baghramyan street, the park is operating since October 2008. |- | Matenadaran | Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, one of the richest depositories of manuscripts in the world. |- | Moskva Cinema | built on the site of St. Peter and Paul Church of the 5th century. The church was destroyed in 1931 to build the cinema. |- | Mother Armenia | World War II and Karabakh Liberation war memorial located in Haghtanak (Victory) Park. |- | Surb Zoravor Church | built in the 17th century, the church is one the best monuments in Yerevan. |- | Saint Sarkis Cathedral | the seat of Araratian Patriarchal Diocese, rebuilt in 1835-1842. |- | Saint Gregory Cathedral | the largest Armenian church in the world, completed in 2001. |- | Argavand Funerary Tower | Islamic funerary tower built in 1413, located in the village of Argavand now absorbed by Yerevan. |- | Blue Mosque | or "Gök Jami" built in 1764–1768, located on Mashtots Avenue. It is the only mosque operating in Armenia. |- | Sasuntsi Davit statue | dedicated to the legendary Armenian hero David of Sasun. |- | Statue of Haik | the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation. |- | Swan Lake | located in the opera park, used as an ice-skating arena in winters. |- | Tsitsernakaberd | monument commemorating the victims of the Armenian Genocide. |- | Yerablur Pantheon | a military cemetery where Armenian soldiers of Nagorno-Karabakh War are buried. |- | Yerevan Opera House | the Armenian National Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre. |- | Yerevan Waterworld | modern entertainment complex of water adventures, operating both in summers and winters. |- | Yerevan Zoo | founded in 1940, home to 1500 different animals and 260 species. |- | Botanical Garden of Yerevan | opened in 1935 in the northern part of Yerevan, occupys an area of 105 hectares. |- | The English Park | opened in the 1860s and considered to be the oldest park in the city of Yerevan. It was further developed and reopened on 3 October 1910. |- | The Youth Park | or ''Yeritasardakan Aygi'', formerly known as the Circular park of Yerevan. |- | Yerevan Circus | opened in 1956 on Agatangeghos street in the centre of Yerevan. |}

International relations

Yerevan is member of 6 international organizations: the "International Assembly of CIS Countries' Capitals and Big Cities" (MAG), the "Black Sea Capitals' Association" (BSCA), the "International Association of Francophone Mayors" (AIMF), the "Organization of World Heritage Cities" (OWHC), the "International Association of Large-scale Communities" and the "International Urban Community Lighting Association" (LUCI).

Twin towns — sister cities

Currently, Yerevan has thirty sister and partner cities.

City	Country	Year
Carrara	Italy	Since 1965
Podgorica	Montenegro	Since 1974
Antananarivo	Madagascar	Since 1981
	United States	Since 1987
Marseille	France	Since 1992
Athens	Greece	Since 1993
Lyon	France	Since 1993
Stavropol	Russia	Since 1994
	Iran	Since 1995
Kiev	Ukraine	Since 1995
Moscow	Russia	Since 1995
Odessa	Ukraine	Since 1995
Florence	Italy	Since 1996
Tbilisi		Since 1996
Beirut	Lebanon	Since 1997
Damascus	Syria	Since 1997
Saint-Petersburg	Russia	Since 1997
Paris	France	Since 1998
Montreal	Canada	Since 1998
Volgograd	Russia	Since 1998
Bratislava	Slovakia	Since 2001
Minsk	Belarus	Since 2002
São Paulo	Brazil	Since 2002
Chişinău	Moldova	Since 2005
Rostov-on-Don	Russia	Since 2005
Rio de Janeiro	Brazil	Since 2007
Los Angeles	United States	Since 2007
Nice	France	Since 2007
Delhi	India	Since 2008
Sofia	Bulgaria	Since 2008

Education

Yerevan is a major educational centre in the region. It has 166 nursery schools, 259 public education schools, 12 state musical & art schools and several state owned schools for special needs.

At present, 90 institutes of higher education are functioning in the Republic of Armenia. As a capital city, Yerevan has the majority with 71 higher educational institutions, 19 out of which are state universities and the rest 52 are private ones. In 2008-2009 academic year, according to data released by the National Statistical Service of Armenia, there were 114,399 students from which 91,806 students were studying at the institutes of higher education in the capital. 16,304 students in Yerevan institutes got their higher education for free while 75,502 students paid for their studies.

Currently, 38 state technical colleges (elementary and intermediate post-school educational institutions) are operating in the city, under the supervision of Yerevan Municipality, government ministries and state organizations.

Universities

Below is a list of Yerevan's most important Universities: {| style="width:90%;" class="wikitable" cellspacing="2" |- style="background:#ccc;" !colspan="2"| Institute ! Official website !! Dateestablished !! Studentpopulation |- | Yerevan State University || YSU | http://www.ysu.am/ ||align="right"| 16 May 1919 ||align="right"| 10,450 |- | Yerevan State Musical Conservatory named after Komitas || YSC | http://www.conservatory.am/ ||align="right"| 1921 ||align="right"| |- | Armenian State Pedagogical University named after Khachatur Abovian || ASPU | http://www.aspu.am/ ||align="right"| 1922 ||align="right"| |- | Yerevan State Medical University named after Mkhitar Heratsi || YSMU | http://www.ysmu.am/ ||align="right"| 1930 ||align="right"| |- | State Engineering University of Armenia || SEUA | http://www.seua.am/ ||align="right"| 1933 ||align="right"| 10,000 |- | Yerevan State Linguistic University named after Valery Brusov || YSLU | http://www.brusov.am/ ||align="right"| 4 February 1935 ||align="right"|full time 4,700 |- | Yerevan State Academy of Fine Arts || YAFA | http://www.yafa.am/ ||align="right"| 1945 ||align="right"| |- | Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture || ASIPC | http://www.asipc.am/ ||align="right"| 1945 ||align="right"| |- | Yerevan State Institute of Economy || YSINE | http://www.ysine.am/ ||align="right"| 1975 ||align="right"| |- | Yerevan State Institute of Theatre and Cinematography || YSITC | ||align="right"| ||align="right"| |- | Yerevan State University of Architecture and Construction || YSUAC | http://www.ysuac.am/ ||align="right"| 11 January 1989 ||align="right"| |- | American University of Armenia || AUA | http://www.aua.am/ ||align="right"| 1991 ||align="right"| 268 |- | Crisis Management State Academy || CMSA | ||align="right"| 1992 ||align="right"| |- | State Agrarian University of Armenia || SAUA | http://www.armagrar-uni.am/||align="right"| 1994 ||align="right"| |- | Fondation Université Française en Arménie || UFAR | http://www.ufar.am/ ||align="right"| 1995 ||align="right"| 700 |- | Eurasia International University || EIU | http://www.eiu.am/ ||align="right"| 1996 ||align="right"| |- | Russian-Armenian State University || RAU | http://www.rau.am/ ||align="right"| 29 August 1997 ||align="right"| 1,600 |- | Caucasus Institute || CI | http://caucasusinstitute.org/ ||align="right"| 2002 ||align="right"| |- | European Regional Institute of Information and Communication Technologies in Armenia || ERIICTA | http://www.eriicta.am/ ||align="right"| 4 October 2002 ||align="right"| |- | Yerevan State Armenian-Greek College || AGC | http://www.agc.am/ ||align="right"| 2006 ||align="right"| |- | Cavendish University || CUA | http://www.cavendish.am/ ||align="right"| 2008 ||align="right"| 550 |}

Sports

The most played and popular sport in Yerevan is football. Yerevan has many football clubs with five in the 2011 season of the Armenian Premier League.

{| style="margin:0 0 0 1em; background:#fff; border:1px #aaa solid; border-collapse:collapse; text-align:center; font-size:95%;" border="1" cellpadding="4" cellspacing="0" |- style="background:#efefef; border-bottom:2px solid gray;" ! Club !! Stadium |- |FC Banants || Banants Stadium |Ararat Yerevan || Hrazdan Stadium |Mika FC || Mika Stadium |Pyunik FC || Republican Stadium |Ulisses || Hrazdan Stadium |} Yerevan has four major stadiums: Banants Stadium, Mika Stadium, Republican Stadium and Hrazdan Stadium, along with two small ones; Nairi Stadium and Erebuni Stadium. Hrazdan -the largest football venue- is also home to a sports complex composed of a swimming pool, basket-ball arena, tennis courts and other facilities.

The largest indoor arena of the city and the whole country is the Karen Demirchyan Sports and Concerts Complex, mostly used for hockey matches, Figure Skating shows and concerts.

Armenia has always excelled in chess with its players being very often among the highest ranked and decorated. The headquarters of the Armenian Chess Federation is located in the Kentron (central district) in Yerevan and there exists plenty of chess clubs in the city. In 1996, despite a severe economic crisis, Yerevan hosted the 32nd Chess Olympiad. In 2006, the four members from Yerevan of the Armenian chess team won the 37th Chess Olympiad in Turin and repeated the feat at the 38th Chess Olympiad in Dresden. The Yerevan-born leader of this team, Levon Aronian, is currently one of the world's top chess players and is number three on the February 2011 FIDE rankings.

Notable natives and residents

Khachatur Abovian, writer

Alexander Shirvanzade, writer

Martiros Saryan, painter

Viktor Ambartsumian, astrophysicist

Silva Kaputikyan, poet

Rafik Khachatryan, sculptor

Armen Dzhigarkhanyan, actor

Robert Amirkhanyan, composer, professor

Alexander Arutiunian, composer

Djivan Gasparyan, composer

Ara Gevorgian, composer

Sergei Khachatryan, violinist

Samvel Yervinyan, violinist

Tigran Mansurian, Grammy nominated composer

Gevorg Sargsyan, opera conductor

Armen Movsessian, violinist

Shavo Odadjian, bassist of the rock band System of a Down

Smbat Lputian, chess player

Gabriel Sargissian, chess player

Vladimir Akopian, chess player

Levon Aronian, chess player

Rafael Vaganian, chess player

Ashot Nadanian, chess player

Sargis Sargsian, tennis player

Khoren Hovhannisyan, football player

Roman Berezovsky, football player, goalkeeper

Edgar Manucharyan, football player

Henrikh Mkhitaryan, football player

Arthur Abraham, boxer, current IBF middleweight World champion

Susianna Kentikian, boxer, current WBA, WBO and WIBF flyweight World champion

Gokor Chivichyan, judoka

Karo Parisyan, UFC fighter

Gevorg Petrosyan, kickboxer

Ashot Danielyan, weightlifter, double European champion

Ruben Hakhverdyan, contemporary poet and singer

Harout Pamboukjian, contemporary singer

Aram Satian, composer

Sirusho, contemporary singer

''List of notable persons born in Yerevan: People from Yerevan''

Cityscape

900px|thumb|center|Panorama of Yerevan (fall)

See also

Radio Yerevan

Zvartnots International Airport

Yerevan Physics Institute

Yerevan Metro

Yerevan TV Tower

List of hospitals in Yerevan

References

Bibliography

The capitals of Armenia, Sergey Vardanyan, ''Apolo'' 1995, ISBN 5-8079-0778-7

My Yerevan, G. Zakoyan, M. Sivaslian, V. Navasardian, ''Acnalis'' 2001, ISBN 99930-902-0-4

Notes

External links

Republic square of Yerevan live camera

Yerevan Municipality webpage

Yerevan Municipality webpage

Yerevan article on Armeniapedia

Yerevan Video - Daily Videos from Yerevan

Armenia Info Yerevan page

Photos of Yerevan Sights

Google Map of Yerevan including street names in Armenian and English.

3d Models in Yerevan

Category:Archaeological sites in Armenia Category:Capitals in Asia Category:Provinces of Armenia Category:780s BC establishments

af:Jerewan am:ዬሬቫን ar:يريفان an:Erevan frp:Yèrèvan az:İrəvan bn:ইয়েরেভান be:Горад Ерэван be-x-old:Ерэван bo:ཡེ་རེ་ཝན། bs:Erevan br:Yerevan bg:Ереван ca:Erevan cv:Ереван cs:Jerevan cy:Yerevan da:Jerevan de:Jerewan et:Jerevan el:Γιερεβάν myv:Ереван ош es:Ereván eo:Erevano eu:Erevan fa:ایروان hif:Yerevan fr:Erevan fy:Jerevan ga:Eireaván gv:Yerevan gag:Erivan gd:Yerevan gl:Iereván - Երեվան ko:예레반 hy:Երևան hsb:Jerewan hr:Erevan io:Yerevan ilo:Yerevan id:Yerevan ie:Jerevan os:Ереван is:Jerevan it:Yerevan he:ירוואן jv:Yerevan ka:ერევანი rw:Yerevan sw:Yerevan kv:Ереван ht:Erevàn ku:Êrîvan lad:Djerevan la:Erevanum lv:Erevāna lb:Eriwan lt:Jerevanas lij:Erevan lmo:Erevan hu:Jereván mk:Ереван mi:Yerevan mr:येरेव्हान ms:Yerevan mn:Ереван nah:Erevan nl:Jerevan ne:येरवान प्रान्त ja:エレバン no:Jerevan nn:Jerevan nov:Yerevan oc:Erevan mhr:Ереван uz:Yerevan pnb:یریوان pms:Erevan pl:Erywań pt:Erevan ro:Erevan qu:Yiriwan ru:Ереван sah:Ереван sa:येरेवान sco:Yerevan sq:Jerevani scn:Erevan simple:Yerevan sk:Jerevan sl:Erevan ckb:یەریڤان sr:Јереван sh:Erevan fi:Jerevan sv:Jerevan tl:Yerevan ta:யெரெவான் tt:Ереван th:เยเรวาน tg:Ереван tr:Erivan udm:Ереван uk:Єреван ur:یریوان ug:يېرېۋان vec:Èrevan vi:Yerevan vo:Yerevan war:Yerevan yi:יערעוואן yo:Yerevan diq:Yerêvan zh:葉里溫

Coordinates	12°58′0″N77°34′0″N
name	Gagik Tsarukyan
office	Prosperous Armenia Party president
birth date	November 25, 1956
birth place	Arindj, Armenia,
Nationality	Armenian
Party	Prosperous Armenia
spouse	Djavahir Tsarukyan
Children	Roza, Gayane, Emma, Anahit, Nver and Hovhannes Tsarukyans
Alma mater	Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture
Occupation	Politician, Entrepreneur, Benefactor
religion	Armenian Apostolic
website	bhk.am, tsarukyan.am }}

Gagik Kolyai Tsarukyan (),, also known by his nickname Dodi Gago () is an Armenian politician and a wealthy businessman. He is seen as the most influential of Armenia's government-connected "oligarchs" and key business partner of Kocharyan owning over a dozen big businesses and living in a very large villa on a hilltop overlooking the northern outskirts of Yerevan.

Tsarukyan is the founder and current leader of Prosperous Armenia Party and also the president of Armenia's National Olympic Committee (was reelected on December 4, 2008).

Tsarukyan graduated from Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture in 1989, had achievements in sports, was engaged in boxing, wrestling and arm wrestling. In 1996 Gagik Tsarukyan was given a title of world champion in arm-wrestling, and in 1998 champion of Europe.

Since 1989 Tsarukyan has been engaged in entrepreneurship. In 1995 he founded and presided "Multi Group" concern which now includes more than 30 enterprises: "Kotayk" beer factory in Abovyan, Yerevan Chemical Pharmaceutical Company, "Mek" Network of Furniture Stores, Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory, etc. Tsarukyan is accused of depriving ownership rights of foreign investors in Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory. Currently there are several court hearings pending. The largest one is launched from a German investment firm that accuses Tsarukyan of having illegally taken their stake. See Ownership of NOY in question

Since 2003 Tsarukyan has been a RA National Assembly deputy. On May 25, 2003 he was elected as a deputy in the National Assembly of Armenia from District 42 after running unopposed, later becoming a member of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Defense, National Security and Internal Affairs; he was not a member of a parliamentary faction during this term. In late 2005 he founded the Prosperous Armenia Party. During the first congress of Prosperous Amenia Party, on April 30, 2004, Tsarukyan was elected as its president. During the fourth congress of the party, on February 12, 2009, Tsarukyan was re-elected as the party president. He was re-elected to the National Assembly in the May 2007 parliamentary election from District 28 as a Prosperous Armenia candidate. Following this election he became head of the Prosperous Armenia parliamentary faction and a member of the Committee on the Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs in June 2007.

Javahir Tsarukyan is Gagik Tsarukyan's wife. They have six children.

Biography

Parents

Gagik Tsarukyan was born in Nikolay and Roza Tsarukyans’ family. Nikolay Tsarukyan, father of the family, is an electrical engineer by profession now is engaged in social activities. Roza Tsarukyan, Gagik Tsarukyan’s mother, is an accountant now is managing research-and-production center of "Multi Agro" LLC and at the same time is the honorable chairman of "Prosperous Armenia" Party Women council.

Childhood

Tsarukyan studied at Arinj village school. Till now Mr. Tsarukyan visits Arinj school several times a year and meets with the teachers. Gagik Tarukyan met his future wife Javahir Tsarukyan in Arinj school, who was also studying at that same school. Gagik Tsarukyan was distinguished with physical abilities and that fact really had influence on his higher education choice.

Family

Gagik Tsarukyan’s wife is Javahir Tsarukyan. Mr. and Mrs. Tsarukyans have 6 children.

Roza, Gayane and Emma Tsarukyans have graduated from Anania Shirakaci College with honors. Roza and Emma are studying at Yerevan State Medical University. Gayane Tsarukyan has graduated from Yerevan State University Faculty of Law with honors.

Anahit and are studying at Anania Shirakaci College.

Hovhannes, the youngest member of the family, will go to school next year.

Career

Entrepreneur Gagik Tsarukyan

Tsarukyan started his business activities in the 1980s. During 1990-1992 Gagik Tsarukyan was the executive director of "Armenia" company and in 1992 he was involved in animal husbandry activities. He established a dairy production enterprise in Arinj village, Abovyan Region (now Kotayk Marz). In 1995 Gagik Tsarukyan founded and presided "Multi Group" concern which now includes Kotayk Abovyan beer factory, Yerevan Chemical Pharmaceutical Company, "Mek" Network of Furniture Stores, Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory, "Ararat" cement Factory, "Aviaservice" JSC, "Multi Stone" stone Processing Company, "Multi Rest House" Company, "Global Motors" CJSC, "Multi City House" Company and other companies and organizations.

In 2002, Yerevan Ararat Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory was given a new lease of life after having a new owner and after becoming a part of Multi Group Concern. With the efforts made by Gagik Tsarukyan 50 million US dollar-equivalent Armenian drams were invested for the modernization and constructional works, in obtainment of new line of bottling and oak barrels. Gagik Tsarukyan took care of one matter the essence of which lies in the specialists and technologists of the factory restoring the factory's wealth of experience that was accumulated during many years of the company’s existence by means of the old manuscripts, museum exhibits and family archives. The lost glorious name Armenian Cognac was also restored. "Ararat" Brandy-Wine-Vodka Factory is one of the unique factories, where 50 and more years old cognac spirits are kept. Currently there are several claims pending at Armenian and international courts. A German investment fund accuses Multigroup of having deprived them from their right of ownership.

Gagik Tsarukyan and sports

Sports Achievements

Tsarukyan took part in sports since his school years. He went for boxing, wrestling and arm wrestling. Tsarukyan graduated from Armenian State university of Physical Education in 1989 was a teacher of physical education and sports and also a wrestling coach. Tsarukyan had achievements in sports, in 1996 he was given a title of world champion in arm-wrestling, and in 1998 champion of Europe.

Gagik Tsarukyan – The president of Armenian National Olympic Committee

Tsarukyan is the president of Armenian National Olympic Committee, was reelected in 2004. Armenian athletes under the leadership of Gagik Tsarukyan showed an unprecedented result during 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, returning with 6 bronze medals.

On December 4, 2008 Gagik Tsarukyan was unanimously reelected as NOCA president by the general assembly of Armenian National Olympic Committee.

Political Activity

Gagik Tsarukyan has been engaged in politics since 2000-s. Three years later during third convocation of National Assembly elections which took place on May 25, 2003 Gagik Tsarukyan was elected as NA deputy from 42 electoral district. During NA third convocation years Gagik Tsarukyan acted as independent deputy, was not represented in any faction or any deputy group. From 2003 till 2007 Gagik Tsarukyan was the member of RA NA Defense, National security and Interior affairs standing committee.

"Prosperous Armenia" Party establishment

Tsarukyan established "Prosperous Armenia" Party in 2004. In that same year, during the first congress of "Prosperous Armenia’ Party which took place on April 30, 2004, Gagik Tsarukyan was elected as the president of the Party. As a result of National Assembly elections which took place on May 12, 2007 "Prosperous Armenia" Party led by Mr. Tsarukyan got 204 443 votes receiving 25 mandates in NA. During the fourth congress of "Prosperous Armenia" Party which took place on February 12, 2009, Tsarukyan was reelected as the president of the party. As a result of "Prosperous Armenia" Party fourth congress 93 member PAP political council was elected. Gagik Tsarukyan is the chairman of newly elected PAP Political council.

Gagik Tsarukyan–the chairman of NA "Prosperous Armenia" Party faction

"Prosperous Armenia" Party has 27 deputies in Armenia's National Assembly and Prosperous Armenia faction led by Gagik Tsarukyan, is the second in NA by its number of representatives. There are 25 members in "Prosperous Armenia" faction. Deputies Martun Grigoryan and Rustam Gasparyan are also the members of Prosperous Armenia Party.

Business assets

Tsarukian owns a dozen big businesses and rose to prominence in the late 1990s as a minority shareholder in a French-owned brewery in Abovian. His business empire has since expanded dramatically, aided by his close ties with then President Robert Kocharian.

Tsarukian's holding company is "Multi Group" which comprises over 40 small and large businesses. In March 2006, Tsarukian sold his 29 percent stake in the Kotayk brewery to French beer magnate Pierre Castel for about $4 million.

Businesses that are part of the Multi Group conglomerate include: Multi Lion, Armenia's leading supplier of liquefied gas to households, cars and buses, is fifty percent owned by Multi Group and fifty percent owned by Aleksandr Sarkisian, the brother of Armenia's president Serge Sarkisian. Multi Stone, stone processing company Yerevan Ararat Brandy, Wine and Vodka Factory Tsarukyan is curretnly accused of having deprived ownership rights of other investors in this company. Currently there are several court hearings pending.

Low income reporting and tax payments

Despite maintaining an extravagant lifestyle, Tsarukian's companies post only modest revenues. His cement factory in Ararat -- officially the most profitable of his businesses—occupies only the 45th place in the Armenian Statistical Service's annual ranking of tax payers, with tax contributions totaling 1.3 billion drams in 2007 (about $3.8 million USD in 2007). In contrast, another smaller Ararat-based plant (which smelts gold ore) paid more taxes despite standing idle during much of 2007 due to a change of ownership.

Despite being lucrative, the vast majority of Tsarukian's Multi Group businesses were not included in the list of the country's leading corporate taxpayers released by the Armenian government in early 2005.

Awards and medals

In 2002 Tsarukyan was awarded with St. Grigor Lousavorich order by the Supreme Patriarch of all Armenians Garegin II highly evaluating Mr. Tsarukyan‘s activity towards church construction.

In 2003 upon the decree determined by the president of the Republic of Armenia Robert Kocharyan the president of Armenian National Olympic Committee Gagik Tsarukyan, who had his great input in the development of RA sports, was honored with Movses Khorenatsi medal.

On September 17, 2008 upon RA president Serzh Sargsyan decree, Tsarukyan was honored with "Services provided to the motherland" first rank medal for the great input he had in the development of RA sports and physical education.

On May 11, 2009 Tsarukyan was awarded with "European of the year" by the International European movement.

On September 12, 2009 European Judo Federation honored NOCA president Gagik Tsarukyan with gold medal.

References

Tsarukyan accused of depriving German firm from its ownership in Yerevan Ararat Wine Factory

Stockholders take Gagik Tsarukyan´s Yerevan Ararat Wine Factory to court

Ostinvestor vs Yerevan Ararat Wine Factory Trial

Due to Tsarukyan, German firm considers Armenia as unsafe place for investments

Will Tsarukyan Pay German Firm?

Video Materials

THE PRESIDENT OF ARMENIAN NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE GAGIK TSARUKYAN AWARDED 13 PERSPECTIVE ATHLETES WITH CERTIFICATES OF MASTERS OF INTERNATIONAL SPORTS

THE PRESIDENT OF ARMENIAN NATIONAL OLYMPIC COMMITTEE GAGIK TSARUKYAN MET ATHLETES WHO RETURNED TO ARMENIA WITH BRONZE MEDALS

THE SPEECH OF "PROSPEROUS ARMENIA" PARTY LEADER GAGIK TSARUKYAN AT THE FOURTH CONGRESS OF THE PARTY

GAGIK TSARUKYAN RECEIVED THE RANK OF HONORABLE CITIZEN OF NOR-HACHN

GAGIK TSARUKYAN "WE MUST EVALUATE THE BEST ARMENIAN ATHLETE OF 20TH CENTURY"

"PROSPEROUS ARMENIA" PARTY LEADER GAGIK TSARUKYAN WILL NOT PARTICIPATE IN "BJNI" COMPULSORY AUCTION

GAGIK TSARUKYAN STATES HIS POINT OF VIEW TOWARDS WORLD FINANCIAL CRISIS

GAGIK TSARUKYAN " THERE WILL BE NO JOB DESTRUCTION"

GAGIK TSARUKYAN "Animal Cruelty"

External links

Information about Gagik Tsarukyan and his family in "Prosperous Armenia" Party website

Biographical information about Gagik Tsarukyan in RA National Assembly website

Video materials about the Gagik Tsarukyan’s activities in Youtube

Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Prosperous Armenia politicians Category:Armenian sport wrestlers Category:Armenian sports officials Category:Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture alumni

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