Armenia

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Armenia

General Information
Geography
Government
Economy
Population
Health
Communications and media
Chronology


GENERAL INFORMATION

National name Hayastani Hanrapetoutioun/Republic of Armenia Area 29,800 sq km/11,505 sq mi Capital Yerevan Language Armenian (official) Religion Armenian Orthodox Time difference GMT +4 Major holidays 1, 6 January, 28–31 March, 24, 28 May, 21 September, 7 December; variable: Good Friday, Easter Monday


GEOGRAPHY

Major towns/cities Gyumri (formerly Leninakan), Vanadzor (formerly Kirovakan), Hrazdan, Aboyvan Physical features mainly mountainous (including Mount Ararat), wooded Airports three international airports; domestic services to most major towns; total passengers carried: 367,000 (2003 est) Railways total length: 711 km/422 mi; total passenger journeys: 1.1 million (2003) Roads total road network: 15,918 km/9,891 mi, of which 96.3% paved (2000 est); passenger cars: 0.3 per 1,000 people (1996 est)


GOVERNMENT

Head of state Robert Kocharian from 1998 Head of government Serge Sargsyan from 2007 Political system authoritarian nationalist Political executive unlimited presidency Administrative divisions 11 provinces, including the capital, Yerevan Political parties Armenian Pan-National Movement (APM), nationalist, left of centre; Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF), centrist (banned in 1994); Communist Party of Armenia (banned 1991–92); National Unity, opposition coalition; Armenian Christian Democratic Union (CDU), moderately right wing; Huchak Armenian Social Democratic Party Death penalty abolished in 2003 Armed forces 48,200 (2006 est) Conscription compulsory for 24 months Defence spend (% GDP) 2.7 (2005 est) Education spend (% GDP) 3.2 (2003 est) Health spend (% GDP) 1.2 (2004)


ECONOMY

Currency dram (replaced Russian rouble in 1993) GDP (US$) 4.9 billion (2005 est) Real GDP growth (% change on previous year) 7.5 (2006 est) GNI (US$) 4.4 billion (2005 est) GNI per capita (PPP) (US$) 5,060 (2005 est) Consumer price inflation 3% (2006 est) Unemployment 9% (2005 est) Labour force 46% agriculture, 16.5% industry, 37.5% services (2003) Foreign debt (US$) 1.2 billion (2004 est) Major trading partners Germany, Russia, Belgium, Israel, the Netherlands, Ukraine Resources copper, zinc, molybdenum, iron, silver, marble, granite Industries food processing and beverages, fertilizers, synthetic rubber, machinery and metal products, textiles, garments Exports precious or semi-precious metals and stones, base metals, mineral products, prepared foodstuffs. Principal market: Germany 15.5% (2005) Imports light industrial products, petroleum and derivatives, industrial raw materials, machinery and equiupment, foodstuffs. Principal source: Russia 13.2% (2005) Arable land 16.8% (2006 est) Agricultural products potatoes, vegetables, fruits, cotton, almonds, olives, figs, cereals; livestock rearing (sheep and cattle)


POPULATION

Population 3,007,400 (2006 est) Population growth rate -0.2% (2005–10) Population density (per sq km) 101 (2006 est) Urban population (% of total) 64 (2005 est) Age distribution (% of total population) 0–14 21%, 15–59 65%, 60+ 14% (2005 est) Ethnic groups 93% of Armenian ethnic descent, 3% Azeri, 2% Russian, and 2% Kurdish Life expectancy 68 (men); 75 (women) (2005–10) Child mortality rate (under 5, per 1,000 live births) 32 (2004) Education (compulsory years) 8 Literacy rate 99% (men); 99% (women) (2004 est)


HEALTH

Physicians (per 10,000 people) 35.3 (2004 est) Hospital beds (per 1,000 people) 4.4 (2003 est) HIV infection (% of population aged 15–49) 0.1 (2005 est) AIDS deaths <500 (2005 est) Access to drinking-water source (% of total population) 99 (urban); 80 (rural) (2002)


COMMUNICATIONS AND MEDIA

Landline telephones (per 100 people) 19.3 (2005 est) Mobile phone subscribers (per 100 people) 10.6 (2005 est) Radios (per 1,000 people) 225 (2001 est) TV sets (per 1,000 people) 293 (2004 est) Personal computer users (per 100 people) 6.6 (2005 est) Internet users (per 100 people) 5 (2005 est)


CHRONOLOGY

6th century BC Armenian peoples moved into the area, which was then part of the Persian Empire. c. 94–56 BC Under King Tigranes II ‘the Great’, Armenia reached the height of its power, becoming the strongest state in the eastern Roman empire. c. AD 300 Christianity became the state religion when the local ruler was converted by St Gregory the Illuminator. c. AD 390 Armenia was divided between Byzantine Armenia, which became part of the Byzantine Empire, and Persarmenia, under Persian control. 886–1045 Became independent under the Bagratid monarchy. 13th century After being overrun by the Mongols, a substantially independent Little Armenia survived until 1375. early 16th century Conquered by Muslim Ottoman Turks. 1813–28 Russia took control of eastern Armenia. late 19th century Revival in Armenian culture and national spirit, provoking Ottoman backlash in western Armenia and international concern at Armenian maltreatment: the ‘Armenian Question’. 1894–96 Armenians were massacred by Turkish soldiers in an attempt to suppress unrest. 1915 Suspected of pro-Russian sympathies, two-thirds of Armenia's population of 2 million were deported to Syria and Palestine. Around 600,000 to 1 million died en route: the survivors contributed towards an Armenian diaspora in Europe and North America. 1916 Armenia was conquered by tsarist Russia and became part of a brief ‘Transcaucasian Alliance’ with Georgia and Azerbaijan. 1918 Armenia became an independent republic. 1920 Occupied by Red Army of Soviet Union (USSR), but western Armenia remained part of Turkey and northwest Iran. 1936 Became constituent republic of USSR; rapid industrial development. late 1980s Armenian ‘national reawakening’, encouraged by glasnost (openness) initiative of Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. 1988 Around 20,000 people died in an earthquake. 1989 Strife-torn Nagorno-Karabakh placed under direct rule from Moscow; civil war erupted with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and Nakhichevan, an Azerbaijani-peopled enclave in Armenia. 1990 Independence declared, but ignored by Moscow and the international community. 1991 After collapse of USSR, Armenia joined new Commonwealth of Independent States. Nagorno-Karabakh declared its independence. 1992 Armenia recognized as independent state by USA and admitted into United Nations (UN). 1993 Armenian forces gained control of more than a fifth of Azerbaijan, including much of Nagorno-Karabakh. 1994 Nagorno-Karabakh ceasefire ended conflict. 1997 Border fighting with Azerbaijan. 1999 Prime Minister Vazgen Sarkisian assassinated in October when gunmen burst into parliament and shot him and seven other officials; replaced by his brother, Amen Sarkisian. Six men sentenced to life imprisonment in 2003 for involvement in killings. 2000 President Robert Kocharian dismissed Amen Sarkisian as prime minister; replaced him with Andranik Markarya. 2001 Armenia admitted to Council of Europe. 2003 President Kocharian re-elected; international observers complained of ballot-stuffing. European observers found May parliamentary elections fell short of international standards; pro-presidential candidates won majority of seats. Referendum rejected constitutional amendments affecting role of parliament. Death penalty abolished. 2004 Thousands demonstrated against president. 2005 Proposed constitutional amendments approved in referendum; opposition protested, claiming vote was rigged. 2006 Gas supply severely disrupted after pipeline from Russia, via Georgia, damaged by explosions in Russia. Russian gas price rose by more than 100%. 2007 Dual citizenship legalized, paving way for nation's foreign diaspora to seek naturalization. Prime Minister Andranik Markaryan died suddenly; replaced by Serzh Sarksyan. Sarksyan's Republican Party won almost one-third of vote in parliamentary elections.


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