Armenia
Republic of Armenia
Capital: Yerevan
History
Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in at least 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey closed the common border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan in its conflict with Armenia over control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas, further hampering Armenian economic growth. In 2009, senior Armenian leaders began pursuing rapprochement with Turkey, aiming to secure an opening of the border, but Turkey has not yet ratified the Protocols normalizing relations between the two countries.
Geography
Metric Units
|
Total Area
|
29,743
sq km
|
| Land Boundaries |
1,254
km
|
| Border Countries |
Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km |
| Coastline |
0
km
|
| Terrain |
Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley |
| Minimum Elevation |
400
m
|
| Maximum Elevation |
4,090
m
|
| Climate |
highland continental, hot summers, cold winters |
| Natural Resources |
small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite |
| Arable Land |
14.47% |
| Permanent Crops |
1.8% |
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$1.5 billion |
| Export Items |
pig iron, unwrought copper, nonferrous metals, diamonds, mineral products, foodstuffs, energy |
| Export Partners |
Russia 16.7%, Germany 11.8%, Bulgaria 11.4%, Netherlands 8.8%, Iran 8%, US 7.5%, Spain 6.2%, Belgium 5.3%, Canada 5.3%, Georgia 4.6% (2011) |
| Imports |
$3.27 billion |
| Import Items |
natural gas, petroleum, tobacco products, foodstuffs, diamonds |
| Import Partners |
Russia 20.1%, China 8.2%, Ukraine 6.9%, Iran 6.5%, Germany 5.9%, Italy 4.7%, Turkey 4% (2011) |
People
Energy
