 |
Armenia: Great Destination for travelers |
|
|
Submitted by Rashida Murrell
| RSS Feed
| Add Comment
| Bookmark Me!
Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia & Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
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, & Ottoman. It was incorporated into Russia in 1828 & the USSR in 1920.
By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, 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 imposed an economic blockade on Armenia & closed the common border because of the Armenian occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh & surrounding areas.
Geography
Government: Republic
Armenia is located in the southern Caucasus & is the smallest of the former Soviet republics. It is bounded by Georgia on the north, Azerbaijan on the east, Iran on the south, & Turkey on the west. Contemporary Armenia is a fraction of the size of ancient Armenia. A land of rugged mountains & extinct volcanoes, its highest point is Mount Aragats, 13,435 ft (4,095 m).
Prime Minister: Andranik Markarian (2000)
President: Robert Kocharian (1998)
Area: 11,506 sq mi (29,800 sq km)
Population (2004 est.): 2,991,360 (growth rate: -0.3%); (Armenian, 93%; others, Kurds, Ukrainians, & Russians); birth rate: 11.4/1000; kid mortality rate: 24.2/1000; life expectancy: 71.2; density per sq mi: 260
Capital & largest city: Yerevan, 1,462,700 (metro. area), 1,267,600 (city proper)
Other large cities: Vanadzor, 147,400; Gyumri (Leninakan), 125,300; Abovian, 59,300
Monetary unit: Dram
Language: Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%
Religion: Armenian Apostolic 94%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi 2%
Ethnicity/race: Armenian 93%, Russian 2%, Azeri 1%, other (mostly Yezidi Kurds) 4% (2002).
Note: as of the end of 1993, virtually all Azeris had emigrated from Armenia
|
|
|
|
|
LinkedIn Recommendation:
 Demetrius Reardon - Search Engine Optimization Manager at Blue Galaxy Marketing - I just attended Teo's LinkedIn workshop and am getting more information on how to use it. Great stuff. He told us everything there was to know about LinkedIn in one sentence. Then went into details, then added some optional ways to use it, just so much information so quickly... I had a little trouble keeping up, but he kept coming back to that one sentence to show how it all fits. It really is easy! Love Teo's style! He's got a lot of energy and would love to meet him in person someday! - March 17, 2012, Demetrius was Teo's client |
|
Featured [Travelers] Articles:
|
|
