Facts & Figures

General information: 

Full name	The Republic of Armenia
Population	3.018 million (World Bank, 2015)
Capital	Yerevan (density 5196 hab/km²)
Area	29,743 sq km (11,484 sq miles)
Borders	1,254 MK
Border countries	Azerbaijan; Georgia; Iran; Turkey
Major language	Armenian
Major religion	Christianity
Life expectancy	71 years (men), 77 years (women) (UN)
National holiday	21 September (independence from U.S.S.R: 1991)
Legal system	Civil law system
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal
Monetary unit	509.28 AMD = 1 euro
Main exports	Processed diamonds, machinery, metal products, cognac, wine and agricultural products
GNI per capita	US $8,720 (World Bank, 2011)
GDP in 2015	$10.56          billion (World Bank, 2015)
GDP growth in 2015	3.0% (World Bank, 2015)
National symbols	Mount Ararat, eagle, lion; national colors: red, blue, orange
Flag description	Three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange; red recalls the blood shed for liberty, blue the Armenian skies as well as hope, and orange the land and the courage of the workers who farm it

 

 

Economic information:

Under the Soviet central planning system, Armenia developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to other republics, in exchange for raw materials and energy. Armenia has since switched to small-scale agriculture, and away from the large agro industrial complexes of the Soviet era. Armenia has only two open trade borders – Iran and Georgia – because Azerbaijan and Turkey closed their borders with Armenia since respectively in 1991 and 1993 putting Armenia in the blockade because of ongoing conflict between.

Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

The Republic of Armenia has been a member of World Trade Organisation since 5 February 2003.

Armenia was included in the Eastern Partnership Policy in 2004 which benefits from the European Neighborhood Instrument (ENI).

Composition by sector

• agriculture: 19.4%
• industry: 28.7%
• services: 51.9%

 

Political information:

• The first Constitution was adopted on 5 July 1995. The second Constitution was adopted on 27  November 2005. As a result of a nationwide referendum, on December 6, 2015,  Constitution of the Republic of Armenia was amended, which resulted in Armenia changing its form of government from a presidential to a parliamentary republic
• The President of the Republic of Armenia is the head of the State and is elected for a five-year term by the people (absolute majority with 2nd round if necessary)
• In the current constitution National Assembly controls the executive branch and is responsible for supervising the budget. It is composed of at least 131 seats.
• The Prime Minister is elected by the National Assembly (majority of vote of the total number of parliamentarians)
• Currently the National Assembly of Armenia is composed as follows: Republican Party (69 deputies), Prosperous Armenia (33), Armenian National Congress (7), Rule of Law (5), Armenian Revolutionary Federation (5), Heritage (4), Independents (7). Please click here to read our short paper from April 2012 “Armenia 2012: An introduction to the political party landscape“.

 

Political parties and leaders

Armenian National Congress or ANC (bloc of independent and opposition parties) [Levon TER-PETROSSIAN]

Armenian National Movement or ANM [Ararat ZURABIAN]

Armenian Revolutionary Federation or ARF (“Dashnak” Party) [Hrant MARKARIAN]

Heritage Party [Raffi HOVHANNISIAN]

People’s Party of Armenia [Stepan DEMIRCHIAN]

Prosperous Armenia [Naira ZOHRABYAN]

Republican Party of Armenia or RPA [Serzh SARGSYAN]

Rule of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir) [Artur BAGHDASARIAN]

 

Cultural Aspects:

Genocide Remembrance Day:  Since the 1920s,  24 April  is the day Armenians commemorate the victims of Armenian Genocide, the most tragic element of Armenian history. Please click here to learn more.

Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin: The oldest state-built church in the world, listed among the UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Please click here to learn more.

Khachkars: Literally ‘stone crosses’ are one of the most characteristic symbols of Armenian identity. Please click here to know more.

Duduk: Traditional Armenian musical instrument, which is like a double-reed oboe. Please click here to learn more.

Armenian dances: Kochary, Berd and Yarkhushta. Please click here to see an example on an Armenian dance.

Armenian BRANDY: As Winston Churchil once said: “Never be late for dinner, smoke Havaiian cigars and drink Armenian cognac.” Please click here to learn more.