Armenia

<p>Armenia prides itself on being the first state to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Armenia has existed as a political entity for centuries, but for much of its history it was under the sway of various empires, including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, Ottoman, and Russian. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire instituted a policy of forced resettlement that, coupled with other harsh practices targeting its Armenian subjects, resulted in at least 1 million deaths; these actions have been widely recognized as constituting genocide. During the early 19th century, significant Armenian populations fell under Russian rule. Armenia declared its independence in 1918 in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, but it was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenia, along with Azerbaijan and Georgia, was initially incorporated into the USSR as part of the Transcaucasian Federated Soviet Socialist Republic; in 1936, the republic was separated into its three constituent entities, which were maintained until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.</p> <p>For over three decades, Armenia had a longstanding conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan about the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which historically had a mixed Armenian and Azerbaijani population, although ethnic Armenians have constituted the majority since the late 19th century. In 1921, Moscow placed Nagorno-Karabakh within Soviet Azerbaijan as an autonomous oblast. In the late Soviet period, a separatist movement developed that sought to end Azerbaijani control over the region. Fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988 and escalated after Armenia and Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By the time a cease-fire took effect in 1994, separatists with Armenian support controlled Nagorno‑Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani territories. Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in a second military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020; Armenia lost control over much of the territory it had previously captured, returning the southern part of Nagorno-Karabakh and the territories around it to Azerbaijan. In September 2023, Azerbaijan took military action to regain control over Nagorno-Karabakh; after an armed conflict that lasted only one day, nearly the entire ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh fled to Armenia.</p> <p>Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan during the first period of conflict with Armenia and has since maintained a closed border, leaving Armenia with closed borders both in the west (with Turkey) and east (with Azerbaijan). Armenia and Turkey engaged in intensive diplomacy to normalize relations and open the border in 2009, but the signed agreement was not ratified in either country. In 2015, Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union alongside Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. In 2017, Armenia signed a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the EU.</p> <p>In 2018, former President of Armenia (2008-18) Serzh SARGSIAN of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) tried to extend his time in power, prompting protests that became known as the “Velvet Revolution.” After SARGSIAN resigned, the National Assembly elected the leader of the protests, Civil Contract party chief Nikol PASHINYAN, as the new prime minister. PASHINYAN’s party has prevailed in subsequent legislative elections, most recently in 2021. </p>

Southwestern Asia, between Turkey (to the west) and Azerbaijan; note - Armenia views itself as part of Europe; geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within Europe, the Middle East, or both

40 00 N, 45 00 E

Asia

slightly smaller than Maryland

0 km (landlocked)

none (landlocked)

highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley

small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite

1,559 sq km (2022)

most of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the capital of Yerevan is home to more than five times as many people as Gyumri, the second-largest city in the country

occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts

landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range

Armenian 98.1%, Yezidi 1.1%; less than 1%: Russian, other, Assyrian, Kurd, Ukrainian, Greek (2022 est.)

Armenian Apostolic 95.2%, not stated 1.7%; less than 1%: Catholic, no religion, Evangelical, Shar-fadinian, other, Armenian Orthodox, Jehovah's Witness, Pagan, Molokan (2022 est.)

-0.45% (2025 est.)

10.24 births/1,000 population (2025 est.)

9.6 deaths/1,000 population (2025 est.)

-5.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2025 est.)

most of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the capital of Yerevan is home to more than five times as many people as Gyumri, the second-largest city in the country

1.095 million YEREVAN (capital) (2023)

25.2 years (2019 est.)

19 deaths/100,000 live births (2023 est.)

1.66 children born/woman (2025 est.)

0.8 (2025 est.)

3.36 physicians/1,000 population (2022)

4.6 beds/1,000 population (2020 est.)

20.2% (2016)

2.6% (2016 est.)

61.5% (2022 est.)

soil pollution from toxic chemicals; deforestation; river pollution; threats to drinking water supplies from use of hydropower; nuclear power plant located in earthquake zone

highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

28.4 micrograms per cubic meter (2019 est.)

7.769 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

parliamentary democracy; note - constitutional changes adopted in December 2015 transformed the government to a parliamentary system

11 provinces (<em>marzer</em>, singular - <em>marz</em>); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan

civil law system

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

Armenia Alliance or HD<br>Armenian National Congress or ANC<br>Bright Armenia or BA<br>Civil Contract or KP<br>Hanrapetutyun Party or HP<br>Heritage<br>I Have Honor Alliance (formerly known as the Republican Party of Armenia) PUD<br>Orinats Yerkir or OY<br>Prosperous Armenia or PAP

ADB, BSEC, CD, CE, CIS, CSTO, EAEC (observer), EAEU, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNOOSA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

21 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union); notable earlier dates: 321 B.C. (Kingdom of Armenia established under the Orontid Dynasty), A.D. 884 (Armenian Kingdom reestablished under the Bagratid Dynasty); 1198 (Cilician Kingdom established); 28 May 1918 (Democratic Republic of Armenia declared)

Independence Day, 21 September (1991)

<strong>description:</strong> three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange<br><br><strong>meaning:</strong> red stands for the blood shed for liberty, blue for the Armenian skies and hope, and orange for the land and the courage of the workers who farm it

Mount Ararat, eagle, lion

red, blue, orange

<p>upper-middle income, fast-growing Caucasus economy; stable fiscal and monetary regime but vulnerable to geopolitical shocks; economic and energy ties to Russia but seeking more EU and US trade; key copper and gold exporter; business-friendly and anti-corruption reforms; persistent unemployment; influx of migrants from Ukraine war easing</p>

$25.787 billion (2024 est.)

milk, potatoes, grapes, vegetables, wheat, tomatoes, watermelons, apricots, apples, barley (2023)

brandy, mining, diamond processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging and pressing machines, electric motors, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry, software, food processing

6.2% (2024 est.)

1.51 million (2024 est.)

24.8% (2022 est.)

22.5% (of GDP) (2023 est.)

Russia 37%, UAE 25%, Hong Kong 7%, China 5%, Georgia 4% (2023)

gold, diamonds, copper ore, broadcasting equipment, jewelry (2023)

Russia 29%, China 12%, Vietnam 6%, Georgia 5%, Iran 4% (2023)

cars, gold, diamonds, broadcasting equipment, natural gas (2023)

government-run Public Television network operates alongside 100 privately owned TV stations that provide local to near-nationwide coverage; three Russian TV companies are broadcast under interstate agreements; subscription cable TV services are available in most regions; several major international broadcasters are available, including CNN; Armenian TV completed conversion from analog to digital broadcasting in 2016; Public Radio of Armenia is a national, state-run broadcast network that operates alongside 18 privately owned radio stations (2024)

.am

EK

11 (2025)

1 (2025)

Armenian Republic Armed Forces: Armenian Army (includes land, air, air defense forces) (2025)

approximately 40-50,000 active Armenian Armed Forces (2025)

the military's inventory includes mostly Russian and Soviet-era equipment; in recent years however, Armenia has looked to other countries besides Russia to provide military hardware, including France and India (2025)

18-27 for voluntary (men and women), contract (men and women) or compulsory (men) military service; contract military service is 3-12 months or up to 5 years; conscripts serve 24 months; all citizens aged 27-50 are registered in the military reserve and may be called to serve if mobilization is declared (2025)

the Armenian Armed Forces were officially established in 1992, although their origins go back to 1918; the modern military’s missions include deterrence, territorial defense, crisis management, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response, as well as socio-economic development projects; territorial defense is its primary focus, particularly in regards to tensions with neighboring Azerbaijan; Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in open conflicts over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh enclave in 1991-94 and 2020; Azerbaijan seized the entire enclave in 2023 <br><br>Armenia has traditionally had close military ties with Russia; it has been a member of the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) since 1994 and committed troops to CSTO's rapid reaction force until suspending its engagement in 2024; Armenia has relations with NATO going back to 1992 when Armenia joined the North Atlantic Cooperation Council; in 1994, it joined NATO’s Partnership for Peace program and has contributed to the NATO force in Kosovo, as well as the former NATO deployment in Afghanistan (2025)