The Republic of Armenia is a land-locked county located in the Caucasus region of what was formerly the Soviet Union. It is bordered on the north by Georgia, on the west by Turkey, and on the south by Iran and on the east by Azerbaijan. The capital city is Yerevan and the total area of the country is 11,500 square miles (29,800 square kilometers), which is slightly larger than Maryland.
Armenia has an ancient civilization, dating back to classical times. Between the 4th and 19th centuries it was ruled by Turks, Persians, Arabs, Mongols and Byzantines. The present area of the Republic of Armenia was incorporated into the Russian Empire in the 19th century and enjoyed a brief period of independence after the Russian Revolution. For the next 70 years, until it regained its independence in 1991, it belonged to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Since independence, Armenia has been locked in a dispute with Azerbaijan over the predominantly Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is located in Azerbaijan.
Armenia has a republican form of government, with a president as a head of state and a unicameral legislature, called the National Assembly. The latest constitution, adopted in 2005, increases the legislature’s power, but both it and the judiciary are still subject to political influence from the executive branch.
Its population was estimated at nearly three million in 2009 and 98 percent of the population is Armenian. The official language is Armenian, an Indo-European language with a unique alphabet. It is spoken by 96 percent of the population.
Armenia adopted Christianity in the AD 301 and it has its own national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is independent of both the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. More than 90 percent of Armenians are at least nominal members.
Its monetary unit is the Dram.
Web Sites
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Armenia.
Databases
Enter Armenia in these databases:
**Survey: Provide Feedback About the Web Site, Including This Page**