Armenia Facts

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated April 25, 2020

Armenia, South Caucasus State, Western Asia; 29,800 km², 3 million residents (2019).Armenia borders Georgia in the north, Azerbaijan in the east and south, Iran in the south and Turkey in the south and west. The capital is Yerevan (1.1 million residents, 2019).

Country facts

Hayastani Hanrapetutyoun / Republic of Armenia
Country abbreviation: AM
Area: 29 800 km²
Population (2019): 3 million residents
Capital: Yerevan
Main language: Armenian
State: Republic
Head of State: Armen Sargsyan (President)
Head of Government: Nikol Pasjinian
Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 4,212
GNI per capita (2018): US $ 4,230
Coin unit: 1 dram = 100 louma
Currency code: AMD
Country number (telephony): 374
Internet Domain Name: am
Time difference compared to Sweden: +3
National Day: September 21 (Independence Day, 1991)

Nature

Land use: forest (13%), agricultural land (20%), other (67%)
Highest mountain: Aragats (4,090 m above sea level)
Largest lake: Lake Sevan (1,230 km² )

Population

Population density (2019): 101 residents per km²
Natural population growth (2019): 0.3%; birth rate 12 ‰, death rate 9 ‰
Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (20%), 15-64 (68%), 65- (12%)
Life expectancy (2019): men 72 years, women 79 years
Infant mortality (2019): 7 per 1,000 live births
Population forecast 2050: 2 million residents
HDI (2017): 0.755 (place 83 of 188)
Urbanization rate (2019): 64%
Most populous cities (2019): Yerevan (1.1 million residents), Gjumri (113,800 residents)

Business

Industry’s contribution to GDP (2017): agriculture (17%), industry (28%), service (55%)
Exports (2017): US $ 2 360 million
Main export products: minerals, food, energy
Main exporting countries: Russian Federation, Bulgaria, Switzerland
Imports (2017): US $ 3,770 million
Main import products: fuel, tobacco, food
Main importing countries: Russian Federation, China, Turkey
Railway network (2014): 780 km

Armenian nature is largely characterized by the highlands and mountain ranges of the Lesser Caucasus. Between the mountain ranges are plateaus and deep river valleys. In central Armenia, Lake Sevan is surrounded by high mountain ranges. Along the border with Turkey and Iran, the river Aras flows, surrounded by the fertile and densely populated Ararat plain.

The country’s constitution gives the president, who is elected for five years, a strong position. Parliament is elected in general elections every five years. Armenia declared itself independently in 1991. Nearly the entire population is Christian Armenians; some have moved in after the conflicts with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Business, which is based on the industrial and agricultural industries, was closely linked to the Soviet Union before independence. After independence, the country has had major economic problems. For some time, the industry has had difficulties with the raw material and energy supply. The dry climate and the altitude of the sea mean that the country’s conditions for agriculture are limited, and just over a third of the cultivated land is irrigated.