Armenia Travel Podcast with Aram Petrosyan

Location

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

Terrain

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

Climate

Highland continental, hot summers, cold winters

Elevation

Highest point

Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m

Lowest point

Debed River 400 m

Mean elevation

1,792 m

Area

Total

29,743 sq km

Land

28,203 sq km

Water

1,540 sq km

Size comparison

Slightly smaller than Maryland

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Land borders

Total

1,570 km

Border countries

Azerbaijan 996 km; Georgia 219 km; Iran 44 km; Turkey 311 km

Natural resources

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

Land use

Agricultural land

58.6% (2023 est.)

Arable land

15.7% (2023 est.)

Permanent crops

2.2% (2023 est.)

Permanent pasture

41.5% (2023 est.)

Forest

11.8% (2023 est.)

Other

13.5% (2023 est.)

Natural hazards

Occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts

Note

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

Population

Total

2,963,837 (2025 est.)

Male

1,451,842

Female

1,511,995

Nationality

Noun

Armenian(s)

Adjective

Armenian

Ethnic groups

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

Languages

Languages

Armenian 97.2%, Russian 1.4%, Ezidian 1.0%; less than 1%: other, unknown (2022)

Major-language sample(s)

Աշխարհի Փաստագիրք, Անփոխարինելի Աղբյւր Հիմնական Տեղեկատվւթյան. (Armenian)

Religions

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.)

Median age

Total

39.5 years (2025 est.)

Male

37.6 years

Female

40.3 years

Life expectancy

Total population

76.7 years (2024 est.)

Male

73.4 years

Female

80.1 years

Urbanisation

Urban population

63.7% of total population (2023)

Rate of urbanization

0.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

Where people live

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

Largest cities

1.095 million YEREVAN (capital) (2023)

Background

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.

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.

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.

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.

Government

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

Capital

Yerevan

Time zone

UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Local name

Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun

Independence

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)

National day

Independence Day, 21 September (1991)

Overview

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

GDP per capita

Real GDP per capita 2024

$20,100 (2024 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2023

$19,400 (2023 est.)

Real GDP per capita 2022

$17,900 (2022 est.)

Inflation

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2024

0.3% (2024 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2023

2% (2023 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2022

8.6% (2022 est.)

Unemployment

Unemployment rate 2024

13.4% (2024 est.)

Unemployment rate 2023

13.3% (2023 est.)

Unemployment rate 2022

13.4% (2022 est.)

Exchange rate

Currency

Drams (AMD) per US dollar -

Exchange rates 2024

392.73 (2024 est.)

Exchange rates 2023

392.476 (2023 est.)

Exchange rates 2022

435.666 (2022 est.)

Exchange rates 2021

503.77 (2021 est.)

Exchange rates 2020

489.009 (2020 est.)

Main industries

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

Agriculture

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

Airports

11 (2025)

Railways

Total 686 km (2017)

Internet domain

.am

Internet users

Percent of population 80% (2023 est.)

Mobile subscriptions

Total subscriptions

4.01 million (2024 est.)

Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants

135 (2024 est.)

Environmental issues

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

Fresh water

7.769 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)