*Armenia, Geography Location: Southeastern Europe, between Turkey and Azerbaijan Map references: Africa, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total area: 29,800 km2 land area: 28,400 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland Land boundaries: total 1,254 km, Azerbaijan (east) 566 km, Azerbaijan (south) 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none; landlocked International disputes: violent and longstanding dispute with Azerbaijan over ethnically Armenian exclave of Nagorno-Karabakh; some irredentism by Armenians living in southern Georgia; traditional demands on former Armenian lands in Turkey have greatly subsided Climate: continental, hot, and subject to drought Terrain: high Armenian Plateau with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley Natural resources: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina Land use: arable land: 29% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 15% forest and woodland: 0% other: 56% Irrigated land: 3,050 km2 (1990) Environment: pollution of Razdan and Aras Rivers; air pollution in Yerevan; energy blockade has led to deforestation as citizens scavenge for firewood, use of Lake Sevan water for hydropower has lowered lake level, threatened fish population Note: landlocked *Armenia, People Population: 3,481,207 (July 1993 est.) Population growth rate: 1.23% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 25.79 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 6.77 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: -6.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Infant mortality rate: 28.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.77 years male: 68.36 years female: 75.36 years (1993 est.) Total fertility rate: 3.31 children born/woman (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: Armenian(s) adjective: Armenian Ethnic divisions: Armenian 93%, Azeri 3%, Russian 2%, other 2% Religions: Armenian Orthodox 94% Languages: Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2% Literacy: age 9-49 can read and write (1970) total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% Labor force: 1.63 million by occupation: industry and construction 42%, agriculture and forestry 18%, other 40% (1990) *Armenia, Government Names: conventional long form: Republic of Armenia conventional short form: Armenia local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun local short form: Hayastan former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic Digraph: AM Type: republic Capital: Yerevan Administrative divisions: none (all rayons are under direct republic jurisdiction) Independence: 23 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) Constitution: adopted NA April 1978; post-Soviet constitution not yet adopted Legal system: based on civil law system National holiday: NA Political parties and leaders: Armenian National Movement, Husik LAZARYAN, chairman; National Democratic Union; National Self-Determination Association; Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization, Ramkavar AZATAKAN, chairman; Dashnatktsutyan Party (Armenian Revolutionary Federation, ARF), Rouben MIRZAKHANIN; Chairman of Parliamentary opposition - Mekhak GABRIYELYAN; Christian Democratic Union; Constitutional Rights Union; Republican Party Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Elections: President: last held 16 October 1991 (next to be held NA); results - Levon Akopovich TER-PETROSYAN 86%; radical nationalists about 7%; note - Levon TER-PETROSYAN was elected Chairman of the Armenian Supreme Soviet 4 August 1990 Supreme Soviet: last held 20 May 1990 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (240 total) non-aligned 149, Armenian National Movement 52, Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization 14, Dashnatktsutyan 12, National Democratic Union 9, Christian Democratic Union 1, Constitutional Rights Union 1, National Self-Determination Association 1, Republican Party 1 Executive branch: president, council of ministers, prime minister Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Soviet Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: President Levon Akopovich TER-PETROSYAN (since 16 October 1991), Vice President Gagik ARUTYUNYAN (since 16 October 1991) *Armenia, Government Head of Government: Prime Minister Hrant BAGRATYAN (since NA February 1993); Supreme Soviet Chairman Babken ARARKTSYAN (since NA 1990) Member of: BSEC, CIS, CSCE, EBRD, IBRD, ICAO, IMF, NACC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Rouben SHUGARIAN chancery: 122 C Street NW, Suite 360, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: (202) 628-5766 US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Designate Harry GILMORE embassy: 18 Gen Bagramian, Yerevan mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: (7) (885) 215-1122, 215-1144 FAX: (7) (885) 215-1122 Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and gold *Armenia, Economy Overview: Armenia under the old centrally planned Soviet system had built up textile, machine-building, and other industries and had become a key supplier to sister republics. In turn, Armenia had depended on supplies of raw materials and energy from the other republics. Most of these supplies enter the republic by rail through Azerbaijan (85%) and Georgia (15%). The economy has been severely hurt by ethnic strife with Azerbaijan over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, a mostly Armenian-populated enclave within the national boundaries of Azerbaijan. In addition to outright warfare, the strife has included interdiction of Armenian imports on the Azerbaijani railroads and expensive airlifts of supplies to beleaguered Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. An earthquake in December 1988 destroyed about one-tenth of industrial capacity and housing, the repair of which has not been possible because the supply of funds and real resources has been disrupted by the reorganization and subsequent dismantling of the central USSR administrative apparatus. Among facilities made unserviceable by the earthquake are the Yerevan nuclear power plant, which had supplied 40% of Armenia's needs for electric power and a plant that produced one-quarter of the output of elevators in the former USSR. Armenia has some deposits of nonferrous metal ores (bauxite, copper, zinc, and molybdenum) that are largely unexploited. For the mid-term, Armenia's economic prospects seem particularly bleak because of ethnic strife and the unusually high dependence on outside areas, themselves in a chaotic state of transformation. The dramatic drop in output in 1992 is attributable largely to the cumulative impact of the blockade; of particular importance was the shutting off in the summer of 1992 of rail and road links to Russia through Georgia due to civil strife in the latter republic. National product: GDP $NA National product real growth rate: -34% (1992) National product per capita: $NA Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% per month (first quarter 1993) Unemployment rate: 2% of officially registered unemployed but large numbers of underemployed Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA Exports: $30 million to outside the successor states of the former USSR (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, light industrial products, processed food items (1991) partners: NA Imports: $300 million from outside the successor statees of the former USSR (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: machinery, energy, consumer goods (1991) partners: NA External debt: $650 million (December 1991 est.) Industrial production: growth rate -50% (1992 est.) *Armenia, Economy Electricity: 2,875,000 kW capacity; 9,000 million kWh produced, 2,585 kWh per capita (1992) Industries: diverse, including (in percent of output of former USSR) metalcutting machine tools (5.5%), forging-pressing machines (1.9%), electric motors (9%), tires (1.5%), knitted wear (4.4%), hosiery (3.0%), shoes (2.2%), silk fabric (0.8%), washing machines (2.0%), chemicals, trucks, watches, instruments, and microelectronics (1990) Agriculture: accounts for about 20% of GDP; only 29% of land area is arable; employs 18% of labor force; citrus, cotton, and dairy farming; vineyards near Yerevan are famous for brandy and other liqueurs Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis mostly for domestic consumption; used as a transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe Economic aid: wheat from US, Turkey Currency: retaining Russian ruble as currency (January 1993) Exchange rates: rubles per US$1 - 415 (24 December 1992) but subject to wide fluctuations Fiscal year: calendar year *Armenia, Communications Railroads: 840 km; does not include industrial lines (1990) Highways: 11,300 km total; 10,500 km hard surfaced, 800 km earth (1990) Inland waterways: NA km Pipelines: natural gas 900 km (1991) Ports: none; landlocked Airports: total: 12 useable: 10 with permanent-surface runways: 6 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 3 Telecommunications: progress on installation of fiber optic cable and construction of facilities for mobile cellular phone service remains in the negotiation phase for joint venture agreement; Armenia has about 260,000 telephones, of which about 110,000 are in Yerevan; average telephone density is 8 per 100 persons; international connections to other former republics of the USSR are by landline or microwave and to other countries by satellite and by leased connection through the Moscow international gateway switch; broadcast stations - 100% of population receives Armenian and Russian TV programs; satellite earth station - INTELSAT *Armenia, Defense Forces Branches: Army, Air Force, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops) Manpower availability: males age 15-49 848,223; fit for military service 681,058; reach military age (18) annually 28,101 (1993 est.) Defense expenditures: 250 million rubles, NA% of GDP (1992 est.); note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results