Armenia

From Imakoopedia

Armenia (Armenian: Hayastan) is a former Soviet Union country that lies in the Caucasus region of southwestern Asia. It is a landlocked country that is surrounded by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Iran to the south, Azerbaijan to the east and Azerbaijan's Naxcivan exclave to the southwest.

Contains Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), the largest lake in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains range.

Table of contents

1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 Climate 4.2 Terrain 4.3 History 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By train 5.3 By car 5.4 By bus 6 Get around 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact

Regions

Administrative divisions 

11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Gegharkunik (Geghark'unik'), Kotayk (Kotayk'), Lori, Shirak, Syunik (Syunik'), Tavush, Vayots Dzor (Vayots' Dzor), Yerevan

Although internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh is de facto independent, ethnically Armenian and only accessible via Armenia. Therefore a link is added from this page as well.

Cities

• Yerevan - Capital
• Gyumri (Shirak Marz) - Second City
• Vanadzor (Lori Marz) - Third City

Other destinations

Bike Armenia Tour Route (http://www.cilicia.com/armo5_bike-armenia.html) - Great route mapped out to see Armenia (and optionally Karabakh) by bike. Do the whole route or pick a leg!

Understand

In the early 1990s Armenians in Karabakh fought for independence from Azerbaijan with support from Armenia, and the Armenian Diaspora. The war was won militarily, but with no diplomatic solution reached. A ceasefire has held since 1993, with minor exceptions. This should not affect the average traveller who should avoid contact lines (obviously!). The only way to reach Karabakh is via Armenia, but if you plan to travel on to Azerbaijan after a visit to Karabakh, get the Karabakh visa on a separate piece of paper. The Armenian/Karabakh borders with Azerbaijan are shut, and Turkey has closed its land border with Armenia in support of its Turkic-Azeri neighbors.

Climate

Highland continental, hot summers, cold winters; experiences droughts. All four seasons in full effect (WET spring, HOT summer, SNOWY/COLD WINTERS.. Come in the fall if you can). Bring lots of layers and be prepared for almost any weather condition.

Terrain

Consists of Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley; Natural hazards : occasionally severe earthquakes.

Elevation extremes 

lowest point: Debed River 400 m (Landlocked)
highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m

Geographic coordinates 

40 00 N, 45 00 E

Area 

total: 29,800 sq km
water: 1,400 sq km
land: 28,400 sq km, slightly smaller than Maryland

History

Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. A blossoming of Armenian architecture and culture took place in the 1200's which was eventually halted by the Mongol invasions. A literary and cultural revival in the late 1800s was repressed in Western Armenia by the Ottoman Turkish government. Eastern Armenia was incorporated into Russia in 1828 and the USSR in 1920. 1915-1921 witnessed the Armenian Genocide by the Ottoman Turkish government, wiping out nearly half of the world's Armenians. Armenian leaders today remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Muslim Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.

Independence 

21 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday 

Independence Day, 21 September (1991)

By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution.

Constitution 

adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995

Get in

Armenia is an isolated, landlocked country. The borders to Turkey and Azerbaijan are closed. This means air travel is the main method used to reach Armenia. Entry by land via Georgia or Iran is easy.

By plane

British Air, Austrian Air, Czech Air and Aeroflot serve Zvartnots airport with weekly flights. Armenian Airlines, the national carrier, currently visits Amsterdam, Istanbul, Frankfurt and a few other major cities via weekly flights also.

By train

International train lines currently only service Georgia, while lines to Turkey and Azerbaijan lie idle.

By car

You can drive to Armenia from either Georgia or Iran. Armenian highways are in great condition overall, thanks to the considerable contributions of the Lincy Foundation.

By bus

Bus service to Iran, Georgia, Turkey and Russia is inexpensive.

Get around

Talk

Armenian is the native language of nearly everyone in Armenia, which is one of the most monoethnic states in the world. However, Russian is almost universally spoken as well and English is becoming much more common throughout the country.

Buy

RUGS! Be prepared to bargain, bargain, bargain!
Vernissage - Every Saturday near Republic Square there is an open market with great shopping for tourists and locals alike.

Eat

Khorovats (BBQ) which can be pork (usually)lamb, chicken or beef. Tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers are also usually bbqed. Try the Piti (stew), Aveluk (greens either fried or as a soup), kamadz matsun (strained yogurt), dolma, khash (boiled pigs feet), and other dishes new to you.

Drink

Alcoholic: Vodka ; tutti oghi (mulberry vodka); honi oghi (cornelian cherry vodka); local beer (Kilikia, Kotayk, Erebuni) ; pomegranate wine ; brandy.

Other: Tan (Buttermilk); Jermuk carbonated water; masuri hyut (rose hip juice); chichkhani hyut (sea buckthorne juice); bali hyut (sour cherry juice) ; Armenian coffee ; herbal teas .

Sleep

Learn

Tufenkian Hospitality often has cultural events. Language is probably best learned with a local tutor. Stop by Brusov school to ask for help finding one.

Work

http://www.careercenter.am has job listings. For volunteer work see http://www.armenianvolunteer.org or http://www.birthrightarmenia.org/

Stay safe

This is one of the safest places I have ever been. I can walk around at 1 or 2 am and if I'm approached, it's for a cigarette or a light. Female travellers are safe on their own, but in pairs may be more comfortable. Recent incidents of wallets being snatched invite the usual precautions.

Stay healthy

Immodium of course, to combat Mamikonian's Revenge. Traffic is the most dangerous thing here. Use the crosswalks and understreet passes.

Water is iffy at best. Buy lots of bottled water in the cities.

Respect

Armenia is much like any other European country, though still a bit more old fashioned. Shorts are newly catching on for men, though skirts have been extremely short for years. However, locals tend to be very accepting that tourists, as guests, have different habits and it would be hard to offend a local by actions which an ordinary American might not find offensive as well. That having been said, refusing someone's hospitality is a tricky art!

Contact

Yerevan is full of Internet cafes and internet phone offices. These are beginning to pop up in a number of towns outside of Yerevan as well. Regular calls can always be made from the post office, and is cheap within Armenia, but quite expensive for international calls.