Armenia

Armenia

Armenia / The official name for it is the Republic of Armenia. Hayasthani Hanrabetotion, is a landlocked mountainous country located in the Caucasus in Eurasia, where it is located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe

Armenia is a former Republic of the Soviet Union, and today it is governed by democracy and partisan pluralism and is a nation-state with a cultural heritage of history. The Kingdom of Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its religion in the early years of the fourth century (traditional history 301 AD). The modern Republic of Armenia recognizes the Armenian Apostolic Church as the national church of Armenia, although the system of government in the Republic separates the church and the state

Armenia is a member of more than 40 international organizations including the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the Asian Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Independent States, the World Trade Organization, the World Customs Organization, the Black Sea and Francophone Economic Cooperation Organization. It is also a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization military coalition and also participates in the NATO Partnership for Peace program. In 2004, its forces joined the NATO-led International Force in Kosovo. It is also an observer member of the Eurasian Economic Community and the Non-Aligned Movement. The country is one of the emerging democracies

The area of ​​the Republic of Armenia is 29,743 square kilometers (11,484 sq mi), and it is located in the northeast of the Armenian plateau (400,000 sq km or 154,441 sq mi) which is known as Historic Armenia and is considered the original homeland of Armenians. It is dominated by mountainous terrain, with fast-flowing rivers and few forests. The climate is continental highland climate, which means that it is exposed to hot summers and cold winters. The land rises about 4,090 meters (13,419 feet) above sea level at Mount Aragat, and there is no area that drops below 390 meters (1,280 feet) above sea level

Ararat Mountain is the highest mountain in the region and is part of historical Armenia. The mountain is now located on Turkish territory, but it can be seen clearly from Armenia, and Armenians consider it a symbol of their land. That is why the mountain is on the Armenian national emblem today

Armenia has established a Ministry of Nature Protection and has imposed taxes on air and water pollution and the disposal of solid waste, whose revenues are used for environmental protection activities. Waste management in Armenia is backward, as waste is not sorted or recycled in the country's 60 landfills. Despite the abundance of renewable energy sources in Armenia (especially for hydro and wind power generation), the Armenian government is building a new nuclear power plant in Medzamore, near Yerevan

Armenia's climate is remarkably continental. Summer is dry and sunny and lasts from June to mid-September. Temperatures range from 22-36 ° C (72-97 ° F). However, the low humidity level dampens the effect of high temperatures. The evening breezes from the mountains offer a refreshing, welcome effect. The springs are short while waterfalls are high. While autumn is known for its vibrant and colorful foliage

The winters are very cold and there are many snow, with temperatures ranging between -10 and -5 ° C (14 and 23 ° F). Winter sports enthusiasts enjoy skiing down the hills of Chakkadzor, which is about thirty minutes outside Yerevan. Lake Sevan, which is located in the Armenian highlands, is the second largest lake in the world in relation to its height, located at 1900 meters (6234 feet) above sea level

The economy of Armenia suffered from the effects of the planned central economy and the consequences of the collapse of trade patterns in the Soviet Union, as were other countries newly independent of the Soviet Union. Soviet investment and its support for the Armenian industry disappeared, as only some of the major companies could continue to operate. In addition, the country has not fully recovered from the effects of the 1988 Spitak earthquake that killed more than 25,000 people and displaced 500,000

Added to this is the dispute with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The closure of the Turkish-Azerbaijani border destroyed Armenia's economy due to its dependence on external energy supplies and most raw materials. Roads across Georgia and Iran are not sufficient or unreliable. GDP decreased nearly 60% from 1989 to 1993, then its strong growth resumed. The national currency is the dram, which suffered from inflation in the early years of its circulation in 1993

Agriculture accounted for less than 20% of net output or in terms of employment before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. After independence, the importance of agriculture in the economy has emerged markedly, as its share in the late 1990s rose to more than 30% of GDP and more than 40% of Total employment. This is due to the need to secure food for the population in the face of the uncertainty that prevailed during the early stages of the transition and the collapse of the non-agricultural sectors in the early 1990s. With the economic situation stabilizing and growth resuming, the share of agriculture in GDP fell to just over 20% (2006 data), although the share of agriculture in employment is still more than 40%

The government was able to undertake large-scale economic reforms that succeeded in drastically reducing inflation and triggering steady growth. The 1994 ceasefire in Karabakh also improved the economy. Armenia's strong economic growth began in 1995, building on the shift that began in the previous year and the decline in inflation over the past several years. New sectors have emerged, such as precious stones, jewelery making, and information and communication technology. Tourism was also beginning to complement traditional sectors of the economy, such as agriculture

This steady economic progress of Armenia has gained increased support from international institutions. The International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and other international financial institutions and foreign countries have granted them large loans. Since 1993, Armenia's debt has exceeded $ 1.1 billion. These loans aim to reduce the budget deficit, currency stability, the development of private companies, energy, agriculture, food processing, transportation, and the health and education sectors

And ongoing rehabilitation in the earthquake-struck area. The government joined the World Trade Organization on February 5, 2003. But one of the main sources of foreign direct investment remains the Armenian diaspora, which funds large portions of infrastructure reconstruction and other public projects. Being a developing democracy, Armenia hopes to get more financial aid from the western world

The dominant religion in Armenia is Christianity, and the national church in the country is the Armenian Orthodox Church, which was founded according to church traditions in the first century by St. Thaddeus and Saint Bartholomew, both of whom are twelve disciples, and therefore this Church describes itself as "apostolic". In terms of rituals, the Church has its own rituals that derive from Armenian civilization and society, but it falls into the family of Eastern rituals and liturgies, that is, those that originated in Jerusalem and then flourished in Edessa

In terms of beliefs, the Armenian Church is one of the non-Chalcedonian Churches, meaning that it falls within the family of the Eastern Orthodox Churches and shares the same beliefs with the Orthodox Copts and the Orthodox Syriac mainly. The Armenian Church, too, is a member of the Middle East Council of Churches and the World Council of Churches, and through these two councils, it cooperates with other Christian churches and denominations