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Facts about Armenia



Rebublic of Armenia

Republic of Armenia is a mountainous region, occupying the Armenian upland and adjoining parts of the Lesser Caucasus; 90% of the area is at elevation of 1.000m(3,300ft) or more. The climate is dry and continental, with warm summers and cold winters. The only major lowland suitable for agriculture is the Ararat plain at the foot of Mount Ararat, which is across the border in Turkey.

The most prominent physical feature of Armenia is Lake Sevan, one of the world's largest mountain lakes, which covers 5% of the area of the republic. The Hrazdan River flowing out of the lake is used for both power generation and irrigation. The lake level has been dropping because of excessive outflow of water, and a 48-km(30mi) diversion tunnel has been built(completed 1979) from the nearby Arpa River to supply additional water inflow.

Armeni is a producer of copper and molybdenum, which are mined in the Kadzharan area, and of gold, which is mined in the Zod area, near the east end of Lake Sevan. The chemical industry is concentrated in Yerevan mostly. A nuclear power station, opened in 1976, contributes much of the electricity. The agriculture specializes in vineyards, fruits, tobacco, and essential oils.

Geography

Armenia is a vast area lying between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea and circumscribing the lakes of Sevan in the north, Van in the west and Urmia in the south: the area now politically divided up among Russia, Iran, Turkey and, in part, Syria.

More precisely, historical Armenia lies between 38 degrees and 48 degrees latitude north and 37 degrees and 41 degrees longitude east. It covers a surface area of over 230,000 square miles, considerably more than France. Present- day Armenia covers about 11,500 square miles.

Although the features of the land are rather rough and uneven, its outstanding physical aspect is its tableland, with the true "Armenian plateau" lying from 3,300 to 6,500 feet above sea level to the north east, beside the 2,500 foot Anatolian plateau and the Iranian plateau, which is from 2,000 to 5,000 feet above sea level. These vast plateaux are marked by a series of mountains:the great, isolated horns of Mount Ararat comprising the peaks of Great Ararat(16,945 feet) and the Little Ararat(12,887 feet)-the Aragats(13,224 feet).

Religion

Armenia is the first country to accept Christianity as a state religion. Christianity became Armenia's state religion around 300 A.D. About 150 years after it was Christianized, Armenia rejected the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon in 451 A.D. In doing so the Armenian Church irrevocably embarked upon the hazardous and lonely path of an independent, idiosyncratic national church to which only Armenians belong. To this day the small Armenian church preserves its pristine national exclusiveness, recognizes the supremacy of no other spiritual jurisdiction. According to national tradition, the Gospel was preached in Armenia by the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew during the first century. King Tiridates III became a convert to Christianity, and about 300, proclaimed it the religion of the country. St. Gregory, with the title of the Illuminator, became the first head of the church. Gregory the Illuminator and his early successors had their residence at Etchmiadzin. It was moved to Dvin from 485 to 927, then was located variously until 1923, when the catholicate (highest ecclesistical administrative office) was transferred to the Cilician capital, Sis, where it remained after the fall of Cilicia to the Muslim Mamluks of Egypt. In the 15th century, Gregory IX Mmusabegian rejected efforts to transfer the see to East Armenia in order to withdraw it from Roman influence. A synod of 17 bishops deposed him, and the monk Kirakos was elected catholicos at Echmiadzin in 1441, initiating a long line of prelates bearing the title "Catholicos of All Armenians."

Other Information

About me

My name is Zaven Najarian. I am originally from Yerevan, Armenia. I came to United States from Armenia in the summer of 1989. I am currently a junior at Shorter College in Rome, Georgia. My major is art, which includes 2D, and 3D work. Although my major is art, I will not be using it for living. God has called me to be a missionary to Armenia. Lord willing, I will be leaving in the summer of 2001. My goal is to win people to the Lord, start an Independent Baptist church and disciple the people. I will be making changes or adding new information as time goes by. I hope that you found the information about Armenia worthwhile and interesting. Please send comments to my e-mail address. Thank you for visiting this homepage.

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