General Information on Armenia
Official Name: Republic of Armenia (Armenia),Hayastany Hanrapetoutyun (Hayastan)
Capital: Yerevan
Date of Creation: September 21, 1991 the day of the referendum for independence of Armenia.Based on the results of the referendum (99% voted for independence), the parliament (The Supreme Soviet of the Armenian SSR) adopted the Declaration of Independence and annonced the ndependence of the Republic of Armenia.This date is now a national holiday-the Independence Day.
The Flag: The law "On the State Flag of the Republic of Armenia" was adopted on August 24, 1990, by the Supreme Soviet of the Republic of Armenia.
Population: 3210,0 thousand (as of 2001)
Ethnic: Armenians,Minoroties: Russians,Yezdis,Kurds,Assyrians, Ukrainians, Jews and others
Official Language: Armenian
Religion: Christian;Church Armenian Apostolic,Religious Center: St.Etchmiadzin, the Cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church and the Residence of the Catholicos (Patriarch) of all Armenians
Geography
Neighboring: In the North: Georgia;in the East Azerbaijan; in the South: Iran; in the South-West: Nakhijevan (Azerbaijan); in the West:Turkey.Territory: 29.74 thousand square kilometers; Avarage Altitude Above Sea Level:1,800 meters;Highest Mountain Peak:Aragats (4,090 meters);Natural Resources:Armenia is rich in copper, iron, bauxite, molybdenum, gold, silver, lead and zinc.Substantial deposits of pumice, marble, tufa,perlite, limestone, basalt and salt also exist.Precious and semi-precious stones are abundant.
Government and Politics
The President of the Republic of Armenia is the head of State.The President ensures adherence to the Constitution and provides for regular functioning of legislative,executive and judicial authorities.The President of Republc is elected by the citizens of the Republic of Armenia for five year term of office.Executive power is exercised by RA Government.The Government is composed of Prime Minister and Ministers.The sigle-chambered National assembly is the supreme legislative authority of the Republic of Armenia.The National Assembly consisits of 131 deputies/75 of which are elected on the basis of proportional representation and 56-majority representation/.The National Assembly is elected through generel elections for a term of five years.Parliamentary elections were last held in 2007.In the Republic of Armenia justice shall be administered solely by the courts in accordance with the Constitution and the laws.
Diaspora
Armenia has a relatively large diaspora (8 million by some estimates, greatly exceeding the 3 million population of Armenia itself), with communities existing across the globe.The largest Armenian communities outside of Armenia can be found in Russia, France, Iran,the United States, Georgia,Syria, Lebanon, Argentina, Australia,Canada, Greece, Cyprus, Israel, Poland and Ukraine.
Airpots and Visa Application
Armenia has two main airports, and the main one is Zvartnots International airport in Yerevan,(located about 15 km from the city center) and second one is in Gyumri city.There are regular flights to and from Yerevan organized by a number of international and national airlines.Visa can be obtained at the airport upon arrival from abroad (except a few countries).The cost is 3000AMD (eq. 8 USD or 6 EUR) for 21 days and 15000 dram (eq.41 USD or 30 EUR) for 120 days.In general, the procedure lasts 20-25 minutes.By visa dates expiration it should be prolonged (1.6USD or 1.2 EUR per extra day).Visa can also be obtained on the Internet at http://www.armeniaforeignministry.com/eVisa/ website by applying to the Ministry of foreign Affars.E-Visa fee makes up 15 USD for 21 days and 60 USD for 120 days.