Armenia

The Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. The country lies in a triangular section of the South Caucasus, bordered by Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey and Georgia. With an area of 29,800 square kilometres (11,490 square miles).

Armenia is a mountainous country characterized by a great variety of scenery and geologic instability. The average altitude is 5,900 feet (1,800 metres) above sea level.There are no lowlands: half the territory lies at altitudes of 3,300 to 6,600 feet; only about one-tenth lies below the 3,300-foot mark.Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat. Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat. The name Armenia was given to the country by the surrounding states, and it is traditionally derived from Armenak or Aram (the great-grandson of Haik’s great-grandson, and another leader who is, according to Armenian tradition, the ancestor of all Armenians). In the Bronze Age, several states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire (at the height of its power).During the Iron Age, the region was known by variations of the name Ararat (Urartu, Uruatri, Urashtu). Later, the Highlands were known as Armenia Major, a central region to the history of Armenians, and one of the four geopolitical regions associated with Armenians, the other three being Armenia Minor, Sophene, and Commagene.

Arm Plateau is an endless sequence of high mountain ranges, gorges, river valleys, plateaus and lonely mounts. Such peculiarities of the relief are explained by the volcanic activity which was very developed on this territory and ended not so long ago.

The Armenian plateau is rich with iron, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, manganese. There are also some reserves of gold, antimony, mercury and arsenic. Volcanic and sedimentary rocks turned out to be excellent building materials. Among them are multicoloured tuff, basalt, marble, limestone etc. If we take into consideration only the average height RA is the highest country in the region. The highest point on the territory of RA is the mount Aragats, a dead volcano – 4090 m. The highest point on the territory of RA is the mount Aragats, a dead volcano – 4090 m. 

Language

The Armenian language is an Indo-European language that is the only language in the Armenian branch. It is of interest to linguists for its distinctive phonological developments within that family. Armenia was a monolingual country by the 2nd century BC at the latest. Its language has a long literary history, with a 5th-century Bible translation as its oldest surviving text. It is the official language of Armenia as well as the de facto Republic of Artsakh. Historically being spoken throughout the Armenian Highlands, today, Armenian is widely spoken throughout the Armenian diaspora. Armenian is written in its own writing system, the Armenian alphabet, introduced in 405 AD by the priest Mesrop Mashtots. Native speakers: 6.7 million. 

Geography 

The Armenian Highlands is part of the Alpide belt, forming part of the Asian range that stretches from the Pontic Mountains to the Malay Peninsula. Its total area is about 400,000 km. Historically, the Armenian Highlands have been the scene of great volcanic activity. Armenia is a country in the Transcaucasia region, between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, bordered on the north and east by Georgia and Azerbaijan and on the south and west by Iran and Turkey.

The climate is highland continental: hot summers and cold winters. The land rises to 4,090 m above sea-level at Mount Aragats.

Climate

 In Armenia, the climate is continental, with cold winters and hot summers. Precipitation is usually not abundant. Armenia is a mountainous country, and only a small portion of its territory is located below 1,000 meters (3,300 feet) above sea level, while there are no plains. The climate becomes colder and wetter (and snowy in winter as well) with increasing altitude, while at lower elevations, the rains are scarce and the summer is very hot. The driest region, where precipitation drops below 300 millimeters (12 inches) per year, is the west, which includes the capital, and where the altitude is below 1,000 meters (3,300 feet).

In winter, cold air masses predominate, and after having reached the country from the north, they tend to stagnate in the valleys, causing severe frosts. Spring is an unstable season and experiences the most frequent rains, though they generally remain not abundant because, as mentioned, this country is generally arid, at least at lower elevations. Summer is dry and sunny, but with some afternoon thunderstorms in the mountains. From the mountains, a down-slope wind, dry and warm, similar to the Föhn or Chinook, can reach the valleys, especially in winter, but also in spring and autumn.

Religion

 Officially Armenian Religion is Christianity. Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as an official state religion in 301 AD. The majority of Armenians (about 94 percent) consider themselves to be Christians. Christianity was first introduced in Armenia much earlier, during the first century (60-68 AD). by two of Christ’s disciples Bartholomew and Thaddeus. They came to Armenia from Asorestan and Cappadocia. They are also the first “Illuminators of the Armenian World”.
At this time, though, paganism was very widespread. Even the kings of Armenia practiced it. Pagan practices did not prevent to spread the word of God to Armenians. Among the preachers was Gregory, the son of Partev Anak. During the II-III centuries, because of preaching Christianity, King Tiridates (Trdat) III detained Gregory the Illuminator in a prison at the foot of Mount Ararat. Gregory stayed there for 13 years. He survived by the grace of a kind woman who secretly brought him food and water. King Trdat fell in love with a Christian nun named Hripsime. She, however, refused the king’s proposal of marriage. Consequently, the king had her and her entire order put to death. Because of that, the king soon almost went insane. St. Gregory then offered his help and said he would cure him. Gregory baptized King Trdat. Then, the king converted his entire kingdom to Christianity in 301 AD. This afterward led Armenia to become the first nation ever to accept Christianity as its state religion.He was the first Catholicos. Also, the head of the Armenian Apostolic Church – the supreme spiritual head of all the Armenians.

Culture

 The culture of Armenia encompasses many elements that are based on the geography, literature, architecture, dance, and music of the people. Literature began in Armenia around 401 A.D. The majority of the literary arts were created by Moses of Khorene, in the 5th century. Through the years the elements of literature have changed as the stories and myths were passed on through generations.

The Armenian dance heritage has been one of the oldest, richest and most varied in the Near East. From the fifth to the third millennia B.C., in the higher regions of Armenia there are rock paintings of scenes of country dancing. These dances were probably accompanied by certain kinds of songs or musical instruments. In the 5th century Moses of Khorene (Movsés Khorenats’i) himself had heard of how the old descendants of Aram (that is Armenians) make mention of these things (epic tales) in the ballads for the lyre and their songs and dances.

Classical Armenian architecture is divided into four separate periods. The first Armenian churches were built between the 4th and 7th Century, beginning when Armenia converted to Christianity, and ending with the Arab invasion of Armenia.The early churches were mostly simple basilicas, but some with side apses. By the 5th century the typical cupola cone in the center had become widely used. By the 7th century, centrally-planned churches had been built and a more complicated niched buttress and radiating Hrip’simé style had formed. By the time of the Arab invasion, most of what we now know as classical Armenian architecture had formed.

One of the most important parts of Armenian culture is the music, which has brought new forms of music in recent years, while maintaining traditional styles too. This is evidenced by the world-class Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra that performs at the beautifully refurbished Aram Khachaturian Concert Hall in the Yerevan Opera House, where one can also attend a full season of opera.

Flora and Fauna

 Armenian flora covers over 3,200 species, out of which 106 are endemic to the area. The area of the country is also were most of the world’s domesticated animals originated, including animals such as mouflon and sheep.

Southern and south-western Armenia remains the last stronghold for survival of the Persian leopard in the whole Caucasus, in part due to its connectivity with Iran where the main portion of the Persian leopard population exists. The total population size in Armenia numbers no more than 10-20 individuals, including adults, sub adults and cubs.