Characteristics of Armenia by geography. With whom Armenia borders: land and water borders from the south, north, east and west of the country. Useful information for tourists

The Republic of Armenia is located in Transcaucasia, in the west of Asia. The state occupies an area of more than 29 thousand square meters. kilometers and neighbors with Iran and Azerbaijan, as well as with Turkey and Georgia.

The country is located on the Armenian Highland, which is located 1000 m above sea level. The ranges of the Lesser Caucasus border Armenia from the east and north. Mount Aragats, reaching 4095 m, is considered the highest point in the country. Until the 1920s, this right belonged to Mount Ararat, the historical symbol of Armenia, located today in Turkey. A strip of volcanic mountains also stretches in the central part of the country. A dense network of valleys and deep gorges divides low folded-blocky mountains in the southeast of Armenia. The Ararat plain lies in the southwest of the country.

The Araks and its tributaries (particularly Vorotan, Hrazdan, Akhuryan, Arpa and Kassakh) form one of the most significant water arteries of Armenia. In addition, the tributaries of the Kura River - Ahum, Debed and Aghstev are also located right there. In the east is the largest lake in the country - Sevan. In addition to it, there are many shallow lakes in the republic.

The population of Armenia exceeds 3.4 million. For 1 sq. km of its area accounts for 100 people. More than 20% of the population of the country are children under 15 years old. The share of pensioners accounts for about 10%. The average age to which the inhabitants of the republic live is 70-76 years.

Ethnic Armenians (97%) make up the bulk of the country's population. The share of national minorities decreased to 3%: Yezidis, Kurds, Greeks, Georgians, Ukrainians, Russians, etc.

The state language in the country is the Armenian language. Armenians who live in Armenia, Iran or the CIS countries speak the Eastern Armenian (Araratian) language. Those who were born or live in Turkey speak Western Armenian. For worship, the ancient Armenian classical language is used. In the country, you can often hear Russian speech.

Christians make up the bulk of the population of Armenia. Status of the national church Armenian people legally assigned to the Armenian Apostolic Church. Large cities are inhabited by Protestants, and Molokans and Orthodox are concentrated in the north of the republic. Elements of Islam, Zoroastrianism and animism include the religious beliefs of the Yezidis. There are several communities in the country - Muslim, pagan and Hare Krishna, and you can also meet adherents of Judaism.

Yerevan is the capital of Armenia. In that largest city founded in the 8th c. BC, more than 1.3 million inhabitants. Among the others major cities Vanadzor, Kumayri, Vagharshapat, Gyumri and Hrazdan should be singled out.

The head of the democratic republic of Armenia is the president. His term of office is limited to five years. The prime minister is appointed by the president, and so is the mayor of Yerevan. The unicameral parliament, consisting of 131 deputies, has legislative power. The Cabinet of Ministers is formed by the Prime Minister and approved by the President. The country has a constitution. Armenia has its own currency - drams.

In Armenia, for the first time in the world, in 301 Christianity was elevated to the rank of state religion.

In the XVI-XVII centuries. Iran and Ottoman Empire divided the territory of Armenia among themselves.

In 1828, the Persian part of Armenia became part of the Russian Empire, where the independent Armenian Republic was created in 1918.

The country has been part of the USSR since 1922.

Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic was abolished in August 1990. Having left the USSR, the republic declared its independence - in September 1991. Armenia is a member of the CIS and the UN.

The mountainous relief of the country affects its climate, in which vertical zonality is clearly visible: dry continental Ararat plain; moderately dry in the lowlands; moderate in the central part of the country; humid, moderately warm in the southeast and north; dry subtropical in the northeast and extreme southeast; humid, moderately cold at altitudes of 1800–3000 m; humid, cold in the highlands. Summer is always warm, sometimes even hot. Cold winter, it often snows. At the beginning of summer and spring there is a peak of precipitation, which falls very unevenly throughout the year.

The flora of Armenia has more than 3000 species. About 105 endemics grow on the territory of the republic. In the broad-leaved forests of the country there are: beech, hornbeam, oak, linden, ash and maple. Walnut, poplar, shrubs and fruit trees are part of the forest plantations. However, only a small percentage of the country's area is occupied by forests. Semi-desert and steppe vegetation is most widespread in Armenia. In the mountains - forb-cereal steppes are replaced by alpine meadows.

Very varied and animal world Armenia: lynxes, foxes, roe deer, bears, wild boars, etc. Many birds, reptiles and rodents. The famous trout and other valuable fish are found in Lake Sevan.

Geography of Armenia

The Republic of Armenia is a landlocked country in the Transcaucasus. It is located in the north-west of the Armenian Highlands, also called historical Armenia, between the Black and Caspian seas, from the north and east it is framed by the ridges of the Lesser Caucasus. It borders with Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

part of the world	(((part of the world)))
Coordinates	40° 00" N, 45° 00" E
Square	29,800 km² land: 95.5% water: 4.5%
Coastline	0 km
Borders
Highest point	Aragats (4090 m)
lowest point	Debed river (400 m)
largest river	Araks
largest lake	Lake Sevan

Geographical position of Armenia

Armenia is located in Transcaucasia to the south of Russia between the Black and Caspian Seas, occupies most of the interfluve of the Kura and Araks. The greatest length from northwest to southeast is 360 km, and from west to east - 200 km. The distance in a straight line to the Caspian Sea is 75 km, to the Black Sea - 145 km, from the Persian Gulf - 960 km.

Armenia borders in the north with Georgia, in the east with Azerbaijan and the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, in the south with Iran, in the southwest with the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (part of Azerbaijan), in the west - with Turkey. Total length borders is 1254 km.

Geology and tectonics

Zoning of the territory of Armenia according to seismic activity, the largest faults

The territory of Armenia belongs to the zone of young alpine folding, which results in ongoing mountain building processes - the cause of destructive earthquakes. According to the studies of the Armenian Association of Seismology and Physics of the Earth, 94% of all disasters in the territory of Armenia were associated with strong earthquakes. In particular, the historical capitals of Armenia were destroyed by earthquakes. According to historical data covering a period of almost 2000 years, the maximum strength of the earthquake in the territory of Armenia was 10 points on a 12-point scale.

Earthquakes are connected with faults passing through the territory of Armenia. The strongest earthquakes are possible at the intersections of faults. The largest active faults are:

Garni fault.

Pambak-Sevan fault.

Akhuryan fault.

Zheltorechensk-Sarigamish fault.

Earthquake sources are located at shallow depths (up to 35 km), earth's crust, sources of intense earthquakes occur at depths of 10-15 km. Foreshock and aftershock activity of earthquakes (small fluctuations before and after the main earthquake, respectively) is relatively small. The eight-point seismic zone includes 70% of the country's territory, the seven-point - 30%.

The last devastating earthquake was the Spitak earthquake in December 1988, which caused great destruction in the north of the country: many settlements, including Gyumri - the second largest city of the republic, was wiped off the face of the earth; more than 25,000 people died.

Relief of the Republic of Armenia

Mount Aragats - the highest point in Armenia

Armenia is the highest mountainous country in the Transcaucasus. Over 90% of its territory, which is approximately 29,800 km², is located at an altitude of more than 1000 m, about half - at an altitude of more than 2000 meters, and only 3% of the territories lie below 650 m. The lowest points of the relief are in the valleys of the Araks rivers ( in the south of the country) and Debed (in the northeast), their height above sea level is 380 and 430 m, respectively. The highest point, Mount Aragats, rises to 4095 m above sea level.

Armenia is located in the northeast of the Armenian Highlands. The mountain ranges of the Lesser Caucasus bordering the country cover the north of Armenia, stretch to the southeast, between Lake Sevan and the border with Azerbaijan, then south, approximately along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, up to Iran. Here the relief is made up of medium-altitude mountain ranges separated by deep valleys, many of which are deep gorges. Thus, the mountains make communication between the north and south of the country very difficult. To the southwest of the mountain ranges of the Caucasus begins the East Armenian volcanic highlands, which occupies about a third of the country's territory. It extends from the Javakheti highlands in the northwest to the Karabakh highlands in the southeast. Here, the dissection and slopes of the relief are relatively small, the main forms of relief are lava plateaus, erosion valleys, volcanic ridges (Gegham, Vardenis) and massifs. The largest of the latter - Aragats, is the highest point in Armenia.

To the south of the volcanic massif is the northern part of the Middle Araks intermountain depression - the Ararat basin, stretching east from the mouth of the Akhuryan River along the Araks River. The left-bank part of the basin is located on the territory of Armenia. It starts from the southern extremities of the volcanic plateaus at an altitude of 1000-1400 m, descends with a slight slope to the Araks, forming a wide Ararat plain at an altitude of 800-900 m.

The south of the country is an area of folded-blocky mountains and deep river valleys. characteristic features The relief of this area is the high altitude of the ridges (the Zangezur Range is the highest in the Lesser Caucasus), deep and dense dissection of the relief, pronounced altitudinal zonation and sparse vegetation.

On the territory of Armenia, 565 deposits of 60 types of minerals are known: there are deposits of all types of used metals - ferrous (Fe, Mn, Cr), rare (Ti, Ni, W, Mo, Re), scattered (Bi, Hg), non-ferrous (Cu , Pb, Al, Zn, Mg), precious (Au, Ag, Pt), as well as non-metallic minerals.

On the territory of Armenia there are three metallogenic belts characterized by various minerals: Alaverdi-Kafan, Pambak-Zangezur and Sevan-Amasi. In the south of the country there are large copper-molybdenum deposits - near Kajaran, Dastakert and Agarak. In terms of molybdenum reserves, Armenia occupies one of the first places in the world. Also in Armenia there are significant deposits of gold and containing precious metals coal.

Among non-metallic minerals, natural stones are the most significant: tuffs, basalts, pumice, marble, onyx, etc.

The temperature in Armenia depends mainly on the height above sea level. The mountains block the climatic influence of the Mediterranean and Black Seas, creating wide seasonal temperature fluctuations. In the Armenian Highland, the average winter temperature is about 0 °C and the average summer temperature exceeds 25 °C. The average value of atmospheric precipitation is from 250 millimeters per year in the lowest places above sea level in Armenia, that is, in the valley of the Araks River, to 800 millimeters per year at the highest points of Armenia. Despite harsh winters, the abundance of volcanic soil made Armenia one of the earliest places for agricultural activity.

Water resources

Water resources of Armenia

The territory of Armenia belongs to the Kura and Arax basins. Araks - the largest river in the country, whose basin includes 76% of its area - forms state border with Iran and most of the border with Turkey. Its largest tributaries are the border Akhuryan, flowing from Sevan Hrazdan, as well as the rivers Sevdzhur with Kasakh, Azat, Arpa, Vorotan, Voghji. The northeastern part of the country mainly belongs to the basins of the tributaries of the Kura, the largest of which are the Debed and Aghstev rivers. Crossing the mountain ranges, the valleys of these two rivers form the main routes connecting the center of the country with the north.

Of the total precipitation (15,000-18,000 million m³), ²/3 evaporates, and only 1/3 forms ground or underground runoff. The runoff in different areas of the country is uneven: due to the porosity of volcanic rocks, underground runoff predominates in areas with volcanic relief, while surface runoff predominates in folded areas.

Rivers

There are about 9480 small and large rivers in Armenia, of which 379 have a length of 10 km or more. The total length of the river network is 23,000 km. The uneven distribution of water resources is also expressed in the density of the river network, the value of which ranges from 0 to 2.5 km/km² (0.8 km/km² on average).

Rivers are turbulent, rapids, especially in the middle reaches, non-navigable, as a rule, flow through narrow gorges up to 300-400 m deep. Most of them have mixed (snow-rain-ground) nutrition and an uneven regime: spring floods occur; in summer, when the largest amount of water is required for economic purposes, its consumption is greatly reduced. The flow of the Sevdzhur, Akhuryan and Hrazdan rivers, which are fed by springs and lakes, is most regulated.

lakes

Lake Sevan, which has a width of 72.5 km at its widest point and a length of 376 km, is the largest source of fresh water not only in Armenia, but throughout the Transcaucasus. It is located in an intermountain basin at an altitude of 2070 m above sea level. In addition to Sevan, there are about 100 small lakes in Armenia with a total capacity of 300 million m³. Most of the lakes are fed by snow and rain, with the exception of the flat lake Aigerlich, which is fed by underwater waters.

Lake Sevan

reservoirs

75 reservoirs with a total capacity of 986.0 million m³ have been built on the rivers, 10 reservoirs with a total capacity of 396.0 million m³ (as of 2002) are under construction. The largest reservoirs are Arpilich, Akhuryan (on Akhuryan), Aparan (on Kasakh), Zovashenskoye (on the Azat River), Shamb, Tolor, Spandaryan (on Vorotan), Mantash, Karnut. All reservoirs are used for irrigation, and only Mantash - for drinking and domestic water supply. The largest of the reservoirs, Akhuryanskoe, is located on the border with Turkey, due to political disagreements, its joint operation is difficult.

The groundwater

Groundwater manifests itself in the form of springs, swamps and underground streams. Approximately 3 billion m³ is formed per year groundwater. Their level fluctuates within one meter within one year. In the Ararat valley, under the pressure of artesian waters, swamps and marshes with an area of 1500 km² are formed. The swamps were dried up in 1953-1955.

Groundwater is used for irrigation and water supply. Of the total share drinking water 96% is of underground origin. At the same time, the quality of water is very high: water from most sources can be drunk without additional treatment, the share of sources with high concentrations of pollutants is 25%.

Use of water resources

Water resources are used for irrigation, in industry and public utilities, as well as for generating electricity. Water intake is carried out both from aboveground and underground sources, the share of the latter is about 27%. Most of the water is spent on irrigation (about 85%), the share of domestic and industrial consumption is 8% and 7% respectively.

The country's hydropower resources are estimated at 1,700,000 kW, of which 40% is currently being used. Most of the HPPs are combined into two cascades: Sevan-Hrazdan and Vorotan. For irrigation purposes, a system of canals was built, among which are the canals of the Sevan-Hrazdan cascade. The largest canals of Armenia are: Arzni-Shamiram, Artashat, Nizhnerazdan, Kotayk, Oktemberyan, Shirak, Echmiadzin. The last canal is interesting because it was built in the 8th century BC. e. in the era of Urartu. Two tunnels were built to transfer water to Lake Sevan: from Vorotan to Arpa and from Arpa to Sevan.

Soils

Soils of Armenia. 1. Alpine primitive soils. 2. Mountain meadow soils. 3. Mountain forest soils. 4. Steppe soils. 5. Chestnut soils. 6. Brown soils. 7. Serozem.

The soil cover of Armenia is diverse, at the same time, most of the soils are infertile and difficult for economic development. According to the nature of soils, the territory of Armenia can be divided into the following belts:

Semi-desert soils are located mainly in the Ararat valley at an altitude of 850-1250 m above sea level, occupying an area of 236 thousand hectares. They are characterized mainly by a low content of humus (up to 2%, for solonchak-alkaline soils 2.6%). Varieties of semi-desert soils are brown semi-desert soils (occupy 152 thousand hectares, distributed in the lowlands of the Ararat foothills), irrigated brown meadow soils (53 thousand hectares on the Ararat plain at altitudes of 800-950 m), paleohydromorphic (about 2 thousand hectares in the area adjacent to Yerevan), hydromorphic solonchak-alkaline soils (53 thousand hectares on the Ararat plain).

Steppe soils occupy an area of 797 thousand hectares at altitudes of 1300-2450 m. They are represented by chernozem soils (718 thousand hectares in the Ararat basin, Shirak, Lori, the Sevan basin and on the relatively gentle slopes of Syunik), Lori, Shirak and the Sevan basin), floodplain (48 thousand hectares in the river valleys and in areas freed up as a result of the fall of the Sevan level) soils and soils (18 thousand hectares on the coast of Sevan freed from water). Chernozems and meadow-chernozems are characterized by a relatively high content of humus (3.5-12% and 10-13%, respectively). The content of humus in floodplain soils and soils is low or very low (2-4% and 0.3-0.5%, respectively).

Dry steppe soils are represented by chestnut soils. They are located on the dry foothills of the Ararat Valley, Vayots Dzor, Syunik at an altitude of 1250-1950 m; occupy an area of 242 thousand hectares. They are characterized by an average content of humus (2-4%), rockiness, unfavorable water-physical properties.

Forest soils occupy an area of 712 thousand hectares at altitudes of 500-2400 m and are characterized by a significant content of humus (4-11%). Represented by forest brown (133 thousand hectares on slopes with a height of 1800-2250 m), brown (564 thousand hectares on ridges with a height of 500-1700 m, and on sunny slopes up to a height of 2400 m, in Gugark, Pambak, Syunik) and soddy carbonate ( 15 thousand hectares on the slopes of Gugark, Ahum, Bargushat) with soils.

Mountain-meadow soils occupy an area of 629 thousand hectares at altitudes of 2200-4000 m. They are distributed in the mountains almost throughout Armenia (with the exception of Shirak). They are subdivided into mountain meadow soils proper (346 thousand ha at altitudes of 2200–2600 m) and meadow-steppe soils (283 thousand ha at altitudes of 1800–2600 m). They are characterized by high humus content (13-20% and 8-13% for mountain-meadow and meadow-steppe, respectively).

Flora and fauna

Due to the presence of a complex relief, numerous mountain ranges, plateaus and basins, and the diversity of natural and climatic conditions, the flora and fauna in the territory of Armenia is highly diverse.

The following biomes are distinguished:

semi-desert belt

steppe belt

forest belt

subalpine belt

On the territory of Armenia, 143 species of algae, 4200 species of fungi, 290 species of lichens (of which 190 species are found in the Lake Sevan basin), 430 species of bryophytes, 2 species of lycopods, 6 species of horsetails, 38 species of ferns, 9 species of gymnosperms and 3015 species of angiosperms have been found plants.

Among the fungi, there are representatives of microscopic peronospores (125 species), soil micromycetes (541 species, including 25 species of predatory fungi, mainly representatives of the genus Arthrobotis), aquatic fungi (200 species), macroscopic fungi (1182 species). Among the latter, there are 284 species of edible mushrooms, mainly representatives of the agaric order, and 59 species of poisonous mushrooms, among which are pale grebes, fly agarics, false mushrooms, etc.

There are about 120 endemic species in the flora of Armenia, which is 3% of the species diversity. Among the endemics are Massalsky's bell, which grows only on the slopes of Mount Arteni and in one outbreak in Turkey, large-scaled cusinia - on the slopes of Zangezur and in Northern Iran.

Armenian lizard

On the territory of Armenia there are 155 species of mollusks (141 gastropods and 14 bivalves), about 16845 species of arthropods (2000 species of arachnids, 14845 insects). Among invertebrates there are about 316 endemics and more than 100 endangered species.

The variety of vertebrates is also great. Among the fish there are 5 species of salmon, 22 species of cyprinids, 1 species of catfish and 2 species of carp. Among the fish of Armenia, the Sevan trout (ishkhan) is the most famous, besides it, the Armenian roach, the Armenian herring, the Sevan kokhak, the Sevan barbel, the Armenian bream are endemic.

The amphibian class is represented by 8 species. Among them, the lake frog and the green toad are the most common, there are also the Transcaucasian frog (in the mountain-steppe belt), the Shelkovnikov tree frog (in the northern forest belt), the Asia Minor tree frog (in the south of the country), the Syrian spadefoot, the Asia Minor newt (in the north of the country ).

The diversity of reptiles is especially great: out of 156 species found in former USSR, 53 species are represented in Armenia. However, most reptiles are in danger of extinction and are listed in the Red Book. In total, there are 3 species of turtles, 26 species of lizards and 24 species of snakes. Endemics are the bisexual and Transcaucasian snakes, the black-headed rhynchocalamus, Chernov's naked eye, the white-bellied lizard, the Armenian lizard, the Nairi lizard, the Dali lizard, the Rostombekov lizard, the bisexual Valentina lizard, the Transcaucasian multi-colored foot and mouth disease, the Darevsky viper, the Armenian viper.

There are 349 species of birds in Armenia, among them the most common are passerines (146 species), shorebirds (62 species), falconiformes (35 species), anseriformes (28 species), crane-like birds (13 species). There are also representatives of loons, divers, copepods, storks, flamingos, chickens, pigeons, cuckoos, owls, goats, sickle-winged, dyers, woodpeckers. The Armenian herring gull is equated to endemic species.

Among the 83 species of mammals in Armenia, there are 17 species of mice and smooth-nosed, 7 - earthmoving, 6 - feline, 5 - mustelid and horseshoe-bearing, as well as hedgehogs, moles, hares, porcupines, jerboas, hyenas, bears, dogs, pigs, deer, bovids and others. Endemic species are the Armenian mouflon, Asia Minor jerboa, mountain mole, Vinogradov's gerbil, Caucasian mouse, Netterer's Araxian night bat.

Environmental issues and nature conservation

Protected areas

In Armenia, protected areas include 3 reserves, 2 national parks and 23 state reserves, as well as natural monuments. The total area of specially protected territories is about 10% of the republic's area, 6% of the land area is protected.

There are several nature reserves and national parks in Armenia:

Khosrov reserve. It occupies an area of 14.6 thousand hectares on the western slopes of the Geghama Range. There are 1686 plant species (about 50% of the country's flora), 146 of which are listed in the Red Books of Armenia and the former USSR, and 171 animal species, including 60 endemic species.

Shikahogh Reserve. It occupies an area of 10 thousand hectares in Syunik in the basin of the Tsav and Shikahogh rivers. Protected oak and hornbeam forests.

Erebuni reserve. It occupies 89 hectares near Yerevan. There are 293 species of plants, mainly cereals, 17 species of reptiles, 50 species of birds (quail, gray partridge, etc.), a number of mammals (fox, weasel, etc.).

Dilijan national park(until 2002 - a reserve). It occupies an area of 27,995 hectares in the valleys of the Getik and Aghstev rivers. Protected beech, oak, yew forests. Vegetable world has 900 species, 35 of which are listed in the Red Book.

Sevan national park. It occupies an area of 150.1 thousand hectares, including the entire surface of Lake Sevan and 24.8 thousand hectares of land. The unique flora and fauna of the lake and its coast is protected, numbering 1600 species of higher plants, 34 species of mammals, 267 birds, 3 amphibians, 17 reptiles and 9 fish.

Armenia is divided into 11 provinces (marzes, Armenian մարզ ).

The provinces are made up of urban and rural communities. Governors (marzpets) are appointed and dismissed by the government. Communities are governed by local self-government. Local self-government bodies - the council of elders of the community and the head of the community (mayor of the city, village headman) - are elected for a three-year term. The Mayor of Yerevan, upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister, is appointed and dismissed by the President of the Republic.

There are 953 villages, 48 cities, 932 communities in the republic, of which 871 are rural and 61 are urban (1999).

Marz	original title	Area, km²	Population	Capital
Aragatsotn	Արագածոտնի	2 755	126 278	Ashtarak
Ararat	Արարատի	2 003	252 665	Artashat
Armavir	Արմավիրի	1 241	255 861	Armavir
Vayots Dzor	Վայոց Ձորի	2 406	53 230	Yeghegnadzor
Gegharkunik	Գեղարքունիքի	3 655	215 371	Gavar
Yerevan	Երևան	227	1 088 300	-
Kotayk	Կոտայքի	2 100	241 337	Hrazdan
Lori	Լոռու	3 791	253 351	Vanadzor
Syunik	Սյունիքի	4 505	134 061	Kapan
Tavush	Տավուշի	3 120	121 963	Ijevan
Shirak	Շիրակի	2 679	257 242	Gyumri

Armenia on the map

Remark 1

The state is located in the north-east of the Armenian Highlands in Transcaucasia, between the Black and Caspian Seas, but has no direct access to them.

Armenia's neighbors are:

Azerbaijan,
Georgia,
Iran,
Turkey,
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

This state appeared on the Armenian Highlands in the second millennium BC. The region from the Kura River to the upper reaches of the Tigris and Euphrates was called Armenia. Later, Armenia became part of Media, and then became part of the Achaemenid Empire.

As an independent state of Armenia did not exist since the XIII century. For four hundred years it was under the rule of the Persians and Turks, and its eastern lands become part of Russian Empire in 1828 Western lands are under Turkish rule.

The 19th century became a test for the Armenians, when the Turkish authorities staged persecutions, accusing the Armenians of wanting to unite with Russia. This difficult period of history for Armenians is called the “genocide of the Armenian people”.

Western lands were conquered from the Turks in 1920 and the country, called the Armenian SSR, became part of the Transcaucasian SFSR. Since 1936, Armenia was part of the USSR as one of the 15 union republics.

With the collapse of the Union, disagreements with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh resurfaced. At the time of the Union, it was annexed to Azerbaijan, despite the fact that it was inhabited mainly by Armenians. An attempt by Karabakh to secede led to a protracted bloody conflict, which has not been resolved to this day.

Armenia lies in the zone of young alpine folding, therefore 90% of its territory is 1000 m above sea level. Mount Aragats, the highest point of the country, has a height of 4095 m.

Low territories lie in the valleys of the Araks and Debed rivers.

Armenia is surrounded by chains of the Lesser Caucasus. Young folding and high landforms make the country's territory seismically dangerous. 94% of all catastrophes that occurred on its territory were associated with strong earthquakes.

About 9500 rivers flow within Armenia and there are 100 lakes. The largest river is the Araks, and the largest lake and at the same time a source of fresh water is Sevan.

There are several climatic regions on the territory of the country:

dry subtropical in the southeast;
dry continental on the Ararat plain and in the Arpa river basin;
moderately dry in the foothills;
moderately cold in the north of the country;
high in the mountains the climate is severe;
above 3000 m - the climate of mountain-tundra landscapes.

Among the soils, mountain-brown, mountain-chestnut soils are common, solonetzes and solonchaks are found in some places. In the middle mountain belt there are mountain chernozems, and at a height - mountain-meadow soils.

The most common plant formations are steppes and semi-deserts.

Oak, beech and hornbeam forests occupy 12% of the country's territory.

Of the mammals, the wolf, bear, fox, roe deer, lynx, leopard, forest and reed cat, jackal, porcupine, wild boar, etc. are common.

Capital of Armenia

The largest cultural, industrial and transport center of the country is its capital - the city of Yerevan, located at the junction of the Ararat plain and foothills. This is a young soul, but with a respectable age, the city was provincial and provincial until the victory of Soviet power.

Modern Yerevan is a millionaire city. The river Hrazdan flows through the picturesque gorge through the city.

The first master plan for the development of the city, taking into account all natural features, belongs to the academician of architecture A. Tamanyan in 1924. All subsequent ideas for plans continued Tamanyan's ideas.

Remark 2

Yerevan, one of the oldest cities in the world, was founded in 782 BC and was called Erivan for several centuries.

The city is often referred to as "pink" because its buildings are built of pink tuff.

The heart of the city is a complex of buildings on the Republic Square, where the country's historical museum and the famous singing fountains are located.

The capital has a rich history, even during the Urartian kingdom, its ruler built a fortress-settlement for captured soldiers. This page of history was recorded in cuneiform writing.

Today, on the site of this fortress is the southern outskirts of the city.

The first Christian church of Peter and Paul in Erivan was built in the 5th century, but in 1931 the ancient temple was destroyed. The city gradually grew, and by the Middle Ages, about 20 thousand people lived in it.

In 1387, the troops of Tamerlane came here - the city was defeated, and most of the population was killed.

To early XIX century, the city had only three quarters, 1700 houses, several mosques and caravanserais, 10 baths, 2 schools.

A large-scale reconstruction has been carried out in the city since the mid-1920s - electricity was installed, new streets were laid, new squares appeared, water supply and sewerage systems were created.

To prevent the capital from experiencing frequent dust storms, the surrounding hills were planted with trees.

One of the main streets of the city, named after G. Tumanyan, ends at the mountain slope, where the Grand Cascade was built back in the 60s. It consists of stands, seating areas, fountains and flower beds. The cascade overlooks the entire city.

Here, at the foot of the cascade, festivals and jazz concerts often take place. A private collection of sculptures by Colombian artist Fernando Botero is open at the base of the cascade.

The collection was donated to the city by an American businessman of Armenian origin, Gerald Cafesjian.

On April 24, the Armenian Diaspora of the whole world celebrates the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Genocide. On the hill of Tsitsernakaberd, in Yerevan is located memorial Complex dedicated to this tragic page Armenian history - a memorial stele, 44 m high and the Eternal Flame.

Among the Armenian churches, the largest is the Cathedral of St. Gregory the Illuminator, built in 2001 to mark the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity. The complex includes several churches - St. Tiridates III and Holy Empress Ashkhen, who helped Gregory the Illuminator in spreading Christianity.

Traditions and life of Armenians

Armenia is one of the countries that in its culture follows the true national wealth. At the core Everyday life Armenians are honoring elders, subordination in the family, neighborly and kindred mutual assistance, hospitality.

Armenian families have many children, and the appearance of a baby is considered the grace of God, children are very loved and pampered, especially boys.

A pronounced feature of the nation is hospitality in the house, they will always share with the guest and will not let go until they are fed. In addition to meals, wine or cognac is offered as a drink, and refusal to sit down at the table is regarded as a great offense.

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Characteristics of Armenia by geography. With whom Armenia borders: land and water borders from the south, north, east and west of the country. Useful information for tourists

Capital of Armenia

Traditions and life of Armenians

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