Everything you need to know about Armenia
Travel map of Armenia by the tour operator OVERCROSS
- General Information
- Climate
- Flora and Fauna
- National Parks and Conservation
- Medical Information
- Population
- Politics and Economy
- Transport network
- Cities and Regions
- Culture and Sights
- Public Holidays
- Travel information
- Foreign Representations
- Sources and Links
1. General Information
Continent: Asia
Geographical Location: Western Asia, located in the Northern Hemisphere
Highest elevation: Aragats Lerrnagagat (4094km)
Longest river: Lake Sevan (78km)
Form of government: Republic
System of government: Semi-presidential system
Languages: Armenian
Neighboring countries: Georgia, Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey
Capital: Yerevan
Area: approx. 29,800 km²
Population: approx. 2,950,000 people
Population density: 99 inhabitants per km²
Religions: about 94% Oriental Orthodox Christians, a Muslim minority, 0.5% Jehovah's Witnesses
Currency: Dram
Climate: in the valleys and lowlands the climate is continental, in the mountains somewhat cooler and at the border with Iran subtropical and very dry
Time zone: UTC + 4
Country code: +374
Country code: AM
Opening hours: generally weekdays 9:00-18:00, Saturdays until 15:00 or 16:00, partly until 18:00 or 19:00, Sundays 10:00-16:00
2. Climate
| Yerevan | Temp. °C max/min | Sun hours / day | Precipitation days / month | |
| Jan | 2 | -8 | 3 | 5 |
| Feb | 4 | -5 | 4 | 5 |
| Mar | 13 | 2 | 5 | 6 |
| Apr | 17 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
| May | 24 | 12 | 9 | 8 |
| Jun | 28 | 14 | 12 | 5 |
| Jul | 32 | 18 |
13 |
3 |
| Aug | 33 | 17 | 13 | 3 |
| Sep | 28 | 14 | 10 | 3 |
| Oct | 20 | 7 | 8 | 5 |
| Nov | 13 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Dec | 6 | -3 | 4 | 5 |
| Kumari | Temp. °C max/min | Sun hours / day | Rainy days | |
| Jan | -4 | -13 | 3 | 7 |
| Feb | -2 | -12 | 5 | 7 |
| Mar | 4 | -6 | 5 | 8 |
| Apr | 13 | -2 | 6 | 11 |
| May | 18 | 6 | 7 | 13 |
| Jun | 23 | 8 | 10 | 13 |
| Jul | 25 | 13 | 13 | 8 |
| Aug | 26 | 12 | 11 | 7 |
| Sep | 23 | 8 | 8 | 6 |
| Oct | 16 | 2 | 7 | 7 |
| Nov | 10 | -3 | 5 | 5 |
| Dec | 3 | -8 | 3 | 7 |
3. Flora and Fauna
The most common tree species are pines, oaks, acacias, willows, or walnut trees. In the highlands, there are mainly thorn bushes and thistle species.
As far as cultivated plants are concerned, Armenia displays a surprising diversity. Pomegranates, apricots, peaches, figs, and grapes have been thriving here for centuries—grapes supposedly for over 2000 years!
In historic times, Armenia had an extremely diverse wildlife: huge elephants, bison, wild horses, wolves, bears, and wildcats. Unfortunately, not much of this is left today. Bears and leopards have become very rare. Jackals and wild boars, foxes and lynxes, on the other hand, are seen more often.
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4. National Parks and Nature Conservation
Armenia has long had three strictly protected reserves. These are the Khosrov Reserve, located southeast of the capital, the dry Erebuni Reserve, located in the immediate vicinity of Yerevan, and the forested Shikahogh Reserve in the south of the country. In addition, the Sevan National Park and the Dilijan National Park have been established in recent years. Recently, the Arevik National Park, the Arpi National Park and another reserve, the Zangezur Reserve, have been designated.
5. Medical Information
In 2023, the life expectancy of men was 73 and that of women 78 years. Health expenditures in 2022 amounted to 6.2% of GDP. Of this, government health spending amounted to 126 US dollars per person.
6. Population
Of the 2,950,000 inhabitants of the country Armenia at the 2021 census, 2,869,900 or 97.3% were Armenians, 1.2% Yazidis and 0.5% Russians. Other minorities are Kurds, Assyrians and Pontic Greeks.
In Armenia, the population development is declining (-0.3% per year). From 1991 to 2002 alone, about 720,000 Armenians emigrated, mainly to Russia and other CIS states.
7. Politics and Economy
On September 21, 1991, Armenia declared itself independent and since then a sovereign republic. Today it is a country with many political and economic problems. The reasons for this are the poor relations with the two neighboring states Azerbaijan and Turkey, as well as the sometimes lack of assertiveness of the national decision-makers.
The economic situation of Armenia is extremely precarious. The still not fully overcome economic crisis of the 1990s, massive emigration, as well as lack of competition have resulted in the gap between rich and poor widening considerably.
The most important branches of the Armenian economy are the food and textile industries. In addition, mechanical engineering and agriculture.
8. Transport Network
A special feature in road traffic is the extremely high proportion of vehicles that run on natural gas instead of gasoline or diesel, compared to international standards.
The railway in Armenia has been operated by Harawkowkasjan Jerkatughi, a subsidiary of Russian Railways, since June 1, 2008, initially for 30 years after winning a tender.
9. Cities and Regions
By far the largest city in Armenia is the capital Yerevan, with approx. 1,080,000 inhabitants. In second place is Gyumri, with about 146,000 inhabitants. In Vanadzor, about 104,000 people live.
10. Culture, Sights and Famous Personalities
Number 1 among the sights in Armenia are the UNESCO World Heritage Sites Echmiadzin and the Geghard Monastery. In general, monasteries, churches and museums are the main attractions in Armenia. But Lake Sevan is also worth a visit.
Famous persons:
Arthur Abraham: was born on February 20, 1980 in Yerevan, Armenia. He is an Armenian-German boxer who became IBF World Champion in Middleweight (2005) and WBO World Champion in Super Middleweight (2012).
11. Holidays
| Holiday | Date |
| New Year's Day | 1 January |
| New Year's Day (2nd day) | 2 January |
| New Year's Day (3rd day) | 3 January |
| New Year's Day (4th day) | 4 January |
| Armenian Christmas Eve | 5 January |
| Armenian Christmas | 6 January |
| Army Day | 28 January |
| St. Vartan | 4 February |
| Translator's Day | 6 February |
| Valentine's Day | 14 February |
| International Women's Day | 8 March |
| Spring Equinox | 20 March |
| Good Friday | 25 March |
| Holy Saturday | 26 March |
| Easter Sunday | 27 March |
| Easter Monday | 28 March |
| Motherhood and Beauty Day | 7 April |
| Memorial Day for the Victims of Genocide | 24 April |
| Labour Day | 1 May |
| Congress | 8 May |
| Day of Victory and Peace | 9 May |
| Republic Day | 28 May |
| Children's Day | 1 June |
| Father's Day | 19 June |
| Summer Solstice | 20 June |
| Vardavar (Day of Water) | 3 July |
| Constitution Day | 5 July |
| Day of Knowledge and Literature | 1 September |
| Independence Day | 21 September |
| Autumn Equinox | 22 September |
| Halloween | 31 October |
| Memorial Day for the Victims of the Spitak Earthquake | 7 December |
| Winter Solstice | 21 December |
| New Year's Eve | 31 December |
12. Travel Information
Safety instructions from Federal Foreign Office
