Armenia

Shaken, yet standing, Armenia, an unobtrusive nation encompassed on all sides by the Caucasian countries of Georgia and Azerbaijan and by Turkey and Iran, has survived centuries of constant fighting and harassment by the Romans, Turks and, more recently, the Russians, and has emerged into the late 20th Century a renewed republic, ready to face the forbidding future and forget their troubled past. In spite of the country's remarkable subsistence, the imminent future is very precarious as the government plans to privatize major industries in 1997-98, consequently increasing foreign investments, and also to invest in the international marketing of Armenia's fruits and vegetables.

Occupying a land area slightly larger than the American state of Maryland, the Republic of Armenia, formerly one of the constituent republics of the USSR, is encrusted in southern Caucasia between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea. Armenia's physical geography is affected primarily by the fact of it being landlocked and its mountainous locality. Resting atop the Armenian Plateau, the Republic of Armenia, as it is formally called, has 90% of its total land area situated at elevations superior to 1,000 meters. (Time Multimedia Almanac) Climatic conditions are therefore intensely dry and continental, with temperate summers and cold winters. Winter temperatures are low, and they decrease with both latitude and distance from the Adriatic Sea. Interior areas experience great annual temperature ranges fluctuating between 23° F. in the month of January and 77° F. in July.

Seasonal distribution of temperature and precipitation approximates that of adjacent lowland climates which are semidesert and receive only 200 to 400 mm (8 to 16 in) in the summer, the wettest season. The only major lowland suitable for agricultural usage is the Aras River valley on the western side of Armenia. The most prominent physical feature of the republic is Lake Sevan, one of the world's largest mountain lakes, covering roughly 5% of Armenia's land area. The Razdan River flowing out of the lake is used for both irrigation and power generation. (Webster's Interactive Encyclopedia)

The broken relief of Armenia, together with the fact that its highland lies at the junction of various biogeographic regions, has produced a great variety of landscapes; though a small country, it boasts more soil types (more than 15) and plant species (over 3,000) than the vast East European Plain. Steppes predominate Armenia. Junipers, dog roses, sloe and grasses thrive in this region. The animal kingdom is represented by the Syrian bear, wildcat, lynx and squirrels. Birds--woodcock, robin, titmouse and woodpecker--are numerous. (Encyclopedia Brittanica, vol. 28, p. 758)

Armenia's ethnical makeup is exceedingly homogeneous on the account that Armenians make up 93% of the population with the remaining 7% composed of Azerbaijani, Russians, Kurds and others. The proportion of Armenians in the republic has increased in the past years due to a higher birthrate and also because of Armenian in-migration from abroad. The 3.52 million people which inhabit this nation speak Armenian, a language that is a distinctive branch of the Indo-European family of languages. Approximately 65% of the population is classified as urban, with the majority of them living in small, rural villages although the country has some sizable towns such as the capital, Yerevan (1,300,000), Kumayri (228,000), and Kirovakan (169,000). (Internet) The first signs of civilization in the area now occupied by Armenia date back to the 6th Century before Christ when the Urartu kingdom ruled present Caucasia.

Armenia is a mountainous country characterized by a great variety of scenery and geologic instability. It is subjected to damaging earthquakes: on Dec. 7, 1988, an earthquake completely destroyed the town of Spitak (population of about 25,000) as well as 80% of the buildings in Leninakan (now called Kumayri). Leninakan's population, some 228,000 on 1987, was reduced to 120,000 following the earthquake as a result of out-migration and deaths.

Christianity has been around in Armenia since AD 300 when it was proclaimed the official religion, and has kept a strong foothold in the country regardless of the proximity of Islam and other Oriental religions. Today the Armenian Orthodox Church claims 94% of the Armenians as its followers. Culturally speaking, Armenia has maintained a strong national identity for the last 2,000 years despite having been under the domination of the Arabs, Greeks, Romans and more recently the Russians. Regardless of this, their lifestyle has changed accordingly with the different cultures which have come to rule over them. Of these, the Islamic culture has left the most impact not only in their lifestyle but also on the Armenian liturgy and literature, which thrived during the Arabic domination of Transcaucasia. Although a third-world country, Armenia has a relatively high literacy rate with 94% of the population between 9-49 years of age being able to read and write. (Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia) Education is compulsory and free of charge between the ages of 7 and 17. (Encyclopedia Britannica, v. 1, p. 565) The educational system is composed of general, trade, and secondary schools with the Yerevan State University being the higher learning establishment.

Armenia's inhabitants live simply and plainly, yet retain a deep pride in their country's historical and cultural heritage. Many who reside in other countries such as the United States, cling to the Armenian language, religion and such customs as folk dancing and large family gatherings. These gatherings feature traditional dishes such as shish kebabs - pieces of lamb chops roasted on long spikes called skewers and baklava, a dessert made of thin layers of pastry coated with honey and nuts. The rural population of Armenia has grown much less rapidly than the urban population. The high country to the north of Shirak and in Siuniq has several small hamlets that lie in secluded glens, on riverbanks, and near springs; in the plain, such settlements cluster around mountain streams and irrigation canals, amid orchards and vineyards.

Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia built up a developed industrial sector, supplying machine-building equipment, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for energy resources and raw materials. Communism sustained the Armenian economy until the sudden ideological earthquake rocked the USSR, fracturing the strong social, political and economic ties Armenia had maintained with the Soviets since the 1920's. Left in the debris among her sister republics were the shattered remains of the once proud Russian protectorate of Armenia, free yet detrimental in its socio-economic condition. Regardless of this, the economic decline in the past six years (1991-93) has been particularly due to the ongoing conflict over the Armenian enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh in neighboring Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan and Turkey have both blockaded oil pipelines and railroad traffic because of Armenia's support of Karabakh Armenians. This has left Armenia with only sporadic deliveries of natural gas through unstable Georgia, while other fuels and raw materials are in critical short supplies.

Inflation of 14% per month in the first nine months of 1993 affected the national currency, the dram, which was introduced in the same year. Inflationary problems continued as it surged even higher in the fourth quarter. Consequently many industrial enterprises shut down or operated at drastically reduced levels in late 1993.(Internet) Only small quantities of food were available due mostly to humanitarian aid; heat was nonexistent, and electricity became strictly rationed. An economic recovery cannot be expected until the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in Azerbaijan is settled or the transportation system through Georgia improves.

The meager Armenian GNP of $7.1 billion has been affected not only by the industries' decline but also by the over-importing of goods from Armenia's main trade partners: the United States, Russia and the European Community. The agricultural sector of Armenia accounts for about 45% of the GNP. (Encyclopedia Britannica) Roughly 17% of the land is arable with the major cash crops cultured being fruits. Armenia is famous worldwide for its fruits and vegetables, which due to specific soil and climatic conditions, high altitude of the terrain, and limited use of chemical fertilizers, acquire very rich and pleasant natural tastes. It is believed that with modern processing and packaging technologies, Armenian fruit and vegetable products and sub-products can successfully enter international markets. However, most food processing plants and canneries in the country are equipped with outdated equipment, cannot provide export quality products, and are in desperate need of foreign partners. (Internet)

At the initial stage of industrialization, the creation of a power base utilizing the hydraulic potential of mountain streams was of decisive importance. Production of electricity was combined with the building of irrigation works and water-supply systems for industries and cities. The Razdan-Sevan series of hydraulic power stations was a first-priority project that used not only the waters of the Razdan but also those of Lake Sevan. This project made possible the electrification of agriculture and helped to build numerous industries. Yerevan was the city that benefited the most from this new power supply system. Today it accounts for nearly three-fifths of the total industrial output of Armenia. Other industrial centers and regions are developing, especially in the north, where Kirovakan and Kumayri are now major industrial centers.

Armenia has a relatively new government, having been formed right after the breakup of the now-defunct USSR. Having been one of the more independence-minded of the USSR's republics, Armenia held a referendum on Sept. 21,1991, concerning independence and 94.05% of all eligible voters voted for it. Two days later, the Armenian Parliament declared the independence of Armenia from the USSR. The first free presidential election was held in Armenia on October 16, 1991, and Levon Ter-Petrosian was elected president with over 80% of the vote, demonstrating his wide acceptance. Armenia's national holiday is the 21st of September, also called Referendum Day. A constitution has not been adopted since they obtained freedom from the USSR. (Internet)

President Levon Ter-Petrosian is still serving his mandate, although a crisis has occurred since his election over the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Despite this, President Levon Ter-Petrosian has performed some political miracles by obtaining financial aid from various countries, the most important of these being the United States. Enjoying widespread support in Congress, Armenia has been receiving more US aid per capita than any other nation except Israel. (Internet) For a time, this generosity seemed well placed, and not just because of the emotional ties between Armenia and America, a nation with a substantial community of ethnic Armenians.

When it comes to its history, Armenia has apparently experienced more than enough of the constant oscillation of power subjected to them by their conquerors. Having been around since the 6th Century BC under the rule of the Urartu kings, the Armenians have survived many wars and struggles through the ages. Armenia became one of the satrapies or provinces of the Persian empire until the defeat of Persia by Alexander the Great during the 4th century BC, when it came under the nominal suzerainty of the Seleucids. During the Hellenistic and Roman periods it was an autonomous buffer state between the Parthian empire and the Greco-Roman powers in the west. Under the Artaxiad king Tigranes II (c.95-55 BC), the Armenian state ascended to a pinnacle of power, extending from Georgia in the north into Mesopotamia and Syria in the south. Tigranes, however, was forced to become a tributary of Rome in 66 BC.(Internet)

Soon afterwards, in AD 300, Tiridates III adopted Christianity as the official religion of his kingdom, making Armenia the first Christian state. Christianization led to the development of a unique Armenian culture, a blend of Hellenistic and Arabic influences. In the early 5th century, Saint Mesrop, an Armenian churchman, devised an alphabet for the Armenian language, initiating a period of literary and intellectual activity. (Grolier Multimedia Encyclopedia)

During the 5th and 6th centuries specific parts of Armenia were nominally subject to the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) emperor, but the country was actually controlled by native clan leaders known as nakharars. Although at times the nobles were able to fight together to repel an external foe, as they did against the Sassanians at Avarair (451), much of medieval Armenian history was marked by disunity and division, intrigues and revolts by dynastic princes, and periodic invasions. In 640 the Muslim Arabs overran Armenia and captured Dvin, its principal town. Under their patronage, the Bagratid family rose to prominence and established a line of kings in 886. Bagratid power reached its height in the 10th century, fostering a cultural renewal.

In the 11th century Armenia was conquered initially by the Byzantines and then by the Seljuk Turks. Fleeing from the Turks, a group of Armenian nobles and their followers settled in Byzantine Cilicia, where they established a state known as Lesser, or Little Armenia; it attained the status of a kingdom in 1198 and survived until 1375. The original Armenian homeland was conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century and--except for a portion seized by Persia in the early 17th century--remained under Ottoman rule for the following 400 years. The Turks, however, were not as successful as the Byzantines in their efforts to assimilate the strongly individualistic Armenian people. The Armenians and other non-Orthodox eastern Christians were governed by the patriarch of the Armenian church, who lived in Istanbul and was responsible only to the Ottoman sultan. Armenian society was dominated by wealthy bankers and businessmen--the sarafs and amiras; culture and literature was maintained by the church until the revival of national consciousness in the mid-19th century.

The annexation of Persian Armenia by Russia in 1828 and the growing influence of European philosophy among educated Armenians led to the development of a nationalist literature and to the formation of revolutionary political parties--the Hnchaks and the Dashnaks.(Internet) Turkish atrocities against Christians led Armenians to undertake their self-defense and to call for autonomy or independence. European diplomats expressed concern about the Armenian Question, but little was done when thousands of Armenians were massacred in 1894-96. During World War I the Turkish government, considering the Armenians sympathetic to its Russian foe, deported them en masse from Anatolia. Massacres and the subsequent hardships from the journey resulted in the deaths of between 600,000 and 1,000,000 Armenians in what has been called the first genocide of modern times. (Internet) Thousands migrated to the Russian Armenia and many others went on to cross the Atlantic into America. For the duration of the republic the Dashnaks struggled to gain international recognition, solve chronic economic problems, and stave off attacks by Turkey. In December 1920 rather than surrender to the Turks, they turned the government over to the Communists and the Soviet Republic of Armenia came into being.

The frustration of Armenian nationalist aspirations provided motivation for terrorist activities--especially against Turkish targets--by political groups among the Armenian Diaspora during the later part of the 20th century. In the late 1980s, severe ethnic clashes between the Armenian SSR and the Azerbaijan SSR over control of the Nagorno-Karabakh region led to heavy casualties and the flight of numerous Armenians from the beleaguered territory.

Today Armenia is still suffering from its tumultuous history. The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict holds back the nation and its economy from becoming the most industrialized and possibly the only first world country in the Caucasus. As has been said, the future of Armenia lies in its ability to settle the conflict with Azerbaijan and Turkey and then strive to regain its full economic potential through careful planning and intelligent choices of trading partners. Another vital step to an economic revival is to maintain favorable political connections with the US as well as the European Union, both of whom are Armenia's greatest trade partners and beneficiaries.