Armenia Country Info and Photo Gallery and Flag
![[Armenia]](http://www.crwflags.com/fotw/images/a/am.gif)
National flag of Armenia
Armenia Country Brief
General
Armenia is a land-locked country located in south-western Asia, bordering Georgia to the north, Turkey to the west, Iran and Azerbaijan to the south and east. The country's total land area is roughly 30,000 square kilometres, and its population in July 1999 was estimated to be 3.4 million. The capital of Armenia is the city of Yerevan.
Armenia's national day is celebrated on 21 September.
Statistics
Capital City: Yerevan
Population: 2,971,650
GDP: $16,940,000,000 (USD)
Total Area: 29,800 (sq km) 11,506 (sq mi)
Currency: dram (AMD)
Historical Issues
With the conclusion of the election cycles in Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2003, international pressure has mounted on both countries to resume high-level negotiations concerning the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. The region is an Armenian-populated enclave of Azerbaijan, which was transferred to Azeri control in 1923 as part of a Stalinist campaign to 'divide and rule' the satellite republics. Fighting between Armenia and Azerbaijan broke out over the disputed territory following the collapse of the Soviet Union. A ceasefire agreement was signed in July 1994 between Azerbaijan, Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh, although sporadic exchanges of gunfire reportedly continue along the ceasefire border. The death toll in the conflict to date has been put as high as 20,000, with refugee numbers estimated at over one million.
Armenia has been ruled by foreign powers for much of its recent history. In 1639 Armenia was partitioned, with the western part annexed by Turkey and the eastern region remaining part of the Persian Empire. In 1828, after a period of Russo-Persian conflict, eastern Armenia was ceded to the Russian Empire in the Treaty of Turkmenchai. Between 1895 and 1920, Turkey's Armenian population lost an estimated 1.5 million people through violence, starvation, privation and disease. The worst spate of anti-Armenian violence occurred in 1915 when there were large-scale massacres of Armenian people living in Turkey. The Australian Government sympathises with the Armenian community over the tragic events that occurred in 1915 and the following years.
History also records substantial losses of life in Turkish communities at the time. It is unfortunate that this tragedy, which occurred 90 years ago, remains a cause of tension in relations between Armenia and Turkey.