Armenia - Useful information for your trip

Armenia is a country in Asia with Yerevan as a capital city. it is landlocked and its territory is mostly mountainous and full of extinct volcanoes. The Lesser Caucasus stretches from north to south-east of the country, between Lake Sevan and Azerbaijan to the border with Iran. The volcanic activity has ceased, but the tectonic activity continues, causing frequent earthquakes.

The largest lake is Lake Sevan, followed by Lake Arpi. Hrazdan River flows from Lake Sevan and runs through the capital Yerevan and is the longest river in the country. The second most important river is the Akhurian, while the Aras marks the border with Turkey.

The climate is continental with hot summers and cold winters. Rainfall is scarce, especially along the banks of the Aras River, the most arid area of ​​the country. The wild goat called tur, the mouflon and the chamois make up the typical Armenian fauna, while Sevan lake serves as a natural habitat for over 100 species of birds, some of them very rare such as the Dalmatian pelican and the Armenian gull. Much of the land is made up of parks and protected areas, some of which can be visited, such as Dilijan National Park which also features some marked trails for hiking.

The primary sector employs about half of the Armenian population. Most common crops are wheat, barley, corn, potatoes, tobacco, vegetables, grapes and fruit and sheep's milk for famous Motal. The country still imports large quantities of food because local production does not meet domestic demand. Important is also the extraction of gold, copper, zinc, iron, silver and natural gas. The industrial sector is quite advanced, in particular the food industry, paper industry, mechanical industry, electrical, textile, chemical, rubber, cement and tobacco industry.

Very profitable for the Armenian economy is also mountain tourism, given the conformation of the territory. But it is also interesting to visit the capital Yerevan, with its monuments and buildings that recall the history of the country. In some national parks there are hiking trails for nature lovers. Worth visiting are also the monasteries, including that of Tatev, Khor Virap and Haghpat.