Robert Kocharyan
President

(pronounced "kochar-YAWN")

"There can be no real freedom and democracy if employment and minimum standards of living are not ensured."

The Republic of Armenia is bordered by Georgia to the north, Iran to the south, Turkey to the east, and Azerbaijan to the east and south. It has a total land area of 29,800 sq km (11,500 sq mi).

The population of Armenia was estimated at 3.3 million in 2002. Armenia conducted its first official census as an independent nation in October 2001, but as of February 2003, the results had not been released. An estimated 1.3 million reside in the capital city, Yerevan. The country is essentially ethnically homogeneous. The official language is Armenian, a distinct Indo-European language, though Russian is widely spoken. A majority of the population (94%) belong to the Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church, one of the oldest churches in Christendom.

Armenia's currency, the...