Map of Armenia
Armenia is a country in Asia with its capital at Yerevan, home to about 3.09 million people across 29,743 km². The interactive map below plots 8 cities and towns, 1 rivers, 1 lakes and 1 mountain summits recorded for Armenia in YearMaps.
- Population
- 3.09 million
- Area
- 29,743 km²
- Capital
- Yerevan
- Continent
- Asia
Interactive Map of Armenia
Centred on Yerevan at 40.1831° N, 44.5116° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Armenia
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a landlocked country in the Armenian highlands of West Asia. It is a part of the Caucasus region and is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, and Iran and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan to the south. Yerevan is the capital, largest city and financial center.
The Armenian highlands have been home to the Hayasa-Azzi, Shupria, and Nairi peoples. By at least 600 BC, an archaic form of Proto-Armenian, an Indo-European language, had diffused into the Armenian highlands. The first Armenian state of Urartu was established in 860 BC, and by the 6th century BC it was replaced by the Satrapy of Armenia. The Kingdom of Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great in the 1st century BC and in AD 301 became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion. Armenia still recognises the Armenian Apostolic Church, the world's oldest national church, as the country's primary religious establishment. The ancient Armenian kingdom was split between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires around the early 5th century. Under the Bagratuni dynasty, the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia was restored in the 9th century before falling in 1045. Cilician Armenia, an Armenian principality and later a kingdom, was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between the 11th and 14th centuries.
Between the 16th and 19th centuries, the traditional Armenian homeland composed of Eastern and Western Armenia was divided between the Ottoman and Persian empires, with control of various regions shifting between the two powers over time. By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been conquered by the Russian Empire while most of Western Armenia remained under Ottoman rule. During World War I, up to 1.5 million Armenians were systematically exterminated in the Armenian genocide. Following the Russian Revolution, the First Republic of Armenia declared independence in 1918. By 1920, the state was incorporated into the Soviet Union as the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic. The Republic of Armenia became independent in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union.
Modern Armenia is a unitary, multi-party, democratic nation-state. It is a developing country and ranks 69th on the Human Development Index as of 2023. Its economy is primarily based on industrial output and mineral extraction. While Armenia is geographically located in the South Caucasus, it views itself as part of Europe and is generally considered geopolitically European.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Armenia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Armenia
Armenia prides itself on being the first state to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Armenia has existed as a political entity for centuries, but for much of its history it was under the sway of various empires, including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, Ottoman, and Russian. During World War I, the Ottoman Empire instituted a policy of forced resettlement that, coupled with other harsh practices targeting its Armenian subjects, resulted in at least 1 million deaths; these actions have been widely recognized as constituting genocide. During the early 19th century, significant Armenian populations fell under Russian rule. Armenia declared its independence in 1918 in the wake of the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia, but it was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenia, along with Azerbaijan and Georgia, was initially incorporated into the USSR as part of the Transcaucasian Federated Soviet Socialist Republic; in 1936, the republic was separated into its three constituent entities, which were maintained until the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. For over three decades, Armenia had a longstanding conflict with neighboring Azerbaijan about the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which historically had a mixed Armenian and Azerbaijani population, although ethnic Armenians have constituted the majority since the late 19th century. In 1921, Moscow placed Nagorno-Karabakh within Soviet Azerbaijan as an autonomous oblast. In the late Soviet period, a separatist movement developed that sought to end Azerbaijani control over the region. Fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988 and escalated after Armenia and Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By the time a cease-fire took effect in 1994, separatists with Armenian support controlled Nagorno‑Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani territories. Armenia and Azerbaijan engaged in a second military conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh in 2020; Armenia lost control over much of the territory it had previously captured, returning the southern part of Nagorno-Karabakh and the territories around it to Azerbaijan. In September 2023, Azerbaijan took military action to regain control over Nagorno-Karabakh; after an armed conflict that lasted only one day, nearly the entire ethnic Armenian population of Nagorno-Karabakh fled to Armenia. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993 in support of Azerbaijan during the first period of conflict with Armenia and has since maintained a closed border, leaving Armenia with closed borders both in the west (with Turkey) and east (with Azerbaijan). Armenia and Turkey engaged in intensive diplomacy to normalize relations and open the border in 2009, but the signed agreement was not ratified in either country. In 2015, Armenia joined the Eurasian Economic Union alongside Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan. In 2017, Armenia signed a Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA) with the EU. In 2018, former President of Armenia (2008-18) Serzh SARGSIAN of the Republican Party of Armenia (RPA) tried to extend his time in power, prompting protests that became known as the “Velvet Revolution.” After SARGSIAN resigned, the National Assembly elected the leader of the protests, Civil Contract party chief Nikol PASHINYAN, as the new prime minister. PASHINYAN’s party has prevailed in subsequent legislative elections, most recently in 2021.
- Location
- Southwestern Asia, between Turkey (to the west) and Azerbaijan; note - Armenia views itself as part of Europe; geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within Europe, the Middle East, or both.
- Climate
- Highland continental, hot summers, cold winters.
- Terrain
- Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley.
- Highest point
- Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m.
- Lowest point
- Debed River 400 m.
- Coastline
- 0 km (landlocked)
- Land borders
- Total: 1,570 km; border countries: Azerbaijan 996 km; Georgia 219 km; Iran 44 km; Turkey 311 km.
- Major lakes
- Fresh water lake(s): Lake Sevan - 1,360 sq km.
- Natural resources
- Small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 58.6% (2023 est.); arable land: 15.7% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 2.2% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 41.5% (2023 est.); forest: 11.8% (2023 est.); other: 13.5% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts.
- Geographic note
- Landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range.
- Languages
- Armenian 97.2%, Russian 1.4%, Ezidian 1.0%; less than 1%: other, unknown (2022)
- Religions
- Armenian Apostolic 95.2%, not stated 1.7%; less than 1%: Catholic, no religion, Evangelical, Shar-fadinian, other, Armenian Orthodox, Jehovah's Witness, Pagan, Molokan (2022 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Armenian 98.1%, Yezidi 1.1%; less than 1%: Russian, other, Assyrian, Kurd, Ukrainian, Greek (2022 est.)
- Economy
- Upper-middle income, fast-growing Caucasus economy; stable fiscal and monetary regime but vulnerable to geopolitical shocks; economic and energy ties to Russia but seeking more EU and US trade; key copper and gold exporter; business-friendly and anti-corruption reforms; persistent unemployment; influx of migrants from Ukraine war easing.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Armenia in Numbers
- Population
- 3.09 million
- GDP
- US$29.2 billion
- GDP per person
- US$9,474
- Life expectancy
- 78.3 years
- Population growth
- 1.74% a year
- Population density
- 108 per km²
- Urban population
- 65.9%
- Surface area
- 29,740 km²
- Forest cover
- 11.8%
- Arable land
- 15.7%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 81.3%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Armenia in Depth
History
The first human traces are supported by the presence of Acheulean tools, generally close to the obsidian outcrops more than 1 million years ago. The most recent and important excavation is at the Nor Geghi 1 Stone Age site in the Hrazdan river valley. Thousands of 325,000 year-old artifacts may indicate that this stage of human technological innovation occurred intermittently throughout the Old World, rather than spreading from a single point of origin (usually hypothesized to be Africa), as was previously thought.
Many early Bronze Age settlements were built in Armenia (Valley of Ararat, Shengavit, Harich, Karaz, Amiranisgora, Margahovit, Garni, etc.). One of the important sites of the Early Bronze Age is Shengavit settlement.
Geography
Armenia is a landlocked country in the geopolitical Transcaucasus (South Caucasus) region, that is located in the Southern Caucasus Mountains and their lowlands between the Black Sea and Caspian Sea, and northeast of the Armenian Highlands. Armenia is widely accepted as part of West Asia geographically, although other definitions place it either fully in Europe or across Europe and Asia. Located on the Armenian Highlands, it is bordered by Turkey to the west, Georgia to the north, the Lachin corridor which is a part of Lachin District that is under the control of a Russian peacekeeping force and Azerbaijan proper to the east, and Iran and Azerbaijan's exclave of Nakhchivan to the south.
Economy
The economy relies heavily on investment and support from Armenians abroad. Before independence, Armenia's economy was largely industry-based – chemicals, electronics, machinery, processed food, synthetic rubber, and textile – and highly dependent on outside resources. The republic had developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy.
Agriculture accounted for less than 20% of both net material product and total employment before the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991. After independence, the importance of agriculture in the economy increased markedly, its share at the end of the 1990s rising to more than 30% of GDP and more than 40% of total employment.
Demographics
Armenia has a population of 3,081,100 as of 2025. It is the third most densely populated of the former Soviet republics. The country has faced population decline since the breakup of the USSR due to high levels of emigration; the population peaked at 3.6 million in 1991. However, since 2012, the emigration rate has slowed, and some population growth has been observed.
Armenia has a relatively large external diaspora—8 million by some estimates, greatly exceeding the 3 million people in Armenia itself—which is dispersed across the globe.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Armenia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Armenia: Key Facts
| Currency | Armenian dram |
|---|---|
| Official language | Armenian |
| Head of state | Vahagn Khachatryan |
| Head of government | Nikol Pashinyan |
| Form of government | republic, unitary state |
| Calling code | +374 |
| Internet domain | .am |
| Highest point | Mount Aragats |
| Lowest point | Debed |
| Established | 23 September 1991 |
Facts from Wikidata Q399 (CC0).
History of Armenia: Empires and States
The atlas records 36 polities whose mapped territory included part of Armenia, from Kingdom of Urartu in 800 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom of Urartu | 800–551 BCE | Most |
| Neo-Assyrian Empire | 700–616 BCE | Most |
| Assyrian Egypt | 650–616 BCE | Most |
| Achaemenid Persian Empire | 550–330 BCE | Most |
| Achaemenid Empire | 550–327 BCE | Most |
| Kingdom of Armenia | 326 BCE – 646 CE | Nearly all |
| Seleucid Empire | 210–189 BCE | Nearly all |
| Parthian Empire | 110 BCE – 164 CE | Nearly all |
| The Roman Empire | 60–126 CE | Nearly all |
| The Sasanian Empire | 260–637 CE | Nearly all |
| Huns | 396–406 CE | Nearly all |
| Eastern Roman Empire | 592–632 CE | A large part |
| The Byzantine Empire | 592–1071 CE | Most |
| Rashidun Caliphate | 644–665 CE | Nearly all |
| The Umayyad Caliphate | 666–750 CE | Nearly all |
| The Abbasid Caliphate | 751–885 CE | Nearly all |
| Shirvan | 825–839 CE | Most |
| Bagratid Armenia | 886–1045 CE | Nearly all |
| Great Seljuk Empire | 1072–1191 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of Georgia | 1126–1802 CE | Nearly all |
| Hamdanid Emirates | 1192–1235 CE | Nearly all |
| The Mongol Empire | 1236–1332 CE | Nearly all |
| Ilkhanate | 1294–1332 CE | Nearly all |
| Vassalage of Kingdom of Georgia to Timurid Empire | 1395–1406 CE | Nearly all |
| Timurid Empire | 1395–1414 CE | Nearly all |
| Vassalage of Qara Qoyunlu to Timurid Empire | 1407–1467 CE | Nearly all |
| Qara Qoyunlu | 1415–1467 CE | Most |
| Aq Qoyunlu | 1468–1501 CE | Most |
| Safavid Dynasty | 1502–1726 CE | Nearly all |
| The Ottoman Empire | 1579–1918 CE | Nearly all |
| Afsharid Iran | 1738–1747 CE | Nearly all |
| Khanates of the Caucasus | 1748–1795 CE | Most |
| Qajar Dynasty | 1796–1827 CE | Most |
| The Russian Empire | 1803–1916 CE | Nearly all |
| Union of Soviet Socialist Republics | 1922–1991 CE | Nearly all |
| Republic of Armenia | 1992–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Armenia
Armenia on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Armenia
"AM" redirects here. For the Brazilian state, see Amazonas.
Armenia (Armenian: Հայաստան Hayastan) is a landlocked country in the Caucasus. Once the centre of an empire, this former Soviet republic straddles the line between Europe and Asia. Armenia has a rich, ancient history, and it is most famously known for being the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as the state religion.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Armenia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Armenia
8 cities recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Yerevan | 1.10 million | Erevan | National capital |
| 2 | Gyumri | 148,381 | Shirak | Admin-1 capital |
| 3 | Vanadzor | 101,098 | Lori | Populated place |
| 4 | Gavarr | 21,680 | Gegharkunik | Admin-1 capital |
| 5 | Artashat | 20,562 | Ararat | Admin-1 capital |
| 6 | Ashtarak | 18,779 | Aragatsotn | Admin-1 capital |
| 7 | Ijevan | 14,737 | Tavush | Admin-1 capital |
| 8 | Yeghegnadzor | 8,200 | Vayots Dzor | Admin-1 capital |
Highest Mountains in Armenia
1 mountain recorded. Ranked by summit elevation above sea level. A summit on a border is listed under both countries.
| # | Name | Elevation | Feet | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aragats Lerr | 4,090 m | 13,419 ft | Asia |
Largest Lakes in Armenia
1 lake recorded. Ranked by mapped surface area. A lake on a border is listed under each country it lies in, with the area of the whole lake.
| # | Name | Surface Area | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lake Sevan | 1,377 km² | Lake |
Lake Sevan
Lake · 1,377 km²
Lake Sevan is a lake in Armenia, with a mapped surface area of about 1,377 km².
Lake Sevan (Armenian: Սևանա լիճ, romanized: Sevana lich) is the largest body of water in Armenia and the broader Caucasus region. It is one of the largest freshwater alpine lakes in Eurasia. The lake is situated in Gegharkunik Province, at an altitude of 1,900 m (6,234 ft) above sea level. It is fed by 28 rivers and streams. 10% of this incoming water is drained by the Hrazdan River, while the remaining 90% evaporates.
The total surface area of its basin is about 5,000 km2 (1,900 sq mi), which makes up 1⁄6 of Armenia's territory. The lake itself is 1,242 km2 (480 sq mi), and the volume is 32.8 km3 (7.9 cu mi).
Lake Sevan has significant economic, cultural, and recreational value. Sevan Island was the lake's sole major island and is the site of Sevanavank, a monastery built in the period of Medieval Armenia. Due to falling water levels, the island is now a peninsula. The lake provides some 90% of the fish and 80% of the crayfish catch of Armenia.
Lake Sevan was heavily exploited for irrigation of the Ararat plain and hydroelectric power generation during the Soviet period. Consequently, its water level decreased by around 20 m (66 ft) and its volume reduced by more than 40%.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Sevan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Surface area
- 1,377 km²
- Area rank
- #148 of 756 indexed
- Type
- Lake
- Country
- Armenia
- Coordinates
- 40.2853°, 45.3906°
Among the 756 water bodies with a mapped extent in YearMaps, Lake Sevan ranks #148 by surface area, after Lake Vygozero (1,386 km²) and ahead of Garry Lake (1,365 km²). Areas are computed from the mapped outline and are approximate.
- Other water nearby:
- Lake Van (3,503 km²), Lake Urmia (4,382 km²)
More about Lake Sevan
Tourism
Lake Sevan has the only beaches in Armenia. They are a popular destination for the Armenians. Sevan's beaches provide a unique experience within the landlocked country for Armenians. The beaches adjacent to hotels are usually privatized. Numerous beaches are located along the entire lake shore. The most popular of them is a 2.5-kilometre (1+1⁄2 mi) stretch on the northern shore, extending northwest from the peninsula. Resorts include Harsnaqar Hotel, Best Western Bohemian Resort, and numerous smaller facilities. Activities include swimming, sunbathing, jet skiing, windsurfing, and sailing. The area also includes numerous campgrounds and picnic areas for daytime use.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Lake Sevan (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lake Sevan: Key Facts
| Surface area | 1,271 km² |
|---|---|
| Maximum depth | 81 m |
| Surface elevation | 1,900 m |
| Inflows | Vardenis, Martuni, Argichi, Astkhadzor, Gavaraget, Tsakkar |
| Outflows | Hrazdan River |
Facts from Wikidata Q181932 (CC0).
Rivers in Armenia
1 river recorded. Listed alphabetically. A river is listed where its mapped reach lies, so long rivers appear under more than one country.
| Name | Type | Also Flows Through |
|---|---|---|
| Aras | River | Azerbaijan, Iran, Turkey |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Armenia
3 World Heritage Sites recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Monasteries of Haghpat and Sanahin | 1996 | Cultural | (ii) (iv) |
| 2 | Cathedral and Churches of Echmiatsin and the Archaeological Site of Zvartnots | 2000 | Cultural | (ii) (iii) |
| 3 | Monastery of Geghard and the Upper Azat Valley | 2000 | Cultural | (ii) |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Armenia
1 landform recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lesser Caucasus | 62,526 km² | Range/mtn | Asia |
Lesser Caucasus
Range/mtn · 62,526 km²
Lesser Caucasus is a range/mtn in Asia, covering an estimated 62,526 km². It extends across Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan.
The Lesser Caucasus or Lesser Caucasus Mountains, also called Caucasus Minor, is the second of the two main ranges of the Caucasus Mountains, of length about 600 km (370 mi). The western portion of the Lesser Caucasus overlaps and converges with east Turkey and northwest Iran. It runs parallel to the Greater Caucasus, traversing through the Armenian highlands, at a distance averaging about 100 km (62 mi) south from the Likhi Range (Georgia), and limits east Turkey from the north and north-east. It is connected with the Pontic range and separated from it by the Kolkhida Lowland (Georgia) in the west and Kura-Aras Lowland (Azerbaijan) (by the Kura River) in the east.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Lesser Caucasus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Range/mtn
- Mapped extent
- 62,526 km²
- Size rank
- #68 of 216 mountain ranges
- Region
- Asia
- Countries
- Georgia, Armenia, Azerbaijan
- Coordinates
- 40.1900°, 45.8569°
- Adjacent ranges:
- Pontic Mountains (Asia), Kopet Dag Mountains (Asia)
More about Lesser Caucasus
Description
The borders between Georgia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Iran run through the range, although its crest does not usually define the border. The range was historically called Anticaucasus or Anti-Caucasus (Greek: Αντι-Καύκασος, Russian: Антикавка́з, Анти-Кавка́з). This usage is commonly found in older sources. Current usage tends towards using the name Lesser Caucasus, but Anti-caucasus can still be found in modern texts.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Lesser Caucasus (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Lesser Caucasus: Key Facts
| Length | 600 km |
|---|---|
| Highest point | Mount Aragats |
| Part of | Caucasus Mountains |
Facts from Wikidata Q216593 (CC0).
Countries Bordering Armenia
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Asia
Armenia: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Armenia?
- The capital of Armenia is Yerevan.
- What is the population of Armenia?
- Armenia has a population of about 3.09 million, the #138 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Armenia?
- Armenia covers 29,743 km², ranking #144 by area, with about 104 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Armenia in?
- Armenia is in Asia.
- Which countries border Armenia?
- Armenia shares a land or maritime border with Turkey, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran.
- What is the largest city in Armenia?
- Yerevan is the largest city in Armenia, with a metropolitan population of about 1.10 million.
- What is the highest mountain in Armenia?
- The highest summit recorded for Armenia in YearMaps is Aragats Lerr at 4,090 m (13,419 ft). Summits on a border are counted for both countries.
- What is the largest lake in Armenia?
- The largest lake recorded in or bordering Armenia is Lake Sevan, at roughly 1,377 km².