2 March 2025 - In Yerevan, Armenia

A few weeks back, while still planning the vacation in Armenia, I had come across a free guided walking tour in Yerevan. The more I went through the details the more I felt it would be the correct way to understand the city better. I booked the guided English tour and promptly got confirmation for the three- and half-hour tour starting at 10 am.

However, this morning I found a mail from Tigran, the guide, that the 10 am start had been postponed to 2 pm. That completely upset my schedule of taking the hired car for out-of-the-city sightseeing in the afternoon. I decided to rework the rest of itinerary for Armenia. As I had already paid for the car, rescheduling its hire was out of the question. Instead, I decided to take the car this morning itself and pack in what I had missed yesterday afternoon and what I had planned for the next day. That fitted in neatly.

Breakfast was built into the tariff. The hot shower prepared me for the day. The dining hall in the basement of the hotel had just started to come alive. The buffet breakfast was a mixture of local and continental food. Chocos with cold milk kick-started the buffet. Egg varieties were boiled, sunny side up and omelette with sausage which could be had with toast, jam, butter and Armenian cheese. The local version of hash browns, risotto rice stuffed cabbage leaf, dolma and three healthy salads were more than adequate for the vegetarian. For those with sweet tooth there was Apple pie, moist chocolate cake and Gata, a local desert. All these could be washed down with filtered water, coffee or tea.

After making sure that the stomach is attended to, I walked to the address given in the car booking voucher. It was barely 300 meters from the hotel. It was quite cold, but the sky was clear, and the streets were free of muddy pools. When I reached the Google Maps aided address location all I saw was rows of residential buildings and, with it being a Sunday, there was no one about. Finally, I rang the number given in the booking voucher of AutoUnion car rental. After a few tries I got through to a pleasant gentleman, who guided me to their office, just a few steps away.

In the office was the tall, gangly Hovo, who took my passport and driving license and filled up details on his tab. I filled up personal details like address, emails and phone number as well as for the credit card. When it was time for the sign off Hovo dropped the bomb. I had made the reservation through Discover Cars, an online aggregator, specifying the car I wanted, the number of days of hire and opted for the full cover insurance. I paid the total amount for the six days hire of a Citroen C3 with the full cover of Rs. 17,115 online. Hovo told me that the cover I had did not cover tyres, rims and windshield and that I would have to cough up another Euro 105! That meant that the insurance would cost me more than the car hire. Ridiculous, to say the least.

However, Hovo told me that I could speak to Discover Cars and then take a decision. He connected the UK number, and a kind gentleman acknowledged my booking and told me that I had the option of either going with their original insurance or take the AutoUnion one. If I took the latter, the original insurance amount would be refunded. However, he confirmed that if I went with the original insurance, I would be reimbursed any amount that AutoUnion would charge me in case of any damages that were not covered. That saved my day. I stuck with the Discover Cars insurance. I also realized how I had similarly been 'gyped' in Mauritius last year. This is a big 'game' between the aggregator and the service provider. Mercifully, I learnt a valuable lesson this day, mostly due to Hovo and the kind gentleman of Discover Cars.

Once all formalities were completed, he led me to a jet-black Nissan Versa, a car significantly bigger than the one I had booked. It was an upgrade. Hovo took videos and photos of the car, told me the speed limits and road rules, how to spot free parking and how to pay for the paid parking. The fuel rule was same to same, which meant that I had to return the car with the same amount of fuel the tank had at the time of hire. It was time to shake hands with Hovo and leave. He told me that I could call him at any time of the day or night and added his contact to my phone. He also told me to use the Yandex Navi app as it would guide me with cameras and permitted speed limits.

I eased out of the parking lot and set my sights for the Echmiadzin Cathedral. Traffic was sparse and I reached the historic church in a half hour after navigating 20 plus km. The cathedral is widely regarded as the oldest church in the world, with the first one established in 303 AD. It is the mother church of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The founder of the church was Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of Armenia.

The church was built over a pagan church to signify the change from paganism to Christianity with the adoption of it as the State religion in 301 AD. The cathedral underwent years of neglect, plunder, political turbulences and weathering due to which the cathedral went through multiple renovations and changes. Known as the Armenian Vatican, it is now a major pilgrimage center and is one of the most visited sites in the country. The large, forty-acre complex is a UNESCO world heritage site. The museum of the cathedral complex has relics of John the Baptist, apostles of Jesus and a fragment of Noah's Ark.

As I entered the complex, I heard singing and prayer chants; the Sunday holy mass was on. Along the walkway to the cathedral are stone crosses and relics of church facades of centuries past. The cathedral was almost full to capacity. I squeezed my way in to the cruciform structure. The faithful were moving in and out of the church. I suspected that not many stayed through the entire course of the mass.

Photography was not prohibited. I spent many moments in prayer and many more taking videos and photos. Later, after the mass was over, I got the opportunity to take a complete tour of the cathedral from the inside. I was on one of the holiest, and most certainly, the oldest Christian sites. I marveled at the way in which my plans had changed, and I got the opportunity to attend Sunday mass in this holy pilgrim site. The ways of God are many. Nothing ever happens as an accident; everything has a reason and is by design.

After picking up a few souvenirs, lighting a candle in the chapel and seeking the blessings of the priest I returned to the parked car. Next on the agenda was the Amberd fortress, nearly 50 km from the Cathedral. I left Yerevan behind and started the drive towards snowy mountains. With the sun blazing above, puddles had started to form on the roads and the village roads had to be navigated with patience and plenty of concentration. White storks had made nests on top of electric poles.

As I got close to the mountains, the snow was thicker, and the roads began to wind up. I passed the Amberd Hotel and was just about 5 km from the Amberd fortress when I confronted a thick layer of snow on the road. Up ahead I noticed a car stuck on the snowy road. I thought it better to return to the Amberd Hotel and seek the guidance of the staff. It was tricky reversing the car as the tyres were not gripping on the icy surface. In the end, I made it to the hotel, where the staff told me that the snow was heavy over the weekend and that I would not be able to proceed to the 10th century fortress that was at 7500 feet above MSL, on the slopes of Mount Aragats. That scuttled the fortress plan.

I retraced most of my steps to head to the Saghmosavank Monastery, about 30 km from the Amberd Hotel. As I turned off from the main road to the one leading to the monastery the road became bad with pools of water and melting ice. Eventually, after careful maneuvering I reached the monastic complex and found a place to park. Most of the parking lots were taken as a wedding was going on inside the monastery church. The 13th century monastic complex is situated atop the precipitous gorge carved by the Kasagh river. It was completely snowed under. I visualized how beautiful the setting would be in spring, which is, ideally, the time to visit the country.

The church is a type of cross-winged domed structure. I got into the church after roaming the grounds, taking in the awesomeness. The newlyweds vacated the church for the faithful to get in and pray. The rich interior is belied by the modest exterior of the church. The acoustics of the church is also excellent making the spiritual chants even more so mesmerizing.

Once I had spent enough time in the monastic complex it was time to head to the Yerevan Park, that was next on the list of places to see this day. It is a themed amusement park, popular with the young and old alike with plenty of rides, roller coasters, water games, Ferris wheel and the like. Yerevan Park is a family company which was founded by Garegin Nushikyan who wanted to bring things that were present around the world but missing in Armenia. His focus was on putting smiles on people's faces and take pride in what was 'their own'. The fees are quite steep, almost Rs. 2000, which includes a few rides too.

A few things on my list of places to visit were closed till 4th March; I wondered why, though. Those were the Victory Park, from where I could have seen the Mother of Armenia statue at close quarters and the Zvartnots Temple, the ruins of a 7th century cathedral. Though disappointed, I made good use of the left-over time for the day.

I went to the Children's Railway Park, which is one of the most beautiful parts of the Hrazdan Gorge. The narrow-gauge railway was built in 1943. The original building of the railway station was built of wood, which was replaced by a stone building later.

The children's railways functioned also as educational institution that allowed young students to learn various railroad professions. In the warm season, visitors to the park can take a train and take a short walk through the Hrazdan Gorge, walking about 600 m, and return to the starting point. At the time of my visit snow had covered the entire park and the train set was not in use. The steps to the station building had to be taken with tremendous caution as the ice made it very slippery.

Last on the itinerary for the day was the ARARAT Museum. The history of ARARAT brandy dates back to 1887. Current production is a combination of centuries-old traditions, the generosity of nature and craftsmanship. Selected Armenian grapes go through a controlled distillation process to produce the high quality of products that range from the young 1-year-old to the Caucasian oak-cask aged 20-year-old. At the reception I was told that the Museum tour with English guide happens thrice a day and has to be booked in advance. The tour comprises of a familiarization experience as well as tasting of various vintages. I spent a while in the retail shop attached to the Museum and made my way back to the hotel.

I bought a couple of bottles of the Armenian beer, Kilikia and sought refuge in the room for some time. Once the beer was done, I sought out the Rossia Mall food court, which had a large selection of soups, sides, salads, juices, ice creams, main dishes, pizza, sushi and the like. I settled for beef spaghetti, kidney beans and pumpkin soup. The last named was superb. That was the end of the second day in Armenia.

1 March 2025 - Ahmedabad to Yerevan, Armenia

The Air Arabia flight from the Sardar Vallabhbhai International Airport, Ahmedabad took off 20 minutes behind schedule, close to 5.30 am. The only concern I had was the sharp connection from Sharjah. And that too, about transfer of the luggage. On my trip to Manila a couple of years back, with transfer in Kuala Lumpur, the luggage arrived a couple of days later. I struggled those two days with not even bare necessities available. The airline was absolutely unmoved. Neither did they deliver the luggage to my hotel, nor did they compensate me for the delayed delivery.

Anyway, in the present case, eventually I had a clear one-hour gap after landing in Sharjah. The boarding gate for Yerevan was not far from the one I disembarked from. The security check was incredibly quick, and I was at the Yerevan gate with much to spare. The Sharjah airport is a no-frills airport with barely adequate moving space for the passengers waiting to board. Multiple gates clashed and a sea of humanity swarmed the detention center like waiting area.

Air Arabia hubs in six locations, namely, Sharjah, Morocco, Abu Dhabi, Ras al Khaimah, Alexandria and Pakistan. It carried 5.1 million passengers last year across 221 routes, flying 77 aircraft. The leg space on board is very limited and one fears the passenger in front reclining her seat. It cost me nearly Rs. 10,000 extra for the 20 kgs of extra baggage, seat selection and a meal on board the flights, as the tariff only includes 10 kgs of cabin baggage. The round trip cost me Rs. 55,000.

While awaiting boarding in Sharjah, a shiver ran down my spine when I saw the weather information at the gate. It said -6.5°C in Yerevan! The sights of the mountains and the landscape as I neared Yerevan further reinforced the belief that it was going to be one hell of a cold vacation. The cold blast that treated me on landing did no better. The immigration was done by officers who looked stern and reticent. However, after stamping the passport, he said "Welcome to Armenia. Have a pleasant stay." It sounded more of a trained piece of monologue than what came from the heart.

That done, I collected the luggage and went to the Viva kiosk to buy a local SIM card. I was more than pleasantly surprised that for AMD 3000 I could get 20 GB data and 1500 minutes of calls, that included India too! Next was currency exchange, which was a rip-off - though the girl said that they didn't take a commission, the exchange was at almost 20% discount. So, I exchanged only what I need for the trip to the city. Once outside the airport the full impact of the wintry day hit me, as well clothed as I was.

I had three options to get to the city - taxi (AMD 1800, the fastest, though the costliest option), the luxury bus (AMD 500, one had to buy a ticket for it) and the minibus (AMD 300, the cheapest option, though not necessarily the comfortable option). My hotel was only 300 meters from the Republic Square, the most well-known place in Yerevan. The minibus dropped me almost a km from the Republic Square, and that was a surprise. I found a currency exchange on the way to the hotel and changed at the online rate of 1 USD for AMD 393.

I had to walk gingerly as there was ice on the pavement and numerous puddles formed by melting ice. A feature I noticed was pedestrians sticking fiercely to pavements and sidewalks, no jay walkers could be seen. I had to, a couple of times, retrace my steps to find pedestrian crossing. The other thing that struck my mind was the ubiquitous presence of policemen and their vehicles with warning lights turned on.

Finally, I reached the cozy confines of the modest Hotel Tigran Mets. The check in for three nights was done by a young girl, assisted by Sergei, a Russian, who seemed like he had seen many hard battles. The comfortable and neat small room with attached bathroom and clean linen suited my requirement. The room was overheated and I got the heating turned off!

After a bath and arranging my things in the room, I ventured out for a bit of sightseeing. I had planned a long walk to cover five attractions. However, in a short while I realized that I would have to tone down my itinerary. Walking in the biting cold was tedious and tiring. The insurmountable obstacle though was my creaking bones and withering muscles.

The central square of Yerevan, the Republic Square, is only 300 meters from the hotels and most main roads radiate from there. The square has two main sections, the oval roundabout and another that contains a pool with a musical fountain known as the singing fountain. Of course, the fountains and all other water elements were non-functional due to the frozen pipes.

During the Russian era the square was known as Lenin Square, with a prominent statue of Lenin placed there. After independence, the square was renamed, and the statue was removed. The oval section includes five prominent buildings in pink and yellow tuff, namely the Government House, the History Museum, the National Gallery, the Marriott Hotel and two buildings that formerly housed the ministries of foreign affairs and transport and communication.

The chief architect of the square was Alexander Tamanian, who designed it in 1924. During summer, I could surmise, the square must surely be bustling with locals and tourists. The 3-hectare architectural highlight of the city is maintained by the Yerevan municipality. Workers could be seen clearing up the melting ice. Walking on the ice was tricky, one could slip and fall, especially if one didn't have the right kind of footwear.

I made laborious progress from the Republic Square to the Matenadaran. I took the road behind the History Museum, the Northern Avenue to the Freedom Square. Northern Avenue is 450 meters long and mainly houses luxury residential apartments, high-end branded stores, coffee shops, restaurants, commercial buildings and nightclubs. At the start of the Northern Avenue is the symbolic key of Yerevan. The avenue has two floors of underground parking. The Northern Avenue ends at the Armenian opera and ballet theatre in the Freedom Square.

The Freedom Square has been variously known as Liberty Square, Opera Square and Theatre Square during its long history. The highlights of the square are the imposing Opera and Ballet Theatre, the Freedom Park and the swan lake, the last named is an ice rink in winter. Bare trees adorned by icicles are a sight common in this season. The huge statues of writer Hovhannes Tumanyan and composer Alexander Spendiaryan are located in the square.

Going past the Freedom Square I walked along the main Mesrop Mashtots Avenue, past the busy Grand Candy store, to the massive building of Matenadaran, which is a compound of two words meaning book and repository. It is officially the Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, named after the inventor of the Armenian Alphabet. His statue graces the entrance to the Matenadaran.

It is officially the largest museum in the world of Armenian manuscripts. The building established in 1959 holds more than 23,000 manuscripts and fragments that was originally the collection of the Armenian church housed in Echmiadzin. Besides manuscripts, the Matenadaran holds a copy of the Urbatagirk, the first published Armenian book in Venice in 1512, and all issues of the first Armenian magazine Azdarar ("Herald"), published in Madras from 1794 to 1796. The first map printed in Armenian—in Amsterdam in 1695—is also kept at the Matenadaran.

After touring the awesomely maintained three storeyed museum with an entrance fee of AMD 2000 per adult, I walked pass the 'Eternal Alphabet' wall, an art relief project honoring the invention of the Armenian alphabet. Creation of the alphabet in 405–406 became one of the key events in Armenian history.

A short walk through a set of residential buildings brought me to the Cafesjian Center for the Arts (CCA), which is dedicated to bringing the best of contemporary art to Armenia and presenting the best of Armenian culture to the world. CCA, established in 2009, continues to exhibit unique works of modern and contemporary art. The CCA is at the base of the Cascade Complex, a major attraction in Yerevan. The original idea of cascading waterfalls and terraced gardens was the brainchild of Alexander Tamanian, whose statue greets the visitor to the Cascade Complex.

The Cascade consists of five hillside terraces built of yellow tuff connected with nearly 600 steep steps. The uppermost platform is called the Monumental Terrace. It houses the 40th Anniversary of Soviet Armenia monument, standing 118 meters tall. The terrace overlooks the main avenue of Yerevan and is within earshot of the Victory Park which houses the Mother of Armenia monument. The climb from the CCA to the Monumental Terrace was a test of determination and grit, as far as my body was concerned. The hips almost fell apart. However, the climb down to the CCA was a relief.

I walked back to the hotel; the cold was biting and I had to find some refuge from it. I pared into a supermarket on Northern Avenue and bought a couple of bottles of Armenian beer, Kilikia. It is the most popular beer in Armenia. A 500 ml costs AMD 540, about INR 120. It did not take much time to polish off the two bottles. Armed with a liter of the lager beer inside the protuberance, I walked the short distance to the Tashir Pizza, recommended by Sergei in the hotel.

The comfortable diner had an array of options of soup, pasta, pizza, drinks, salads, local delicacies, deserts, juices, cocktails and cocktails. I settled for broccoli soup, veg risotto, mushroom spaghetti and kievian cake. You can imagine how famished I was; I had not had a single full meal since 6 pm on 28 February when I left Gandhidham. The food was excellent and the service more so. The spread cost me just Rs. 800!

After the massive feast I took a short walk in the Republic Square to see the lit-up buildings. Possibly because of the weather, I didn't find it all that much impressive. That rounded up the first day of the Lenten vacation and I made haste to the comfort room in Hotel Tigran Mets.

Historical Link Between India And Armenia

There is an ancient historical link between India and Armenia. It is said that a Hindu colony was established in Armenia by two Indian princes, who had taken refuge in Armenia after a failed plot against a regional king in India, sometime around 149 B.C. The Armenians royally welcomed the refugees and offered them land in the province of Daron, where they built a city and named it Veeshap. They also built several Hindu temples over the years.

Relations between the Indian settlers and the Armenians took on a negative turn when they fought over the establishment of Christianity as the state religion of Armenia in 301 A.D. In the years that followed, the Indians either converted to Christianity and assimilated into the Armenian society or left the country.

Despite the turbulence Indian diaspora continued its presence in Armenia. Currently, it is estimated that more than 30,000 Indians have made the country their home, which includes workers and students. Just as deep-rooted as the Indian presence in Armenia is the history of Armenians in India – historians and travelers between the 5th and 17th century have written copiously about the contribution of Armenians to trade and culture in India, particularly in erstwhile Madras, Agra, Delhi, Surat, Bombay and Calcutta. A few interesting facts related to the Armenian influence in India are as below:

1. Tomas Cana, reputed to be of Armenian descent and variously described as a merchant and bishop, landed on the Malabar Coast at least 7 centuries before Vasco da Gama – the Knanaya Christians of Kerala are his descendants. 

2. The Christians of Madras give credit to Armenians for locating the tomb of St. Thomas, the Apostle who brought Christian faith to the Indian sub-continent in 52 A.D. The church built by the Portuguese in 1523 was the result of Armenian Merchants taking them there in 1517. Two centuries later, another Armenian trader built 160 broad stone steps that led to the hilltop shrine. Pilgrims, to this day, benefit from the 18th century work of an Armenia trader.

3. Madras was also the birthplace of Armenian journalism and the home of Father Haroutiun Shmavonian who published the first Armenian periodical in the world, the Azdarar, in 1794. 

4. The first full-fledged Armenian colony was established in the town of Agra where the first Armenian church was built in 1562 during the reign of Akbar, the Great. Akbar not only paid for the construction of the church, but in later years took an Armenian woman by the name of Mariam as one of his Queens, appointed Abdul Hai, an Armenian, as his chief justice and took on an Armenian woman doctor, Juliana, to look after his family. 

5. In Agra's main Christian cemetery on the outskirts of town, is an ancient mausoleum, which also serves as a chapel, and the old tombstones of more than 100 Armenians. An interesting fact is that not a single woman was buried there between 1611 and 1777, an indication that the Armenian men who came to Agra for trade left their wives and families behind.

6. One of the prominent Armenians of Delhi in the late 1700's was Colonel Jacob Petrus, the son of an Armenian merchant from Yerevan, Armenia, who made a name for himself fighting on the side of the Scindiahs against British colonialists in Gwalior. When he died in 1870, instead of a traditional 21-gun salute, he was given a farewell with a 95-gun salute, representing his age.

7. Sarmad, the Armenian merchant cum Sufi poet, came to India during the reign of Emperor Shah Jehan. He was beheaded near the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi in 1611 and his tomb is more than a shrine where many gather to offer prayers even today.

8. The Armenians of Surat were mostly merchants who operated their own private ships for trading with Europe, transporting their products outside India in Armenian-owned ships. The business acumen of Armenians in India was highly regarded by the British who secured their intercession with the Mogul Court for trading privileges in India. An agreement was signed in London on June 22, 1688 between the East India Company and "the Armenian Nation," represented by Khojah Phanoos Kalandar, a native of New Julfa who had settled in Surat. 

9. After Bombay was taken over by the British in 1661 Surat lost its luster and Armenians settled in Bombay, where they were not only traders and businessmen but also became prominent in many professions such as medicine.

10. Between 1855 and 1893, there were more than 25 Armenian advocates in the Calcutta High Court alone.

11. Though the number of Armenians in India almost never exceeded 20,000, their involvement in every facet of Indian life gave them the kind of prominence and exposure seldom enjoyed by any other community of traders and merchants.

12. There are Armenia streets in Calcutta and Madras even today. Armenian churches are still in Armenian hands, and a small, but determined Armenian community still lives in India with the pride of the contribution of their ancestors as legacy. There are seven Armenian churches and two schools in India – 3 in Kolkata, one each in Chinsurah, Saidabad, Chennai and Mumbai.

A Lenten Vacation - March 2025

Maldives was initially my destination for a short vacation in March. I did a lot of research, watched plenty of YouTube videos and spoke to a few who had travelled there as a prelude to confirming the bookings for a four-night, five-day tour of one of the most talked about holiday destinations, particularly for young couples and honeymooners. Belonging to neither group I just thought it would be the ideal destination to spend in the 60th country of my travels thus far and the 45th to drive in. Drive in Maldives – sounds crazy, right?  I had planned to hire a car for ticking off the driving box during the two days I had intended to be in Male and Hulhumale!

I was helped in the detailed planning process by my dentist cousin, Abraham James, who had worked in the idyllic country many moons ago and his close friend who is actively involved in the tourism industry in Maldives. Of course, the prime attraction of travelling to Maldives was that Indians do not require a visa for the tour. The downside is the almost scandalous tariff of hotels, resorts, beach accommodation and even food. Thanks to many YouTube videos on budget travel, I decided to drop the boutique resorts and hotels from my list and zeroed in on public beaches and islands, where I could source decent accommodation.

As all this was on, while weather-wise it is a decent time to visit the atolls, I was requested to consider changing the dates to after the festival of Id. Being a conservative Muslim country, I fathomed that there would be many restrictions during the festival time and that would be a dampener in enjoying the not so cheap vacation. I decided to try out another country where I would be able to gain entry without too much hassle.

That is how I ‘discovered’ Armenia. Though there is no ‘visa on arrival’ system for the country it has a simple e-visa arrangement for Indian citizens. The form can be filled out on-line with a few supporting documents to be uploaded such as the passport copy, passport size photo, travel insurance, any ‘live’ visa for USA, UK, etc. and accommodation in the country. I filled out the application in ten minutes, paid the visa fee of approximately Rs. 650 and received the e-visa in three working days, as guaranteed on the website.

A little research into the history of the country provided me with a religious and historical underpinning for my vacation. Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as its state religion Christianity, which has been the central religion of the country since 301 AD – 30 years before Rome! The apostles of Jesus, Bartholomew (35-43 AD) and Thaddeus (44-60 AD), are reputed to have visited Armenia in the 1st century and sowed the seeds of Christianity in the country. St Gregory the Illuminator, the Patron Saint of Armenia, converted King Tiridates III of Armenia to Christianity around 300 AD. The first church in the world was established in Armenia; the Echmiadzin Cathedral in 303 AD. The invention of the Armenian Alphabet around 400 AD led to the translation of the Bible into Armenian. Thus, it is no surprise that the majority official religion in Armenia is the Armenian Apostolic Church, which is a part of the Oriental Orthodox family of Christian churches. 97% of the 3 million Armenians profess Christianity. The religious festival of Armenia, Vardavar, blends Christian traditions, cultural heritage and community celebration. Part of the celebration involves dousing others with water, symbolizing purification and renewal.

These are certain basic facts about Armenia. 

a. Armenia’s currency is Armenian Dram (AMD). The denominations of AMD are 1000, 2000, 5000, 10000, 20000, 50000, 100000 in currency notes and 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 in coins. The exchange rate is approximately 1 INR = 4.5 AMD. 

b. Armenian is the most popularly spoken language (97%) in Armenia with Russian being the most popular second language (89%); Kurmanji is the largest minority language spoken by 1.3% of the population

c. Armenia is a land-locked West Asian country, bordered by Azerbaijan, Georgia, Iran and Turkey; known for its dramatic landscapes of mountains, valleys, waterfalls and lakes. Land area is approximately 28,500 sq km; the main cities of Armenia are Yerevan, where more than 30% of the population reside, Gyumri and Vanadzor

d. The interesting fact about Armenian population is that while 3 million Armenians live in their own country, close to 4 million live in over 100 countries with about 2.5 million Armenians living in USA and Russia. 64% of Armenians live in urban areas and median age is 37 years with life expectancy of 75 years. 97% of Armenians are Christians

e. The Armenian Flag is a tricolor, rectangular in shape with equal horizontal bands of red, blue and orange. The current flag was adopted in August 1994. The colors of the flag symbolize Armenian people’s struggle for survival, the people’s will to live under peaceful skies and their creative talent and hard-working nature.

f. The popular sports in Armenia are football, basketball, ice hockey and volleyball. In the Olympics they take part in swimming, diving, track and field, boxing, gymnastics and shooting.

g. The Armenian GDP grows at over 8% per annum with the GDP per capita of over USD 20,000 on purchasing power parity, almost double that of India. The country has a declining birth rate. The major exports from the country are gold, copper ore, jewelry and broadcasting equipment.