Tourism Opportunities in Armenia

If you are thinking of visiting Armenia, you should know that it is a country with a wide tourist offer represented especially by places that are World Heritage Sites and other archaeological sites, where you will discover the roots of this European South Caucasus people; take a few moments to discover everything that awaits you in this jewel of the middle east.

Reasons to know Armenia

Armenia is a country that represents the border between Asia and Eastern Europe; surrounded by other nations such as Georgia, Trurqui, Iran and Azebaijan and with many years of history; but unknown by many tourists; who still do not know the compelling reasons you have to be visited by them.

It is a territory that can be visited any time of the year of xxx, however it is best to do it in spring and autumn because its continental climate makes its winters extremely cold, while its summers are extremely hot.

When you visit them in the months of May and June, you will admire their beautiful hills covered with multicolored carpets; but if you decide to go in September or October, you will be dazzled by its golden porno landscapes and the extensive vine crops ready to be harvested.

The reasons that can drive you to get to know Armenia, in addition to those mentioned above, are its hospitality, landscapes, gastronomy, drinks, Mount Ararat, Yerevan and Lake Sevan.

Places for sightseeing in Armenia

We point out some reasons to discover Armenia, but without a doubt you will find many others if you decide to do tourism in this country; since it is not massively frequented, so you will be able to get to know it without making long queues or difficulties to enter each of its facilities.

Without a doubt, it is a destination that fully satisfies lovers of medieval architecture, antiquities and culture; provided with landscapes that have been preserved over the years and world heritage such as its monasteries of Haghpat, Sanahin, Geghard and the high valley of Azacentros; religious centers such as Echmiatsin churches and archaeological sites such as Zvarnotz

All those tourists who have the opportunity to visit Armenia affirm that it is a cultural jewel, with important historical testimonies and a wide artistic legacy; Although it does not have renowned places, its monuments attract people from all over the world; interested in admiring the beauty of its monuments and excellent landscapes.

As part of the tourism opportunities in Armenia, we recommend you visit:

  • Garni Temple, of Roman origin and one of the few pagan buildings that has withstood the passing of the years, is located in a beautiful valley just 26 kilometers from the country’s capital city, Yerevan. This temple was built in the 1st century AD; although it should be noted that Armenia is one of the first pornici peoples to join the Christian religion.
  • Archaeological city of Ani, which was formerly the capital of Armenia and where twelve Christian temples are preserved, which leads it to be identified as the city of a thousand churches. Three of these wonderful buildings are dedicated to Saint Gregory and there is also a wall erected as a fortress belonging to the time of the Seljuks.
  • Noratus Cemetery, a place that is domaci pornici recognized for having the largest number of stone crosses in the world; considered a representative of Armenian art and identified as Khackras. It is one of the best examples of funerary manifestations of its culture and an art worthy of admiration, declared Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
  • Statue of Mother Armenia, a monument of important representative value for this nation with which the female presence in it is personified; is exhibited in one of Yerevan’s parks; with a statue made of hammered copper and with a height of 22 meters.
  • Monument to the Armenian Genocide, monuments that can be seen on one of the hills surrounding Yerevan; with which the victims and refugees expelled from the country in 1915, as a result of World War I, are symbolized.

Get to know the Flora and Fauna of Armenia

Armenia, despite being a small country in the South Caucasus of Europe, has the most biological diversity in the world; with important habitats in its mountainous areas with at least two thirds of the bird species that are representative of its continent and much more; discover everything you need to know about the subject throughout the reading of this post.

The flora of Armenia

The forests of Armenia cover at least 12% of its territory and are located in its northeast and southeast regions, with impressive valleys, canyons and mountain ranges, which is a true paradise for lovers of flora; Well, there you will find around 3,500 species, many of them on its slopes.

During a visit to Armenia you will be able to discover its enormous natural wealth, finding that its famous taiga unfolds with samples of fir, larch, ash, pine, aspen and birch trees.

Armenian fauna

The Armenian fauna has nothing to envy to other nations since they have 76 species of mammals, some 304 birds, to which are added 44 reptiles, 6 amphibians, 24 fish and at least 10 thousand different types of invertebrates.

Its fauna runs through the natural landscapes created by its dense forests where wild boars, roe deer, Persian squirrels, bears, deer, forest cats and lynxes live; besides some other species.

It should be noted that this country is home to the Caucasian leopard, the ram and the mountain goat.

Armenia as a nation located in Asia Minor and very close to the limits with the European continent, which allows it to be a migratory place for countless species of birds that nest in the place, which is why hawks, crows, storks, cranes, ducks, hoopoes, pigeons, aberrucos, and its exclusive seagull that nests especially on the shores of Lake Sevan.

How to know the flora and fauna of Armenia?

To see up close the representative species of the flora and fauna of this country, you must visit it, going to places such as its parks and reserves of national interest; some of which are born during the time of the presence of the Soviet Union in this territory; as a way to preserve species in danger of extinction, in the face of the uncontrolled attack of unscrupulous hunters.

You will find its taiga in the area that stretches from the Gulf of Finland to the Urals, while further north you will enjoy an area bathed by the Arctic Glacier that gives life to its tundra thanks to the presence of permanent ice; despite being a place of difficult survival, it is home to rodents such as the lemming, sable fox, wolverine, polar hare and some others.

When visiting Armenia when summer is in full swing you will enjoy outdoor mosses, lichens and low altitude trees like birches; while in the southern lands of its Taiga you will observe very fertile black lands that gave way to being considered the breadbasket of Russia. Cereals, halophiles and other herbaceous species occur in abundance in this area.

Armenia is a country where many of its representative species have disappeared and many others continue to be in danger due to deforestation policies; however, they still have beautiful wild cherry trees, oaks, hornbeams, beeches and rose hips; in addition to a series of aromatic and medicinal plants.

Armenian Protected Areas

To maintain the natural legacy of this country and conserve its native species, there are currently 6,860 km² of protected areas represented by national parks such as Dilijan, Sevan, Lake Arpi and Arevik; to which the reserves of Khosrov, Shikahogh and Erubini are added.

They seek to protect representative species of their flora such as wild wheat and other endemic species such as Iberian iris subsp. Regarding its fauna, species such as its Persian leopard are in serious danger of extinction. While other species have already disappeared to make way for livestock and agricultural activities in this country.

Armenian economy

Armenia is one of the countries of the South Caucasus that has a territory of 29,743 km² and shares borders with Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran, its roots are one of the oldest in the world and it is far from the sea; Despite being part of Europe, it is a transcontinental nation whose economy you will learn about throughout the reading of this post.

Armenian economic growth

Armenia’s economy suffered a major recession during 2009, beginning to recover by 2020. The Soviet influence propelled its industries, after supplying machines and tools for the manufacture of different textile products.

Notwithstanding, after its independence, small-scale agriculture was reactivated, but the industry continued to represent 30% of its products; being in turn 40% of its workforce used in this productive area and construction.

In terms of production, they have important manufactures and products from mining, to which are added the creation of machinery and synthetic rubber as manufactured goods.

As a legacy of its Soviet era, it has a nuclear power plant; which remained operational despite the damage caused in many parts of this country by the earthquake suffered in 1988.

Its national currency is the dram, although after its independence from the Soviet Union, it continued to use the currency of this country for a few more years within its territory.

Products that are the basis of the economy of Armenia

Armenia has an economy based primarily on the production generated by its manufacturing and mining; with goods obtained in the form of machinery and products derived from its synthetic rubber.

The main industries that remain operational in its territory are those dedicated especially to diamond processing, metal forging machinery, tires, lingerie, electric motors, textile producers, microelectric instruments, software development, jewelry manufacturing, manufacturing of various machines and tools and food processing, among some others.

They obtain a significant amount of income through the export of mineral products, pig iron, non-iron metals, diamonds, food and energy; however, they need to import oil, tobacco, natural gas, rough diamonds and different types of food.

Main economic activities of Armenia

Armenia’s economy has been affected over the years, primarily because of the conflicts it has experienced to maintain ownership of its territory; today it is basically an agro-industrial country; In this case, the contribution of this line within the GDP is 31.1%.

Industrial production supplies 21.8%, while commercial activities generate 8.7%, transport 5.1% and the remaining 24.9% is obtained from other sectors.

Its natural resources are basically represented by mineral materials such as molybdenum, copper, zinc, gold and aluminum. While within the agricultural products they stand out in the production of grapes, peaches, legumes, figs and apricots.

In addition to this they raise sheep and cattle; which allows them to complement their economy; plus the income obtained with its industries dedicated to the elaboration of machinery and equipment.

As indicated above, it has an important source of income from the export of copper minerals and its concentrates; also pomace of grapes and other products.

Armenia is placed in the economy number 134 worldwide based on its GDP volume, registered for the year 2020 a public debt of the order of 7,041 million euros; with a human development index that places it in 81st place.

It is a country where you have a certain facility to do business; placing itself in this sense in the 41st position of the Doing Business ranking.

At this point in the reading, it is clear that Armenia is a country with sufficient economic potential to continue developing and growing, while improving the quality of life of its inhabitants, as long as conditions continue to be favorable for it. Discover more interesting aspects about this nation in other articles already available on our blog.

Brief history of Armenia

The Republic of Armenia is located in the South Caucasus between Europe and Asia, it does not have access to the sea and its territorial borders include Turkey, Georgia, Azerbaijan and Iran; it is also one of the nations that were formerly part of the Soviet Republic and that today lives in the form of a multi-party state in the process of democratization; discover its exciting story throughout the reading of this post.

Armenia

It is a member state of the Eurasian Economic Union and the Eastern Partnership; It has a land area of ​​29,743 km², its official language is Armenian, its capital Yerevan and the Parliamentary Republic form of government.

Currently, it is also an active member of 35 international organizations, including the Council of Europe, the United Nations, the Asian Development Bank, the World Trade Organization, the Association for Peace and many others.

Historical overview of Armenia

Armenia is a territory that has been progressively populated since prehistory, in fact it has important archaeological sites that bear witness to its first settlements; especially in areas such as Mesopotamia, between the Euphrates and Tigres rivers in what is now identified as the Middle East.

The Armenians are an ancient people strategically located between Asia and Europe, which has generated conflicts over the years at the expense of other peoples who want to conquer their region.

For this reason, they have historically developed signs of resistance in order to maintain their identity at all costs. However, it is fair to mention that the kilometers it has today are only a tenth of those that were formerly occupied by its ancestors.

The stories and chronicles carried out by chroniclers are based on the myth that the birth of this people dates back to the time when the legendary Haig, who was a descendant of Noah, defeated the tyrant Bel of Babylonian origin; thanks to an accurate arrow with which he gives death and life to Armenia on August 11, 2493 BC.

For them this date represents their Navasart or Armenian New Year. Then from 880 B.C. until – 590 B.C. the birth of the ancient Kingdom of Urantú takes place, which becomes a fierce rival of Assyria; being founded for that date the capital of this nation known as Yerevan; but then this empire falls into the hands of the Medes.

In the period between 590 B.C. and -190 BC. the domain of the lervadian dynasty arises, which is soon dominated by the Persians and later by the Seleucids; changes that will undoubtedly influence their social, economic and cultural life.

During the time between 190 BC and – 55 BC Armenia manages to become independent from the Seleucids and allowing the establishment of King

Ardahes in power and establishing the Ardashesián dynasty. It was a short period of time that ends when they are defeated by the Romans in the year 66 B.C.

Being under Roman domination and after the death of Dikrán II, its territory was maintained between wars staged by two sides, with what were the Roman and Persian; each of whom wanted him to be their military ally.

This dynamic was maintained for many years through the appearance of the Arshagunid dynasty, the Arab domination, the Pakraduni dynasty, the Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia; until reaching the period between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries when Ottoman Armenia and Eastern Armenia emerged.

During the 1908 young Turks overthrow Sultan Abdul Hamid to take power and make Armenia an autonomous nation with equal opportunities than many others in the world.

Between 1918 and 1920 the First Republic of Armenia was born; which suffers fluctuations due to the conflicts of power during the First World War, due to the factions in favor of the Ottoman Turkish Empire and those in favor of the Russian Empire.

Then, after the Russian withdrawal as a result of the Bolshevik revolution, the conquered Armenian territories were granted to Turkey, leaving only the area belonging to the Caucasus to the Armenian people.

Armenia becomes a Soviet territory between the years of 1920 and 1991; period that allowed it to achieve important scientific, cultural, artistic and industrial development until it finally decided to dissolve itself from Russia, to proclaim its independent republic on September 21, 1991.