female: 79.97 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.35 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 107
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 72
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
120,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
7,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: intermediate
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine
Ethnic groups:
white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo (mixed white and Amerindian ancestry), Amerindian, or other non-white groups 3%
Religions:
nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Languages:
Spanish (official), Italian, English, German, French
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.2%
male: 97.2%
female: 97.2% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 15 years
male: 14 years
female: 16 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
3.8% of GDP (2004) country comparison to the world: 113
Government ::Argentina
Country name:
conventional long form: Argentine Republic
conventional short form: Argentina
local long form: Republica Argentina
local short form: Argentina
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Buenos Aires
geographic coordinates: 34 36 S, 58 40 W
time difference: UTC-3 (3 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in October; ends third Saturday in March; note - a new policy of daylight saving time was initiated by the government on 30 December 2007
Administrative divisions:
23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires Capital Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur, Tucuman
note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica
Independence:
9 July 1816 (from Spain)
National holiday:
Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Constitution:
1 May 1853; amended many times starting in 1860
Legal system:
mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since 10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER (since 10 December 2007); Vice President Julio COBOS (since 10 December 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term); election last held 28 October 2007 (next election to be held in 2011)
election results: Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER elected president; percent of vote - Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER 45%, Elisa CARRIO 23%, Roberto LAVAGNA 17%, Alberto Rodriguez SAA 8%
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate (72 seats; members are elected by direct vote; presently one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; members are elected by direct vote; one-half of the members elected every two years to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 28 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held last held 28 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - FpV 12, UCR 4, CC 4, other 4; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA; seats by bloc or party - FpV 5, UCR 10, PJ 10, PRO 6, CC 16, FJ 2, other 31; note - as of 1 January 2009, the composition of the entire legislature is as follows: Senate - seats by bloc or party - FpV 42, UCR 8, CC 2, other 20; Chamber of Deputies - seats by bloc or party - FpV 119, UCR 24, CC 18, PS 10, PRO 9, other 77
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the Supreme Court judges are appointed by the president with approval of the Senate)
note: the Supreme Court has seven judges; the Argentine Congress in 2006 passed a bill to gradually reduce the number of Supreme Court judges to five
Political parties and leaders:
Coalicion Civica (a broad coalition loosely affiliated with Elisa CARRIO); Front for Victory or FpV (a broad coalition, including elements of the UCR and numerous provincial parties) [Nestor KIRCHNER]; Interbloque Federal or IF (a broad coalition of approximately 12 parties including PRO); Justicialist Party or PJ [Nestor KIRCHNER]; Radical Civic Union or UCR [Gerardo MORALES]; Republican Proposal or PRO [Mauricio MACRI] (including Federal Recreate Movement or RECREAR [Esteban BULLRICH]; Socialist Party or PS [Ruben GIUSTINIANI]; Union For All [Patricia BULLRICH]; several provincial parties
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Argentine Association of Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); ArgentineIndustrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine RuralConfederation or CRA (small to medium landowners' association);Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); Central ofArgentine Workers or CTA (a radical union for employed andunemployed workers); General Confederation of Labor or CGT(Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); White and Blue CGT(dissident CGT labor confederation); Roman Catholic Church
other: business organizations; Peronist-dominated labor movement; Piquetero groups (popular protest organizations that can be either pro or anti-government); students
International organization participation:
AfDB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BCIE, BIS, CAN(associate), FAO, G-15, G-20, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO,Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur,MIGA, MINURSO, MINUSTAH, NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, SICA(observer), UN, UNASUR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UnionLatina (observer), UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hector Marcos TIMERMAN
chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Earl Anthony WAYNE
embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires
mailing address: international mail: use embassy street address; APO address: US Embassy Buenos Aires, Unit 4334, APO AA 34034
telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May; the colors represent the clear skies and snow of the Andes; the sun symbol commemorates the appearance of the sun through cloudy skies on 25 May 1810 during the first mass demonstration in favor of independence; the sun features are those of Inti, the Inca god of the sun
Economy ::Argentina
Economy - overview:
Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Although one of the world's wealthiest countries 100 years ago, Argentina suffered during most of the 20th century from recurring economic crises, persistent fiscal and current account deficits, high inflation, mounting external debt, and capital flight. A severe depression, growing public and external indebtedness, and a bank run culminated in 2001 in the most serious economic, social, and political crisis in the country's turbulent history. Interim President Adolfo RODRIGUEZ SAA declared a default - the largest in history - on the government's foreign debt in December of that year, and abruptly resigned only a few days after taking office. His successor, Eduardo DUHALDE, announced an end to the peso's decade-long 1-to-1 peg to the US dollar in early 2002. The economy bottomed out that year, with real GDP 18% smaller than in 1998 and almost 60% of Argentines under the poverty line. Real GDP rebounded to grow by an average 9% annually over the subsequent five years, taking advantage of previously idled industrial capacity and labor, an audacious debt restructuring and reduced debt burden, excellent international financial conditions, and expansionary monetary and fiscal policies. Inflation also increased, however, during the administration of President Nestor KIRCHNER, which responded with price restraints on businesses, as well as export taxes and restraints, and beginning in early 2007, with understating inflation data. Cristina FERNANDEZ DE KIRCHNER succeeded her husband as President in late 2007, but was stymied in her efforts to hike export taxes still further by protesting farmers. Her government nationalized private pension funds in late 2008, which bolstered government coffers, but failed to assuage investors' concerns about the direction of economic policy.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$575.2 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 24 $538.6 billion (2007 est.)
$495.5 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$324.8 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 8.7% (2007 est.)
8.5% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$14,200 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 80 $13,400 (2007 est.)
$12,500 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.9%
industry: 32.7%
services: 57.4% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
16.27 million country comparison to the world: 36 note: urban areas only (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 23%
services: 76% (2008 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 108 8.5% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
23.4% (January-June 2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1%
highest 10%: 35% (January-March 2007)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
49 (January-March 2007) country comparison to the world: 27
Investment (gross fixed):
23.2% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Budget:
revenues: $86.65 billion
expenditures: $82.85 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
48.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 118% of GDP (June 2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 132 8.8% (2007 est.)
note: based on official estimates, which lack credibility; non-official estimates put inflation at 22% in 2008
Central bank discount rate:
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
19.47% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 7 28% (28 November 2008)
Stock of money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$33.93 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$45.92 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$NA (31 December 2008)
$72.55 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$52.31 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 50 $86.68 billion (31 December 2007)
$79.73 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes, corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock
Industries:
food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
Industrial production growth rate:
4.3% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 61
Electricity - production:
109.5 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 30
Electricity - consumption:
99.21 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Electricity - exports:
2.628 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
10.28 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
792,300 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 25
Oil - consumption:
610,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 29
Oil - exports:
314,400 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 38
Oil - imports:
52,290 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 87
Oil - proved reserves:
2.616 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Natural gas - production:
44.06 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 21
Natural gas - consumption:
44.47 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 18
Natural gas - exports:
890 million cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 37
Natural gas - imports:
1.3 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 50
Natural gas - proved reserves:
441.7 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Current account balance:
$7.077 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 28 $7.103 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$70.02 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 46 $55.78 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
soybeans and derivatives, petroleum and gas, vehicles, corn, wheat
Exports - partners:
Brazil 18.9%, China 9.1%, US 7.9%, Chile 6.7%, Netherlands 4.2% (2008)
Imports:
$54.56 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 50 $42.53 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, motor vehicles, petroleum and natural gas, organic chemicals, plastics
Imports - partners:
Brazil 31.3%, China 12.4%, US 12.2%, Germany 4.4% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$46.37 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 28 $46.12 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$128.2 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 34 $124 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$73.98 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 $66 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$28.75 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 35 $26.92 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Argentine pesos (ARS) per US dollar - 3.1636 (2008 est.), 3.1105 (2007), 3.0543 (2006), 2.9037 (2005), 2.9233 (2004)
Communications ::Argentina
Telephones - main lines in use:
9.631 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 23
Telephones - mobile cellular:
46.509 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 21
Telephone system:
general assessment: by opening the telecommunications market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications Liberalization Plan of 1998," Argentina encouraged the growth of modern telecommunications technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being installed between all major cities; major networks are entirely digital and the availability of telephone service is improving; fixed-line telephone density is gradually increasing reaching nearly 25 lines per 100 people in 2008; mobile telephone subscribership has been increasing rapidly and has reached a level of 115 telephones per 100 persons
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40 earth stations serve the trunk network; mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding; broadband services are gaining ground
international: country code - 54; landing point for the Atlantis-2, UNISUR, and South America-1 optical submarine cable systems that provide links to Europe, Africa, South and Central America, and US; satellite earth stations - 112; 2 international gateways near Buenos Aires (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 260, FM (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997)
Internet country code:
.ar
Internet hosts:
4.906 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 16
Internet users:
11.212 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 28
Transportation ::Argentina
Airports:
1,130 (2009) country comparison to the world: 6
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 156
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 26
1,524 to 2,437 m: 65
914 to 1,523 m: 51
under 914 m: 10 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 974
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 44
914 to 1,523 m: 522
under 914 m: 406 (2009)
Heliports:
2 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 28,138 km; liquid petroleum gas 41 km; oil 5,939 km; refined products 3,629 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 31,409 km country comparison to the world: 8 broad gauge: 27,301 km 1.676-m gauge (94 km electrified)
standard gauge: 2,780 km 1.435-m gauge (26 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,328 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 231,374 km country comparison to the world: 22 paved: 69,412 km (includes 734 km of expressways)
unpaved: 161,962 km (2004)
Waterways:
11,000 km (2007) country comparison to the world: 11
Merchant marine:
total: 46 country comparison to the world: 72 by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 9, chemical tanker 2, container 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 24, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 14 (Brazil 1, Chile 7, Spain 2, UK 4)
registered in other countries: 19 (Liberia 3, Panama 8, Paraguay 5, Uruguay 3) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Arroyo Seco, Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, La Plata, Punta Colorada,Rosario, San Lorenzo-San Martin
Military ::Argentina
Military branches:
Argentine Army (Ejercito Argentino), Navy of the Argentine Republic(Armada Republica; includes naval aviation and naval infantry),Argentine Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Argentina, FAA) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-24 years of age for voluntary military service (18-21 requires parental permission); no conscription (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 10,029,488
females age 16-49: 9,889,002 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 8,264,853
females age 16-49: 8,268,498 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 341,590
female: 326,342 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.3% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 120
Military - note:
the Argentine military is a well-organized force constrained by the country's prolonged economic hardship; the country has recently experienced a strong recovery, and the military is implementing a modernization plan aimed at making the ground forces lighter and more responsive (2008)
Transnational Issues ::Argentina
Disputes - international:
Argentina continues to assert its claims to the UK-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), South Georgia, and the South Sandwich Islands in its constitution, forcibly occupying the Falklands in 1982, but in 1995 agreed no longer to seek settlement by force; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps UK and Chilean claims; unruly region at convergence of Argentina-Brazil-Paraguay borders is locus of money laundering, smuggling, arms and illegal narcotics trafficking, and fundraising for extremist organizations; uncontested dispute between Brazil and Uruguay over Braziliera/Brasiliera Island in the Quarai/Cuareim River leaves the tripoint with Argentina in question; in 2006, Argentina went to the ICJ to protest, on environmental grounds, the construction of two pulp mills in Uruguay on the Uruguay River, which forms the boundary; both parties presented their pleadings in 2007 with Argentina's reply in January and Uruguay's rejoinder in July 2008; the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001 has yet to map and demarcate the delimited boundary in the inhospitable Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Argentina is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children trafficked for the purposes of commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; most victims are trafficked within the country, from rural to urban areas; child sex tourism is a problem; foreign women and children, primarily from Paraguay, Brazil, and the Dominican Republic, are trafficked to Argentina for commercial sexual exploitation; Argentine women and girls are also trafficked to neighboring countries, Mexico, and Western Europe for sexual exploitation; a significant number of Bolivians, Peruvians, and Paraguayans are trafficked into the country for forced labor in sweatshops, agriculture, and as domestic servants
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - despite some progress, Argentina remains on the Tier 2 Watch List for the third consecutive year for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts to combat human trafficking, particularly in terms of providing adequate assistance to victims and curbing official complicity with trafficking activity, especially on the provincial and local levels; the Argentine Congress has demonstrated progress by enacting much-needed and first-ever federal anti-trafficking legislation (2009)
Illicit drugs:
a transshipment country for cocaine headed for Europe, heroin headed for the US, and ephedrine and pseudoephedrine headed for Mexico; some money-laundering activity, especially in the Tri-Border Area; law enforcement corruption; a source for precursor chemicals; increasing domestic consumption of drugs in urban centers, especially cocaine base and synthetic drugs (2008)
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Armenia (Middle East)
Introduction ::Armenia
Background:
Armenia prides itself on being the first nation to formally adopt Christianity (early 4th century). Despite periods of autonomy, over the centuries Armenia came under the sway of various empires including the Roman, Byzantine, Arab, Persian, and Ottoman. During World War I in the western portion of Armenia, Ottoman Turkey instituted a policy of forced resettlement coupled with other harsh practices that resulted in an estimated 1 million Armenian deaths. The eastern area of Armenia was ceded by the Ottomans to Russia in 1828; this portion declared its independence in 1918, but was conquered by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Armenian leaders remain preoccupied by the long conflict with Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also a significant portion of Azerbaijan proper. The economies of both sides have been hurt by their inability to make substantial progress toward a peaceful resolution. Turkey closed the common border with Armenia because of the Armenian separatists' control of Nagorno-Karabakh and surrounding areas.
Geography ::Armenia
Location:
Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey
Geographic coordinates:
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 29,743 sq km country comparison to the world: 142 land: 28,203 sq km
water: 1,540 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 1,254 km
border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
highland continental, hot summers, cold winters
Terrain:
Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Debed River 400 m
highest point: Aragats Lerrnagagat' 4,090 m
Natural resources:
small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, bauxite
Land use:
arable land: 16.78%
permanent crops: 2.01%
other: 81.21% (2005)
Irrigated land:
2,860 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
10.5 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.95 cu km/yr (30%/4%/66%)
per capita: 977 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts
Environment - current issues:
soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; the energy crisis of the 1990s led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant in spite of its location in a seismically active zone
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
Geography - note:
landlocked in the Lesser Caucasus Mountains; Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan) is the largest lake in this mountain range
People ::Armenia
Population:
2,967,004 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18.2% (male 289,119/female 252,150)
15-64 years: 71.1% (male 986,764/female 1,123,708)
65 years and over: 10.6% (male 122,996/female 192,267) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 31.5 years
male: 28.8 years
female: 34.4 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.03% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 206
Birth rate:
12.65 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
Death rate:
8.39 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 99
Net migration rate:
-4.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 161
Urbanization:
urban population: 64% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: -0.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.14 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.15 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.88 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.64 male(s)/female
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.21 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 106 male: 24.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 14.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.68 years country comparison to the world: 116 male: 69.06 years
female: 76.81 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.36 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 200
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 114
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
2,400 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 135
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Nationality:
noun: Armenian(s)
adjective: Armenian
Ethnic groups:
Armenian 97.9%, Yezidi (Kurd) 1.3%, Russian 0.5%, other 0.3% (2001 census)
Religions:
Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%
Languages:
Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4% (2001 census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.2% (2001 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
3.2% of GDP (2001) country comparison to the world: 139
Government ::Armenia
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Armenia
conventional short form: Armenia
local long form: Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
local short form: Hayastan
former: Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Armenian Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Yerevan
geographic coordinates: 40 10 N, 44 30 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
11 provinces (marzer, singular - marz); Aragatsotn, Ararat, Armavir, Geghark'unik', Kotayk', Lorri, Shirak, Syunik', Tavush, Vayots' Dzor, Yerevan
Independence:
21 September 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 21 September (1991)
Constitution:
adopted by nationwide referendum 5 July 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 November 2005
Legal system:
based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Serzh SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008)
head of government: Prime Minister Tigran SARGSIAN (since 9 April 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 19 February 2008 (next to be held February 2013); prime minister appointed by the president based on majority or plurality support in parliament; the prime minister and Council of Ministers must resign if the National Assembly refuses to accept their program
election results: Serzh SARGSIAN elected president; percent of vote - Serzh SARGSIAN 52.9%, Levon TER-PETROSSIAN 21.5%, Artur BAGHDASARIAN 16.7%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Parliament) or Azgayin Zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote, 90 members elected by party list and 41 by direct vote; to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 12 May 2007 (next to be held in the spring of 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - HHK 33.9%, Prosperous Armenia 15.1%, ARF (Dashnak) 13.2%, Rule of Law 7.1%, Heritage Party 6%, other 24.7%; seats by party - HHK 64, Prosperous Armenia 18, ARF (Dashnak) 16, Rule of Law 9, Heritage Party 7, independent 17
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Court of Cassation (Appeals Court)
Political parties and leaders:
Armenian National Congress or ANC [Levon TER-PETROSSIAN]; ArmenianNational Movement or ANM [Ararat ZURABIAN]; Armenian People's Party[Tigran KARAPETIAN]; Armenian Ramkavar Azadagan Party Alliance orHRAK (includes former Dashink Party, National Revival Party, andRamkavar Liberal Party); Armenian Revolutionary Federation("Dashnak" Party) or ARF [Hrant MARKARIAN]; Heritage Party [RaffiHOVHANNISIAN]; National Democratic Party [Shavarsh KOCHARIAN];National Democratic Union or NDU [Vazgen MANUKIAN]; National UnityParty [Artashes GEGHAMIAN]; People's Party of Armenia [StepanDEMIRCHIAN]; Prosperous Armenia [Gagik TSAROUKIAN]; Republic Party[Aram SARKISIAN]; Republican Party of Armenia or HHK [SerzhSARGSIAN]; Rule of Law Party (Orinats Yerkir) [Artur BAGHDASARIAN];Union of Constitutional Rights [Hrant KHACHATURIAN]; United LaborParty [Gurgen ARSENIAN]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Aylentrank (Impeachment) [Nikol PASHINIAN]; Yerkrapah Union [ManvelGRIGORIAN]
International organization participation:
ACCT (observer), ADB, BSEC, CE, CIS, CSTO, EAEC (observer), EAPC,EBRD, FAO, GCTU, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU,MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIF (associate member), OPCW,OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tatoul MARKARIAN
chancery: 2225 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marie L. YOVANOVITCH
embassy: 1 American Ave., Yerevan 0082
mailing address: American Embassy Yerevan, US Department of State, 7020 Yerevan Place, Washington, DC 20521-7020
telephone: [374](10) 464-700
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and orange; the color red recalls the blood shed for liberty, blue the Armenian skies as well as hope, and orange the land and the courage of the workers who farm it
Economy ::Armenia
Economy - overview:
Since the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenia has made progress in implementing many economic reforms including privatization, price reforms, and prudent fiscal policies. The conflict with Azerbaijan over the ethnic Armenian-dominated region of Nagorno-Karabakh contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. By 1994, however, the Armenian Government launched an ambitious IMF-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates. Economic growth has averaged over 10% in recent years. However, with the global economic downturn, Armenia's growth rate dropped to 6.8% in 2008. Armenia has managed to reduce poverty, slash inflation, stabilize its currency, and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics, in exchange for raw materials and energy. Armenia has since switched to small-scale agriculture and away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. Nuclear power plants built at Metsamor in the 1970s were closed following the 1988 Spitak Earthquake, though they sustained no damage. One of the two reactors was re-opened in 1995, but the Armenian government is under international pressure to close it due to concerns that the Soviet era design lacks important safeguards. Metsamor provides 40 percent of the country's electricity - hydropower accounts for about one-fourth. Economic ties with Russia remain close, especially in the energy sector. The electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002 and bought by Russia's RAO-UES in 2005. Construction of a pipeline to deliver natural gas from Iran to Armenia was completed in December 2008 and after testing is expected to be operational in Spring 2009, though it is unlikely significant quantities of gas will flow through it until the Yerevan Thermal Power Plant renovation is completed in 2010. Armenia has some mineral deposits (copper, gold, bauxite). Pig iron, unwrought copper, and other nonferrous metals are Armenia's highest valued exports. Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment. Armenia joined the WTO in January 2003. The government made some improvements in tax and customs administration in recent years, but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement. Despite strong economic growth, Armenia's unemployment rate remains high. Armenia will need to pursue additional economic reforms in order to improve its economic competitiveness and to build on recent improvements in poverty and unemployment, especially given its economic isolation from two of its nearest neighbors, Turkey and Azerbaijan. The disruption of rail transit into Armenia during the Georgia-Russia conflict in August 2008 highlighted how vulnerable Armenia's supply chains for key goods - such as gasoline - are to instances of regional instability.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$18.81 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 126 $17.62 billion (2007 est.)
$15.48 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$11.92 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 40 13.8% (2007 est.)
13.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,300 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 130 $5,900 (2007 est.)
$5,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.7%
industry: 33.8%
services: 49.4% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
1.481 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 128
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 46.2%
industry: 15.6%
services: 38.2% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 89
Population below poverty line:
26.5% (2006 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 41.3% (2004)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
37 (2006) country comparison to the world: 77 44.4 (1996)
Investment (gross fixed):
39% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 5
Budget:
revenues: $2.481 billion
expenditures: $2.626 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 139 4.4% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
7.25% (2 December 2008)
NA% (31 December 2007)
note: this is the Refinancing Rate, the key monetary policy instrument of the Armenian National Bank
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
17.05% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 27 17.52% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$1.359 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 80 $1.507 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$950.1 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 96 $765.2 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$1.98 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 93 $1.256 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 110 $105 million (31 December 2007)
$60.17 million (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
fruit (especially grapes), vegetables; livestock
Industries:
diamond-processing, metal-cutting machine tools, forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes, silk fabric, chemicals, trucks, instruments, microelectronics, jewelry manufacturing, software development, food processing, brandy
Industrial production growth rate:
2.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
Electricity - production:
5.584 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 109
Electricity - consumption:
4.776 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 108
Electricity - exports:
451.3 million kWh; note - exports an unknown quantity to Georgia; includes exports to Nagorno-Karabakh region in Azerbaijan (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
418.7 million kWh; note - imports an unknown quantity from Iran (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 207
Oil - consumption:
48,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 97
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 208
Oil - imports:
45,200 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 207
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 207
Natural gas - consumption:
1.93 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 202
Natural gas - imports:
1.93 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 46