Armenia (country)

B

Political Divisions

For administrative purposes, the Republic is divided into ten provinces: Aragatsotn; Ararat; Armavir; Gegharkunik; Kotaik; Lori; Shirak; Siunik; Tavush; Vayots Dzor; and the city of Yerevan, which is considered a province.

C

Principal Cities

The largest city is Yerevan, which has a population of 1,250,000 (2000 estimate). The next most populous city, Gyumri (formerly Leninakan, also known as Kumari), is about one tenth the size of Yerevan, with a population of 210,100 (2001 estimate).

D

Religion

The vast majority of the population is Christian. The Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Church is the most popular among Armenians. Russian Orthodoxy and Shiite Islam are also practised. The Armenian diaspora numbers some 5 million people, including 1.5 million in the former Soviet Union states, 2.5 million in the United States, and 400,000 in France. See Armenian Church.

E

Language

The official language of Armenia is Armenian, an Indo-European language with many dialects (and a unique 38-letter alphabet), spoken by the majority of the population. North Azerbaijani, an Altaic language, is a mother tongue for around 161,000 and is used in some schools. Kurmanji (an Indo-Iranian language), Assyrian Neo-Aramaic (a Semitic language), and Lomavren (an Indo-European language from the Armenian sub-group) are also spoken by some.

F

Education

Education is obligatory and free of charge at primary and secondary level. The system traditionally reflected Soviet influences in placing great importance on science and technology, but by the mid-1990s greater stress was placed on Armenian culture and history. In 2000 some 155,423 pupils attended primary schools and 389,131 pupils attended secondary schools, while 73,603 students were enrolled in higher education. Although primary and secondary education is free, higher education is becoming increasingly subject to fees, and by mid-1997, 75 of the 90 institutions of higher education were private. In 2002–2003 expenditure on education amounted to 3.1 per cent of gross national product (GNP).