II.

Land and Resources

Armenia occupies about 29,800 sq km (11,500 sq mi) of the north-eastern portion of the Armenian Highland, an extensive upland area that extends as far south as Lake Van in Turkey. Armenia is characterized by high elevations and is extremely mountainous. Its average elevation is about 1,800 m (5,900 ft). Mount Aragats is the highest point in the republic, with an elevation of 4,090 m (about 13,420 ft). Mountain ranges in the republic include the P’ambaki, Geghama, Vardenis, and Zangezur branches of the Lesser Caucasus (Malyy Kavkaz) mountain system.

A.

Rivers and Lakes

Armenia is covered by a dense network of small rivers and streams that are part of the Aras-Kura river basin. Due to the mountainous terrain, waterfalls and rapids are frequent. The republic contains numerous mountain lakes, the largest being Lake Sevan, which holds more than 90 per cent of all standing water in Armenia.

B.

Climate

Armenia’s climate is characteristically continental, with wide temperature variations. Yerevan has an average January temperature of -3° C (26.6° F), and warm summers, with average August temperatures of 25° C (77° F). The Armenian plateaux have a moderating effect on temperatures. Rainfall varies greatly by location and elevation, with the greatest precipitation occurring on mountain slopes. The most arid region of the country is found along the River Aras, where average annual precipitation is less than 300 mm (12 in) per year.

C.

Natural Resources

There are few natural resources currently exploited, but there is small-scale extraction of copper, gold, silver, molybdenum, and iron ore. Deposits of mineral salt, calcium oxide, and carbon remain to be exploited on a large scale, and a joint-venture deal has been signed to develop gold processing facilities in Ararat.

D.

Plants and Animals

Climate, soil, and vegetation vary greatly throughout Armenia, which contains twice as many soil types as European Russia. Vegetation typical of alpine, semi-desert, and steppe regions dominates much of the republic, although the extreme south-eastern and north-eastern portions contain forests of beech and oak. The republic’s fauna includes wild boar, jackal, lynx, and Syrian bear.

E.

Environmental Concerns

Armenia's environment became severely polluted while the region was part of the USSR. The government long ignored the environmental harm caused by these industries, leaving a legacy of air and soil pollution. Contamination of water supplies with oil derivatives, chloride, nitrates, heavy metals, and other pollutants affected domestic supplies and supplies for agriculture. In the 1980s, liberalizing political reforms in the USSR, the public outcry over the Chernobyl accident, and severe air pollution in Yerevan resulted in the formation of environmental groups in Armenia. These groups began to express concerns about the state of the environment, and as a result of the pressure exerted by them, several factories in Armenia that were sources of severe pollution were closed, beginning in 1989. One of these factories, a rubber and chemical plant in Nairit, reopened in 1992 because Armenia needed the income generated by exporting the plant's products.

Although national environmental laws have been put into effect in Armenia since independence, no comprehensive environmental protection programme has emerged, and environmental initiatives are typically addressed on an ad-hoc basis. Nonetheless, the government has designated 7.6 per cent (1997) of Armenia's total land area as protected and has ratified international environmental agreements pertaining to air pollution, biodiversity, climate change, desertification, nuclear test ban, and wetlands.

In an attempt to offset a six-year energy crisis caused by blockades by Azerbaijan and Turkey, the Armenian government reactivated a nuclear power plant at Metsamor in mid-1995. The plant had closed in 1988 after a catastrophic earthquake in northern Armenia. Environmental groups opposed the reopening because the plant poses an environmental threat. Although it is in an earthquake-prone area, the plant was not built to withstand earthquakes.