Armenia | Brief information about Armenia

The flag. The national flag of the Republic of Armenia is a national emblem of the Republic of Armenia. The national flag of the Republic of Armenia is of three colors in stripes of the same width – red, blue, orange respectively from top to bottom. The Red emblematizes the Armenian Highland, the Armenian people’s continued struggle for survival, maintenance of the Christian faith, Armenia’s independence and freedom. The Blue emblematizes the will of the people of Armenia to live beneath peaceful skies. The Orange emblematizes the creative talent and hard-working nature of the people of Armenia.

The Coat of Arms. The Coat of Arms of the Republic of Armenia is a national emblem of the Republic of Armenia. The Coat of Arms of the Republic of Armenia is as follows: On a shield, positioned in the center, Mount Ararat is represented with Noah’s Arch and the coats of arms of the four royal dynasties of the historical Armenia: from top to left – that of the Bagratunides, from top to right – that of the Arshakounides, from bottom to left – that of Artashesides, from bottom to right – that of the Rubenides. The shield is upheld by an eagle (on the left) and lion (on the right). There is a sword, as well as a branch of a tree, a bundle of spikes, a chain and a ribbon pictured below the shield. Golden is the main color of the Coat of Arms of the Republic of Armenia. The colors of the kingdoms of the historical Armenia are as follows: from top to left – red, from top to right – blue, from bottom to left – blue, from bottom to right – red, with orange-painted Mount Ararat positioned in the center on a shield. The foregoing colors emblematize the colors of the national flag of the Republic of Armenia.

The Anthem.The Armenian national anthem is “Our Fatherland”. Lyrics by Michael Nalbandian, music by Barsegh Kanachian.

Our Fatherland

Our Fatherland, free, independent,
That has lived for centuries,
Is now summoning its sons
To the free, independent Armenia.
Here is a flag for you my brother,
That I have sewed
Over the sleepless nights,
And bathed in my tears.
Look at it, tricoloured,
A valuable symbol for us.
Let it shine against the enemy.
Let Armenia be glorious forever.
Death is the same everywhere,
A man dies but once,
Blessed is the one hat dies
For the freedom of his nation.

The President. The President of the Republic is the head of state. The President is elected for a seven-year, non-renewable term and performs a ceremonial role. On March 13, 2022 Vahagn Khachaturyan was elected President of the Republic of Armenia by the National Assembly of the RA.

The Legislative power. The unicameral National Assembly is the supreme legislative body in Armenia. The National Assembly is elected by popular vote for a five-year term.

The Executive power. The Prime-Minister is the head of government and most senior minister within the Armenian government. The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Armenia upon the vote of the National Assembly. Since May 8, 2018 Nikol Pashinyan is the acting Prime Minister of the RA.

Armenia is located in the South Caucasus, bordered by Georgia from the north, Iran – from the south, Azerbaijan – from the north-east and the south-west, Turkey – from the west.

The Republic of Armenia occupies a territory of 29 800 sq. km, lying at an average altitude of 1800 m above sea level. The highest point is Mount Aragats (4090 m), while the lowest point is Debed River Canyon (400 m).

The capital city of Armenia is Yerevan.

According to the general census of 2019, the population of Armenia is 3 million, 1.1 million of which is resided in Yerevan.

Armenia has a dry tropical climate. Clear sunny days are mostly dominant in a year (more than 300 days in a year). The summers are hot here, the temperature fluctuates between +22C to +36C. The winters are mainly cold, snowy, the average temperature is between -15C to -1C.

Armenia is the right place to visit for people who are interested in skiing and other winter activities. The best time to visit Armenia is considered spring or autumn as weather is mild and nature is breathtaking. Meanwhile, for people who like sun and hot weather – Armenia is perfect during summer.

Daily weather forecasts can be found at the following website.

The Armenian banking system consists of 17 commercial banks, the activity of which is controlled by the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia. The banks in Yerevan are open, generally, from 9-10 AM to 4-5 PM on week-days, some of them work also half a day on Saturdays. You can get more detailed information at the official website of the Central Bank of the RA.
The ATMs can be found on all the main streets of Yerevan.

The national currency of Armenia is called “Dram” (the code is AMD). It was put into circulation in 1993. There are banknotes of 1 000, 2 000, 5 000, 10 000, 20 000,
50 000, 100 000 Dram denomination and also coins of 10, 20, 50, 100, 200, 500 Dram denomination. Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks and currency exchange offices throughout the city.

You can find the exact rates for all currencies at the official website of the Central Bank of the RA.

The electricity in Armenia is 220 V, 50 Hz, as in almost all of Europe. The Armenian socket standard is CEE, mostly without grounding. The outlet adaptors for the standards of different countries can be purchased in almost all home appliances and electronics stores in Yerevan.

Armenia has two major airports: the main “Zvartnots” International Airport, located at a distance of ~12 km from the centre of Yerevan, and “Shirak” airport, situated in Gyumri. There are direct flights to and from Yerevan from more than 40 cities of the world, including Moscow, Saint Petersburg, Novosibirsk, Paris, Vienna, Rome, Milan, Warsaw, Athens, Beirut, Tehran, Dubai, Sharjah, Doha, Sharm el Sheikh, Frankfurt, Tel Aviv, Abu Dhabi, Larnaca, Brussels, Lyon, Venice, Actau, Vilnius, Yekaterinburg, Minsk, Samara, Ufa, Sochi, Mineralnye Vody, Tbilisi, Kishinev, Istanbul, Nizhny Novgorod, Volgograd, Kazan, Chelyabinsk, Tyumen etc.

Both public and religious holidays are celebrated in Armenia. The shops and restaurants are generally open also on holidays.

The following holidays are non-working:

Christmas and New Year (from December 31 to January 3),
Army Day – January 28,
International Women’s Day – March 8,
Labour Day – May 1,
Victory and Peace Day – May 9,
Republic Day – May 28,
Constitution Day – July 5,
Independence Day – September 21.
April 24 is also a non-working day – the commemoration day of the Armenian Genocide victims.

The official language is Armenian – a separate branch of the Indo-European language family. The Armenian letters are radically different from the letters of other languages. Generally the state buildings and public places are marked also with Latin-letter signboards. Besides Armenian, Russian and English are as well widely used in the country.

The traditional Armenian cuisine has a large variety of richly flavoured dishes. Fresh vegetables and meat are among the most favourite food products. No Armenian celebratory table can be imagined without the most favourite barbecue, kyufta, harisa, spas, tolma, khashlama or ghapama. The dinner party foresees a great ritual, starting from its preparatory process until the last moment at the table. The numerous restaurants in Yerevan offer a unique selection of local dishes. There are also many restaurants serving the dishes of different internationally recognized cuisines. A detailed information about the restaurants, cafes and places of entertainment can be found at the official web-pageof Hyur Service.

The post offices in Armenia work generally from Monday to Friday from 9 AM to 5:30 PM and half a day on Saturdays – mostly from 9 AM to 3 PM or from 10 AM to 4 PM. Sunday is a day-off. One of the central post offices is located at the Republic Square, opposite the Government building.

The following means of public transportation are available in Armenia:

Metro. Yerevan subway system has one line stretching from the north to the south of the city with 10 stations. The fare is 100 AMD per one direction.
Buses. There are buses running in major directions. The fare is 100 AMD per one direction.
Minibuses. 12-15 seater minibuses run in almost every direction. The fare is 100 AMD per one direction.
Taxi Services. There are many taxi service offices, which accept orders by phone and offer comfortable cars. The fare is ~100 AMD per km (the minimum fare is ~600 AMD). It is possible to take a taxi also at the crossroads and crowded places. Besides, there are special mobile applications, such as “GG”, “Yandex Taxi”, “Utaxi”, etc. (available for Android and iOS) which can be used to order a taxi.

The state religion in Armenia is Christianity, which was adopted in 301 AD. The religion is deeply and strongly rooted here. The majority of the Armenians, living in Armenia, belong to the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox church. The head of the church is the Catholicos of All Armenians, who resides in Holy Echmiadzin.

The area code of Armenia is 374, Yerevan city codes are 10, 11, 12, 60.
Outgoing international calls can be made by dialing 00 followed by the country code, the city code and the number.

There are 3 mobile operators – “Beeline”, “VivaCell”, “Ucom”, functioning over almost the entire territory of Armenia. Sim cards can be purchased at “Zvartnots” International Airport, the offices of the mentioned operators or big stores, presenting a passport copy. The cards provide 3G/4G connection and high speed Internet. For making calls by the cell phone to the fixed-line number in Yerevan it is necessary to dial 0 then city code followed by the number.

Armenia Standard Time is 4 hours ahead of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT+4). Starting from 2012, Armenia has abolished daylight saving time.

Visa to Armenia is provided by the Representation of the Republic of Armenia, located in the given country (or near it). The citizens of the CIS member-states, the EU member-states and the Schengen Acquis states do not need visa to travel to Armenia. The citizens of several countries can get a visa upon arrival in Armenia, at the border checkpoints. In general, the procedure lasts 20-25 minutes.

Citizens of foreign countries, for whom a visa-free regime is set, can stay on the territory of the Republic of Armenia for no more than 180 days during one year if no other term is defined by the international agreements of the Republic of Armenia.

By the expiration of the visa dates it should be prolonged at the Passport and Visa Department (Davtashen, 4th District, 17/10 Building). In case of an expired visa the citizen will be subject to a fine.

Visa can also be obtained prior to the arrival (online) by applying to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of RA .

More detailed information regarding visa provision can be found at the website of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of RA.

The list of Embassies and Consulates in Armenia is presented on the official website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia.

Fire Department: 101

Police: 102

Ambulance: 103

Gas Emergency Service: 104

Emergency Situations Crisis Management Center: 911 101

Municipality of Yerevan Hotline: 108

Ombudsman (Human Rights Defender) of Armenia Hotline: 116

Every year various festivals, dedicated to the national symbols and products, take place in Armenia. Visiting one of them is a great opportunity to get acquainted with interesting traditions, taste national dishes and just have lots of fun in a completely new and vibrant atmosphere. Festivals are very entertaining, as they are accompanied by songs, dances and music. Details and participation conditions of the festivals can be found on the official page of Hyur Service .