Armenia Geography - 2006

Location:
Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey

Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 45 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 29,800 sq km
land: 28,400 sq km
water: 1,400 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, alumina

Land use:
arable land: 16.78%
permanent crops: 2.01%
other: 81.21% (2005)

Irrigated land:
2,860 sq km (2003)

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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants