Location:
Southwestern Asia, between Turkey (to the west) and Azerbaijan; note - Armenia views itself as part of Europe; geopolitically, it can be classified as falling within Europe, the Middle East, or both

Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 45 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 29,743 sq km
[see also: Area - total country ranks ]
land: 28,203 sq km
[see also: Area - land country ranks ]
water: 1,540 sq km
[see also: Area - water country ranks ]
country comparison to the world: 143

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 1,570 km
border countries (4): Azerbaijan 996 km, Georgia 219 km, Iran 44 km, Turkey 311 km
[see also: Land boundaries country ranks ]

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
[see also: Coastline country ranks ]

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:
mean elevation: 1,792 m
[see also: Mean Elevation country ranks ]
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:
agricultural land: 59.7% arable land 15.8%; permanent crops 1.9%; permanent pasture 42%
[see also: Land use - agricultural land country ranks ]
forest: 9.1%
[see also: Land use - forest country ranks ]
other: 31.2% (2011 est.)
[see also: Land use - other country ranks ]

Irrigated land:
2,740 sq km (2012)
[see also: Irrigated land country ranks ]

Population - distribution:
most of the population is located in the northern half of the country; the capital of Yerevan is home to more than three times as many people as the second largest city in the country

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