ARMENIA

Geographical Information

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 and Turkey from the west. The Republic of Armenia occupies a territory of 29 800 square km, lying at an average altitude of 1800 meters above sea level. The highest point is Mount Aragats (4090m), while the lowest point is the valley of the Debed River (400m). The capital is Yerevan. According to the general census of 2003 the population of Armenia is 3,2 million, 1,1 million of which lives in Yerevan.

Government

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 2, 2018, Armen Sarkissian 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.

Climate

Armenia has a dry tropical climate. Clear sunny days are mostly dominant in a year. The summers are hot here, the temperature fluctuates between +22C to +36C. The winters are mainly cold, the average temperature is between -15C to -1C. The mountain peaks are covered with eternal snow, while their slopes are lined by alpine meadows. The best time to visit Armenia is spring or autumn. Daily weather forecasts can be found at the following web-page: http://weather.am.

Currency

The national currency of Armenia is called “Dram” (the code is AMD). It was put into circulation in 1993. There are banknotes of 1000, 5000, 20000, 50000, 100000 Dram denomination. There are also coins of 10, 50, 100, 200, 500 Dram denomination. Foreign currency can be exchanged in banks and currency exchange offices throughout the city. The approximate exchange rate is:

1 USD = 472 AMD

1 EUR = 527 AMD

1 RUB = 7.17 AMD

1 GBP = 571 AMD

Current exchange rates can be found at the official web-site of the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia: http://www.cba.am

Visa

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. For the visitors under 18 years old visa is free of charge.

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.

By the expiration of the visa dates it should be prolonged at the Passport and Visa Department (Yerevan, 13a, Mashtots Ave). In case of an expired visa the citizen will be subject to a fine.

Visa can be also obtained prior to the arrival (online) by applying to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia: https://evisa.mfa.am.

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

Embassies

Belarus	12, Nikol Duman Str., Tel: (10) 22 02 69, (10) 27 56 11. E-mail: armenia@mfa.gov.by
Bulgaria	Nor Aresh, 16, Sophia Str., Tel: (10) 45 82 33. E-mail: secretaryemb@abv.bg
Canada	10, Vazgen Sargsyan Str., Tel: (10) 56 79 90. E-mail: aeminn@gmail.com
China	12, Baghramyan Ave., Tel: (10) 56 00 67. E-mail: chinaemb_am@mfa.gov.cn
Egypt	6a, Sepouh Str., Tel: (10) 22 67 55, (10) 22 01 17, (10) 27 82 13. E-mail: egyemb@arminco.com
France	8, Gr. Lusavorich Str., Tel: (10) 59 19 50. E-mail: cad.erevan-amba@diplomatie.gouv.fr
Georgia	2/10, Babayan Str., Tel: (10) 20 07 42, (10) 20 07 38. E-mail: yerevan.emb@mfa.gov.ge
Germany	29, Charents Str., Tel: (10) 52 32 79, (10) 58 65 91, (10) 52 45 81. E-mail: info@eriw.diplo.de
Greece	6, Demirchyan Str., Tel: (10) 53 00 51, (10) 53 67 54. E-mail: gremb.ere@mfa.gr
Italy	5, Italy Str., Tel: (10) 54 23 35, (10) 54 23 36. E-mail: commerciale.jerevan@esteri.it
Iran	1, Budaghyan Str., Tel: (10) 28 04 57, (10) 23 49 00. E-mail: info@iranembassy.am
Lebanon	1st St., 13/14 Dzoragiugh., Tel: (10) 50 13 02, (10) 50 13 03. E-mail: libanarm@gmail.com
Russia	13a, Gr. Lusavorich Str., Tel: (10) 56 72 27, (10) 52 52 18, (10) 58 25 21. E-mail: info@rusembassy.am
Syria	14, Baghramyan Ave., Tel: (10) 52 40 36, (10) 52 40 28. E-mail: syria.em.arm@netsys.am
Ukraine	29, Arabkir St., 5/1, Tel: (10) 22 97 27, (10) 25 65 41. E-mail: emb_am@mfa.gov.ua
United Kingdom of Great Britain	34, Baghramyan Ave., Tel: (10) 26 43 01. E-mail: enquiries.yerevan@fco.gov.uk
United States of America	1, Amerikian Ave., Tel: (10) 49 42 00. E-mail: usinfo@usa.am

Religion

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.

Time Zone

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

Flights

Armenia has two major airports. The main airport is Zvartnots International Airport, which is located at a distance of about 12 km from the centre of Yerevan, while the second one is situated in Gyumri. There are flights to and from Yerevan from more than 50 cities of the world, including
Moscow, Paris, Vienna, Prague, Rome, London, Beirut, Saint Petersburg, Tehran, Milan, Warsaw, Istanbul etc.

Holidays and Non-working Days

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 6),
Army Day – January 28,
The 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.

Language

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 also marked with Latin-letter signboards. Besides Armenian, Russian is also widely used, and many can communicate in English, too.

Post Offices

The post offices in Armenia work every day from 9 am to 7 pm. Sunday is a day-off. One of the central post offices is located at the Republic Square, opposite the Government building.

Telephone Calls

The country code is 374, Yerevan city code is 10.
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”, “Orange”, functioning over almost the entire territory of Armenia, and their cards can be purchased at Zvartnots International Airport, at the offices of these operators or at the big stores, having the passport copy. The cards provide 3G connection and high speed Internet. For making calls by the cell phone to the fixed-line number in Yerevan it is necessary to dial 010 followed by the number. Cellular phones for rent can be obtained at the office of “Hyur Service”. For more details click here.

Banking

The Armenian banking system consists of 21 commercial banks, the activity of which is controlled by the Central Bank of the Republic of Armenia. The banks in Yerevan are open from 10 am to 4 pm on week-days and from 10 am to 1 pm on Saturdays, without lunch breaks. The ATMs can be found on all the main streets of Yerevan.

Electricity

The electricity in Armenia is 220 volt, 50 Hz , as in almost all of Europe. 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.

Public Transportation

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.
Buses. There are buses running in major directions. The fare is 100 AMD.
Minibuses. 12-15 seater minibuses run in almost every direction. The fare is 100 AMD.
Taxi Services. There are many taxi service offices, which accept orders by phone and they 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 the crowded places.