Armenia's record on discrimination toward the few remaining national minorities is generally good.

In fifty years, Yerevan was transformed from a town of a few thousand residents within the Russian Empire, to Armenia's principal cultural, artistic, and industrial center, as well as becoming the seat of national government.

The Catholicos of All Armenians ( plural Catholicoi, due to its Greek origin ) () is the chief bishop of Armenia's national church, the Armenian Apostolic Church.

The duduk is Armenia's national instrument, and among its well-known perfomers are Margar Margarian, Levon Madoyan, Saro Danielian, Vatche Hovsepian, Gevorg Dabaghyan and Yeghish Manoukian, as well as Armenia's most famous duduk player, Djivan Gasparyan.

During his long time as Catholicos, he managed to assert some independence for his church in face of the totalitarian Soviet rule in the Armenian SSR, and lived to see religious freedom restored under Armenia's national government in 1991.

It was founded in 1887 by Avetis Nazarbekian, Mariam Vardanian, Gevorg Gharadjian, Ruben Khan-Azat, Christopher Ohanian, Gabriel Kafian and Manuel Manuelian, a group of college students in Geneva, Switzerland, with the goal to gain Armenia's independence from the Ottoman Empire, which is part of Armenian national liberation movement.

One of Armenia's famous national heroes Andranik Ozanian, at first, joined the Hunchak party, but disagreement with party policies led Andranik to leave the Hunchak ranks and join the Dashnak party and on to the Armenian Democratic Liberal Ramgavar Party.

About half of Armenia's area of approximately has an elevation of at least, and only 3 % of the country lies below.

The consequent blockade along both the Azerbaijani and Turkish borders has devastated the economy, because of Armenia's dependence on outside supplies of energy and most raw materials.

Armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid, remittances from Armenians working abroad, and foreign direct investment.

According to research funded by the USAID CAPS project, Armenia's exceptionally high rate of economic growth during the last decade has been largely dependent on external factors ( e. g., remittances, assistance from international financial and donor organization ).

An economic blockade with Turkey and Azerbaijan has cut Armenia's rail link between Gyumri and Kars to Turkey ; the rail link with Iran through the Azeri exclave of Nakhichevan ; and a natural gas and oil pipeline line with Azerbaijan.

Political observers say that Armenia's economic cooperation with Russia has been one of the least transparent areas of the Armenian government ’ s work.

* Antiochus III's sister arranges for the removal of Armenia's king Xerxes, whom she has recently married.

* Aleksandr Sargsyan, brother of President Serge Sargsyan and parliament deputy who has a fifty percent stake in Multi Lion, Armenia's leading supplier of liquefied gas to households, cars and buses ( the other fifty percent is owned by Gagik Tsarukian's Multi Group ).

After the fall of the USSR, it returned to Armenia, where it now again has a significant presence as the leading opposition party in Armenia's parliament.

" The new pipeline has attracted Armenia's northern neighbor, Georgia which seeks to lessen its dependence on energy from Russia.

On the July 2011 FIDE list, he has an Elo rating of 2667, making him number 81 in the world and Armenia's number three player, behind Levon Aronian and Sergei Movsesian.

The National Art Gallery in Yerevan has more than 16, 000 works that date back to the Middle Ages, which indicate Armenia's rich tales and stories of the times.

Cash remittances sent back home from Armenians working abroad — mostly in Russia and the United States — are growing and contribute significantly to Armenia's Gross Domestic Product ( between 15 to 30 percent ).

However, international observers have questioned the fairness of Armenia's parliamentary and presidential elections and constitutional referendum since 1995, citing polling deficiencies, lack of cooperation by the Electoral Commission, and poor maintenance of electoral lists and polling places.

According to RFE / RL, comparable sums are believed to be transferred through non-bank systems, implying that cash remittances make up approximately 30 percent of Armenia's GDP in the first half of 2008.

During the first half of 2008, Armenia's widening current-account trade deficit grew by 66 percent to $ 1. 39 billion USD, with a 40 percent rise in imports.

Since early 2008, Armenia's entire rail network is managed by the Russian state railway.

Economic analysts say that the project would cost at least $ 1 billion ( equivalent to about 40 percent of Armenia's 2008 state budget ).

This was fulfilled when Nariman Narimanov, leader of Bolshevik Azerbaijan issued a declaration celebrating the " victory of Soviet power in Armenia ," proclaimed that both Nakhchivan and Zangezur should be awarded to the Armenian people as a sign of the Azerbaijani people's support for Armenia's fight against the former DRA government:

The heaviest fighting took place on May 18, when the Armenians captured Nakhchivan's exclave of Karki, a tiny territory through which Armenia's main North-South highway passes.

According to the National Statistical Service, during the January – August 2007 period, Armenia's industrial sector was the single largest contributor to the country's GDP, but remained largely stagnant with industrial output increasing only by 1. 7 percent per year.

In 318, Gregory appointed his second son Aristaces as the next Catholicos in line of Armenia's Holy Apostolic Church to stabilize and continue strengthening Christianity not only in Armenia, but also in the Caucasus and Anatolia.

* 1996 – BHHRG report of election fraud in Armenia's presidential election was only acknowledged in 1998

The Araks forms most of Armenia's border with Turkey and Iran while the Zangezur Mountains form the border between Armenia's southern province of Syunik and Azerbaijan's adjacent Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic.

In the early 1990s, the latter group blamed Armenia's economic woes on the role played by the former in closing major industries.

The Council of Ministers, Armenia's cabinet, includes a minister of the environment.

Environmental conditions in Armenia have been worsened as a result of war with Azerbaijan over Armenia's claim of historic rights to Azerbaijan's province.

The Government of Armenia's stated aim is to build a Western-style parliamentary democracy as the basis of its form of government.

The government's policy toward conscientious objection is in transition, as part of Armenia's accession to the Council of Europe.

Most of Armenia's ethnic Azeri population was deported in 1988 – 1989 and remain refugees, largely in Azerbaijan.

Until independence, Armenia's economy was based largely on industry — chemicals, electronic products, machinery, processed food, synthetic rubber and textiles ; it was highly dependent on outside resources.

Like other former States, Armenia's economy suffers from the legacy of a centrally planned economy and the breakdown of former Soviet trading patterns.

Armenia's unemployment rate, however, remains high, despite strong economic growth.

Armenia's economy is highly anticompetitive with government-connected individuals enjoying de facto monopolies over the import and distribution of basic commodities and foodstuffs, and under-reporting revenue to avoid paying taxes.

Following the advice of economic advisors who cautioned Armenia's leadership against the consolidation of economic power in the hands of a few, in January 2001, the Government of Armenia established the State Commission for the Protection of Economic Competition.

According to the estimate of a former prime minister, Hrant Bagratian, 55 percent of Armenia's GDP is controlled by 44 families.

After a decade of double-digit growth, Armenia's economy declined by 14. 4 percent in 2009.

According to the National Statistical Service, Armenia's booming construction sector generated about 20 percent of Armenia's GDP during the first eight months of 2007.