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Армения
Introduction
Armenia is home to one of the world’s oldest and most durable civilizations. Three thousand years of history tell a powerful tale of conquest, foreign domination and resurgence. Throughout it all, the country’s people have sustained a clear sense of national, ethnic, and religious identity.
Part of the Soviet Union from 1921-1991, a newly independent Armenia is working hard to fulfill the promise of democracy and a market economy. The transition has been difficult. In addition to the natural hardships faced by all command economies undergoing reform, Armenia faces blockades and sanctions resulting from a complex conflict with Azerbaijan over the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Following independence Armenia was virtually without electric power for two years. Its well-developed economy—one of the richest in the Soviet Union—was simply crushed. Recovery has been slow.
Now, however, the worst is over. The dram, the national currency, is stable. Petroleum and gas imports are flowing steadily. Moreover, the power sector has been reorganized to dramatically improve efficiency. As a result, consumers have steady, reliable electrical service.
With traditional resilience, the country is slowly climbing out of an abyss, even though Armenia’s borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey are closed. Although the traditional manufacturing base is shattered, small and medium sized businesses are opening all over the capital, and, to a lesser extent, in the regions. A wide variety of consumer goods are available in local markets, kiosks and stores. The metro is running; car traffic is rolling all day long. Much, however, is contingent on a peaceful political resolution to the volatile Nagorno-Karabakh situation.
Given this dramatic backdrop, Yerevan is an intensely busy post. This is true now more than ever, as the U.S. Government’s emphasis has shifted from humanitarian assistance to sustainable economic development, and our bilateral engagement expands and deepens. The Armenians, among the best-educated people in the entire CIS, are competent and energetic. Personnel assigned to this post can expect many real and exciting challenges at work. Moreover, given the very real nature of the problems here there is a genuine sense of making a difference.
Lastly, given realistic expectations, living conditions for those Foreign Service personnel assigned here—although not the Western norm—are made safe and comfortable by a very capable, well-organized and service-oriented General Services Organization. The amenities will continue to improve as post looks forward to opening the New Embassy Compound on the shore of Lake Yerevan in the spring of 2005.
Population
Last Updated: 12/3/2004 3:27 AM
Demography:
According to the October 2001 census, Armenia’s de facto population is 3.002 million*. Roughly a third of the population, 1.09 million people, lives in Yerevan. Over all two-thirds live in cities. Ten percent of the population is over 65; sixty-five percent between the ages of 15 and 64, and twenty-five percent are 14 or younger.
According to a breakdown of the ethnic distribution, in 2001 - 97.8 percent of the people were Armenian, 0.5 percent Russian, 1.3 percent Yezidi Kurd, and 1 percent Assyrians – making Armenia one of the most homogenous countries in the world.
*NB: This represents the population present in country. The de jure official number, counting those who work abroad but had returned to Armenia within the year prior to the census, is 3.213 mil.
Culture:
Armenians have their own highly distinctive alphabet and language. Ninety-six percent of the people in the country speak Armenian, while 40% of the population speak Russian as well. Armenia is totally literate; 99% of the population can read and write.
Most adults in Yerevan can communicate in Russian. English is increasing in popularity, but is rarely spoken with any fluency outside of educated circles. Cyrillic script can still be seen on many older street and building signs. Ninety-four percent of the population claims membership in the Armenian Apostolic Church.
Caucasian hospitality is legendary and stems from ancient tradition. Social gatherings center around sumptuous presentations of course after course of elaborately prepared, well-seasoned (but not spicy-hot) food. The host or hostess will often put morsels on a guest’s plate whenever it is empty or fill his or her glass when it gets low. After a helping or two it is acceptable to refuse politely or, more simply, just leave a little uneaten food.
Armenia is by tradition a male-dominated society. Women moving about alone should be careful about making eye contact or giving friendly smiles to men. Indeed, women traveling or eating by themselves are sometimes harassed without cause, mainly by groups of men in cars who have been drinking. Violence against foreign women in such situations is very rare, but it has occurred.
Ethnocentrism born of the country’s cohesive homogeneity and long isolation occasionally causes problems for visitors. Light-haired or fair-skinned people may receive unwanted attention, as may people of African descent. Occasional acts of aggression are by no means restricted to Americans, and it should be emphasized that virtually all of this behavior comes from children or unruly teens.
Such belligerence appears to be the rare exception. As a rule Armenians both young and old are cheerful, friendly and polite, more curious than anything else. Americans are well regarded, in general. On the whole, Armenia is considered very safe and people posted here move about freely in both town and country, by day and/or by night.
Азербайджан
Preface Last Updated: 11/25/2003 2:09 PM
Azerbaijan is a country with impressive natural and cultural diversity. Its high mountains and flat plains have been home for human habitation for at least 200,000 years. During the last 1,300 years the territory has been successively controlled by Arabs, Turks, Mongols, Persians, and finally Russians. Independent since 1991, Azerbaijan is very much developing its future. Though hurt economically by the collapse of the Soviet Union, the country looks to its large oil and gas reserves for a future boost to development.
Life here for American Embassy families is interesting and comfortable. Baku has an attractive old walled city, a multitude of restaurants and pubs, and many museums and cultural activities. Most food items can be found in one or more of the numerous grocery stores or bazaars. Outside of Baku lie all sorts of intriguing destinations. Some can be reached easily by car and offer reasonably good accommodations. Others require four‑wheel-drive and an adventurous spirit. One should never be bored in Azerbaijan.
Population
Last Updated: 11/25/2003 2:13 PM
The last official census, in 1999, recorded a population of slightly over 8 million, including 1.8 million people in Baku, 180,000 in Ganja, and 117,000 in Sumgait just north of Baku. The population growth rate is a low 0.7%.
Since Azerbaijan’s ethnic tensions with Armenia erupted in 1988 and especially following the breakup of the Soviet Union in 1991, Armenian and Russian populations have declined precipitously. Many Azerbaijanis living in Armenia, Russia, central Asia and elsewhere have migrated to Azerbaijan. According to a 1995 estimate, the country’s population was 90% Azerbaijani, 3.2% Dagestani peoples, 2.5% Russian, 2.3% Armenians (almost all in the separatist Nagorno‑Karabakh Region), and 2% “other.” The Dagestani peoples include Lezgins and Avars. Other ethnic groups living in Azerbaijan include Ukrainians, Tatars, Talysh, Turks, Georgians, Kurds, Tats, Udins, and Belarusians. There are also about 35,000 Jews, of whom 30,000 live in Baku. About 4,000 Jews identify themselves as Tats (also referred to as Mountain Jews), an ancient people mostly living near the northeastern town of Guba. Their traditions say that they came to this region in 500 B.C.E. from captivity in Babylon in present‑day Iraq.
Azerbaijan’s population is 52% urban, mostly skilled and semi‑skilled industrial workers. People living in rural areas are primarily wheat, potato, vegetable and fruit growers, livestock breeders, and seminomadic shepherds living in mountainous regions. Most people engaged in traditional crafts are carpetmakers and wood and stone workers.
Over 21 million Azerbaijanis live in Iran, and 2 million or more live in the other republics of the former Soviet Union. The Azerbaijani population living in the U.S. is difficult to estimate, since many that are ethnically Azerbaijani are often identified as Iranian or Turkish.
The official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani (or Azeri), a southern (Oguz) Turkic language with four distinct but similar regional dialects. Russian is still commonly spoken among the urban population, although not as an official language.
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