1.
Coat of arms of Armenia
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The national coat of arms of Armenia was adopted on April 19,1992, by the Armenian Supreme Council decision. On June 15,2006, the law on the coat of arms of Armenia was passed by the Armenian Parliament. It consists of an eagle and a lion supporting a shield, the coat of arms combines new and old symbols. The eagle and lion are ancient Armenian symbols dating from the first Armenian kingdoms that existed prior to Christ and these symbols are found on the Armenian Highland from times immemorial. Numerous Armenian dynasties such as Artaxiad, Arsacid, Bagratuni and Rubenid, like other post-Soviet republics whose symbols do not predate the October Revolution, the current emblem retained one component of the Soviet one such as the Mount Ararat on the shield. Prior to 1992, Armenia had a similar to all other Soviet Republics. The shield itself consists of many components, in the center is a depiction of the Mount Ararat with Noahs Ark sitting atop it. According to tradition, the ark is said to have rested on the mountain after the great flood. Ararat is considered the symbol of Armenia and thus is of principal importance to the coat of arms. Surrounding Mount Ararat are symbols of old Armenian dynasties, in the upper left portion, there is a lion with a cross, the emblem for the Bagratuni Dynasty that ruled during the Middle Ages, between the 7th and 11th centuries. Under this dynasty, Armenia blossomed culturally, making its capital, Ani, Bagratuni was destroyed by the Byzantine Empires encroachment and by Seljuk conquests in the 11th century. In the upper portion, there is a two-headed eagle, the emblem of the first dynasty to reign over a Christian Armenia. Tiridates III of Arsacid Dynasty made Armenia the first Christian nation in 301 and this dynasty ruled from the 1st century to 428. In the lower portion, there is a lion with a cross. This dynasty reigned in Armenian Kingdom of Cilicia, a state that expanded and prospered during the 12th and 13th centuries, until the Mamelukes, the eagle supports the shield on the left side of the coat of arms, while the lion on the right side. The eagle was the symbol of the Artaxiad Dynasty and later on the symbol of the Arsacid Dynasty of Armenia and it holds the Artaxiad Dynastys branch of the shield. Whereas, the lion was the symbol of the Bagratuni Dynasty and it holds the Rubenid Dynastys branch of the shield. The eagle and the lion are a theme for civilizations on the Armenian Highland
2.
Unitary state
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The majority of states in the world have a unitary system of government. Of the 193 UN member states,165 of them are governed as unitary states, unitary states are contrasted with federal states. In a unitary state, sub-national units are created and abolished, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is an example of a unitary state. Many unitary states have no areas possessing a degree of autonomy, in such countries, sub-national regions cannot decide their own laws. Examples are the Republic of Ireland and the Kingdom of Norway, in federal states, the sub-national governments share powers with the central government as equal actors through a written constitution, to which the consent of both is required to make amendments. This means that the units have a right of existence. The United States of America is an example of a federal state, under the U. S. Constitution, powers are shared between the federal government and the states
3.
Parliamentary system
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In a parliamentary system, the head of state is usually a different person from the head of government. Since ancient times, when societies were tribal, there were councils or a headman whose decisions were assessed by village elders, eventually these councils have slowly evolved into the modern Parliamentary system. The first parliaments date back to Europe in the Middle Ages, for example in 1188 Alfonso IX, the modern concept of parliamentary government emerged in the Kingdom of Great Britain and its contemporary, the Parliamentary System in Sweden. In England, Simon de Montfort is remembered as one of the fathers of representative government for holding two famous parliaments, the first, in 1258, stripped the King of unlimited authority and the second, in 1265, included ordinary citizens from the towns. Later, in the 17th century, the Parliament of England pioneered some of the ideas and systems of liberal democracy culminating in the Glorious Revolution, in the Kingdom of Great Britain, the monarch, in theory, chaired cabinet and chose ministers. In practice, King George Is inability to speak English led the responsibility for chairing cabinet to go to the minister, literally the prime or first minister. By the nineteenth century, the Great Reform Act of 1832 led to parliamentary dominance, with its choice invariably deciding who was prime minister, hence the use of phrases like Her Majestys government or His Excellencys government. Nineteenth century urbanisation, industrial revolution and, modernism had already fueled the political struggle for democracy. In the radicalised times at the end of World War I, a parliamentary system may be either bicameral, with two chambers of parliament or unicameral, with just one parliamentary chamber. Scholars of democracy such as Arend Lijphart distinguish two types of parliamentary democracies, the Westminster and Consensus systems, the Westminster system is usually found in the Commonwealth of Nations and countries which were influenced by the British political tradition. These parliaments tend to have a more style of debate. The Australian House of Representatives is elected using instant-runoff voting, while the Senate is elected using proportional representation through single transferable vote, regardless of which system is used, the voting systems tend to allow the voter to vote for a named candidate rather than a closed list. The Western European parliamentary model tends to have a more consensual debating system, Consensus systems have more of a tendency to use proportional representation with open party lists than the Westminster Model legislatures. The committees of these Parliaments tend to be more important than the plenary chamber, some West European countries parliaments implement the principle of dualism as a form of separation of powers. In countries using this system, Members of Parliament have to resign their place in Parliament upon being appointed minister, ministers in those countries usually actively participate in parliamentary debates, but are not entitled to vote. Some countries such as India also require the prime minister to be a member of the legislature, the head of state appoints a prime minister who will likely have majority support in parliament. The head of state appoints a minister who must gain a vote of confidence within a set time. The head of state appoints the leader of the party holding a plurality of seats in parliament as prime minister
4.
Republic
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It is a government where the head of state is not a monarch. Both modern and ancient republics vary widely in their ideology, composition, in the classical and medieval period of Europe, many states were fashioned on the Roman Republic, which referred to the governance of the city of Rome, between it having kings and emperors. The Italian medieval and Renaissance political tradition, today referred to as humanism, is sometimes considered to derive directly from Roman republicans such as Sallust. Republics were not equated with classical democracies such as Athens, but had a democratic aspect, Republics became more common in the Western world starting in the late 18th century, eventually displacing absolute monarchy as the most common form of government in Europe. In modern republics, the executive is legitimized both by a constitution and by popular suffrage, for instance, Article IV of the United States Constitution guarantee to every State in this Union a Republican form of Government. The term originates as the Latin translation of Greek word politeia, cicero, among other Latin writers, translated politeia as res publica and it was in turn translated by Renaissance scholars as republic. The term politeia can be translated as form of government, polity, or regime, and is therefore not always a word for a specific type of regime as the modern word republic is. And also amongst classical Latin, the term republic can be used in a way to refer to any regime. In medieval Northern Italy, a number of city states had commune or signoria based governments, in the late Middle Ages, writers, such as Giovanni Villani, began writing about the nature of these states and the differences from other types of regime. They used terms such as libertas populi, a free people, the terminology changed in the 15th century as the renewed interest in the writings of Ancient Rome caused writers to prefer using classical terminology. To describe non-monarchical states writers, most importantly Leonardo Bruni, adopted the Latin phrase res publica. While Bruni and Machiavelli used the term to describe the states of Northern Italy, which were not monarchies, the term can quite literally be translated as public matter. It was most often used by Roman writers to refer to the state and government, in subsequent centuries, the English word commonwealth came to be used as a translation of res publica, and its use in English was comparable to how the Romans used the term res publica. Notably, during The Protectorate of Oliver Cromwell the word commonwealth was the most common term to call the new monarchless state, likewise, in Polish, the term was translated as rzeczpospolita, although the translation is now only used with respect to Poland. Presently, the term republic commonly means a system of government which derives its power from the rather than from another basis. After the classical period, during the Middle Ages, many cities developed again. The modern type of itself is different from any type of state found in the classical world. Nevertheless, there are a number of states of the era that are today still called republics
5.
Constitution of Armenia
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The Constitution of Armenia was adopted by a nationwide Armenian referendum on July 5,1995. This constitution established Armenia as a democratic, sovereign, social, yerevan is defined as the states capital. Power is vested in its citizens, who exercise it directly through the election of government representatives, decisions related to changes in constitutional status or to an alteration of borders are subject to a vote of the citizens of Armenia exercised in a referendum. There are 117 articles in the 1995 constitution, on November 27,2005, a nationwide constitutional referendum was held and an amended constitution was adopted. The constitution was amended again in a referendum on December 6,2015 that changed the political structure from a semi-presidential system to a parliamentary republic. The President also appoints the members of the Government upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister, given the constitutional powers of the president, Armenia can be regarded as a semi-presidential republic. Immediately after independence, the 1978 constitution, a replica of the Soviet Unions 1977 document, at the end of 1992, the president and the APM parliamentary delegates presented a draft constitution. They put forward a revised version in March 1993, as 1994 began, observers expected a long struggle before parliament adopted a final version. The 117 articles of the Constitution are divided into nine chapters, chapters 2-5 concern Fundamental Rights and Freedoms, the President of the Republic, the National Assembly, the Government, and the Judicial Power. Their main provisions are summarized here, content here The Presidents role is to uphold the constitution and ensure the functioning of the branches of state. Directly elected for 5-year term Must receive a majority of votes to be elected, if no candidate wins a majority, must be at least 35 years old. Can serve no more than two consecutive terms, can return legislation to the National Assembly, with objections and recommendations. Supervises foreign policy Appoints 4 members of Constitutional Court Commander-in-Chief of armed forces No type Politics of Armenia Constitutional economics Constitutionalism Media of Armenia
6.
Legislature
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A legislature is a deliberative assembly with the authority to make laws for a political entity such as a country or city. Legislatures form important parts of most governments, in the separation of model, they are often contrasted with the executive. Laws enacted by legislatures are known as legislation, legislatures observe and steer governing actions and usually have exclusive authority to amend the budget or budgets involved in the process. The members of a legislature are called legislators, each chamber of legislature consists of a number of legislators who use some form of parliamentary procedure to debate political issues and vote on proposed legislation. There must be a number of legislators present to carry out these activities. Some of the responsibilities of a legislature, such as giving first consideration to newly proposed legislation, are delegated to committees made up of small selections of the legislators. The members of a legislature usually represent different political parties, the members from each party generally meet as a caucus to organize their internal affairs, the internal organization of a legislature is also shaped by the informal norms that are shared by its members. Legislatures vary widely in the amount of power they wield, compared to other political players such as judiciaries, militaries. In 2009, political scientists M. Steven Fish and Matthew Kroenig constructed a Parliamentary Powers Index in an attempt to quantify the different degrees of power among national legislatures, such a system renders the legislature more powerful. Legislatures will sometime delegate their legislative power to administrative or executive agencies, legislatures are made up of individual members, known as legislators, who vote on proposed laws. For example, a legislature that has 100 seats has 100 members, by extension, an electoral district that elects a single legislator can also be described as a seat, as, for, example, in the phrases safe seat and marginal seat. In parliamentary systems of government, the executive is responsible to the legislature which may remove it with a vote of no confidence, names for national legislatures include parliament, congress, diet and assembly. A legislature which operates as a unit is unicameral, one divided into two chambers is bicameral, and one divided into three chambers is tricameral. In bicameral legislatures, one chamber is considered the upper house. In federations, the upper house typically represents the component states. This is a case with the legislature of the European Union. Tricameral legislatures are rare, the Massachusetts Governors Council still exists, tetracameral legislatures no longer exist, but they were previously used in Scandinavia. Legislatures vary widely in their size, among national legislatures, Chinas National Peoples Congress is the largest with 2987 members, while Vatican Citys Pontifical Commission is the smallest with 7
7.
National Assembly (Armenia)
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The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia, also informally referred to as the Parliament of Armenia is the legislative branch of the government of Armenia. Before 1995, It was referred to as the Supreme Council of Armenia, the National Assembly is a unicameral body. It comprises 131 members, elected for terms,75 members in single-seat constituencies and 56 by proportional representation. The proportional-representation seats in the National Assembly are assigned on a party-list basis amongst those parties that receive at least 5% of the total of the number of the votes, the current speaker of the National Assembly is Galust Sahakyan. According to law adopted in 2016 the National Assembly consists of at least 101 seats, partis need to pass 5% and coalitions 7% threshold respectively to be included in mandate distribution. Election system reserves 50% of votes casted in favor of party to be distributed via party lists. Out of these 4 mandates will be assigned to national minorities in first place, a party list can not include over 70% of representatives of the same sex and its every 4 consequetive entries shall include members of both sexes. Another 50% of votes received by each party will be distributied among their territorial lists submited in 13 electoral disctricts, if neither party wins over 50% of mandates second round of elections will be carried out. After first round two best-placed parties are allowed to the second round, all mandates received as per first round are be preserved. The party which wins second round of elections will be given additional number of mandates to reach 54% all seats, aim of these committees is to draw attention on the exceptional cases that are not covered by the standing committees. Following the consideration and definition in the Constitution the Law on Rules of Procedure of the National Assembly clearly defines all the issues concerning the add-hoc committees. More particularly, according to the article 22 of the mentioned law, the ultimate reason for existence of such committees is to deliver a report on its finding during a session of the National Assembly. Based on these reports, the Deputy may create a resolution in 2 days and if agreed by the Lead Committee. One of the current add-hoc committees of the National Assembly of Republic of Armenia is the Committee on Ethics, if the chairperson of the ethics committee is from a non-opposition faction, the vice chairperson should be from the opposition faction and the vice versa. Factions have the right to change their representative in the ethics committee, the committee also decides if there was a violation of 2nd Paragraph of the Article 6.1 of the mentioned law i. e. The members of the committee are free to enter any state institution or to examine any document relating to the case. Any individual can apply to the committee on ethics in cases prescribed by the law, the applicant should submit a written application with all the relevant documents. By proposal of the chairperson of the committee but no later than ten days the committee starts the examination of the issue raised in the application or rejects its examination
8.
Unicameralism
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In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multicameralism, many multicameral legislatures were created to give separate voices to different sectors of society. Multiple chambers allowed for guaranteed representation of different social classes, ethnic or regional interests, where these factors are unimportant, in unitary states with limited regional autonomy, unicameralism often prevails. Unicameral legislatures are also common in official Communist states such as the Peoples Republic of China, similarly, many formerly Communist states, such as Ukraine, Moldova and Serbia, have retained their unicameral legislatures, though others, such as Romania and Poland, adopted bicameral legislatures. Both the former Russian SFSR and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics were bicameral, the two chambers were the Soviet of Nationalities and the Soviet of the Union. The Russian Federation retained bicameralism after the dissolution of the USSR, the principal advantage of a unicameral system is more efficient lawmaking, as the legislative process is much simpler and there is no possibility of deadlock. Proponents of unicameralism have also argued that it costs, even if the number of legislators stay the same, since there are fewer institutions to maintain. There is also the risk that important sectors of society may not be adequately represented, approximately half of the worlds sovereign states are currently unicameral, including both the most populous and the least populous. Many subnational entities have unicameral legislatures, and all of the Brazilian states. In the United Kingdom, the devolved Scottish Parliament, National Assembly for Wales, Congress of Deputies of Second Spanish Republic was unicameral between 1931 and 1936. Dissolved at the end of Spanish Civil War, the actual Spanish Parliament is bicameral, Supreme Assembly of Uzbekistan was unicameral before being replaced in 2005 by the current, bicameral Supreme Assembly. National Assembly of Cameroon was unicameral before being replaced in 2013 by the current, chamber of Peoples Representative of Equatorial Guinea was unicameral before being replaced in 2013 by the current, bicameral Parliament of Equatorial Guinea. National Assembly of Kenya was the unicameral legislature before becoming the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Kenya in 2013. National Assembly of Ivory Coast was the unicameral legislature before becoming the lower house of the bicameral Parliament of Ivory Coast in 2016. Nebraskas state legislature is also unique in the sense that it is the state legislature that is entirely nonpartisan. In 1999, Governor Jesse Ventura proposed converting the Minnesota Legislature into a unicameral chamber. Although debated, the idea was never adopted, if those constitutional changes had been approved, Puerto Rico could have switched to a unicameral legislature as early as 2015
9.
Head of state
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A head of state is the public persona that officially represents the national unity and legitimacy of a sovereign state. In some countries, the head of state is a figurehead with limited or no executive power, while in others. Former French president Charles de Gaulle, while developing the current Constitution of France, some academic writers discuss states and governments in terms of models. An independent nation state normally has a head of state, the non-executive model, in which the head of state has either none or very limited executive powers, and mainly has a ceremonial and symbolic role. In parliamentary systems the head of state may be merely the chief executive officer, heading the executive branch of the state. This accountability and legitimacy requires that someone be chosen who has a majority support in the legislature and it also gives the legislature the right to vote down the head of government and their cabinet, forcing it either to resign or seek a parliamentary dissolution. In parliamentary constitutional monarchies, the legitimacy of the head of state typically derives from the tacit approval of the people via the elected representatives. In reality, numerous variants exist to the position of a head of state within a parliamentary system, usually, the king had the power of declaring war without previous consent of the parliament. For example, under the 1848 constitution of the Kingdom of Italy, the Statuto Albertino—the parliamentary approval to the government appointed by the king—was customary, so, Italy had a de facto parliamentarian system, but a de jure presidential system. These officials are excluded completely from the executive, they do not possess even theoretical executive powers or any role, even formal, hence their states governments are not referred to by the traditional parliamentary model head of state styles of His/Her Majestys Government or His/Her Excellencys Government. Within this general category, variants in terms of powers and functions may exist, the constitution explicitly vests all executive power in the Cabinet, who is chaired by the prime minister and responsible to the Diet. The emperor is defined in the constitution as the symbol of the State and of the unity of the people and he is a ceremonial figurehead with no independent discretionary powers related to the governance of Japan. Today, the Speaker of the Riksdag appoints the prime minister, Cabinet members are appointed and dismissed at the sole discretion of the prime minister. In contrast, the contact the President of Ireland has with the Irish government is through a formal briefing session given by the taoiseach to the president. However, he or she has no access to documentation and all access to ministers goes through the Department of the Taoiseach. The president does, however, hold limited reserve powers, such as referring a bill to the court to test its constitutionality. The most extreme non-executive republican Head of State is the President of Israel, semi-presidential systems combine features of presidential and parliamentary systems, notably a requirement that the government be answerable to both the president and the legislature. The constitution of the Fifth French Republic provides for a minister who is chosen by the president
10.
President of Armenia
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The President of the Republic of Armenia is the head of state, supreme commander-in-chief and the guarantor of independence and territorial integrity of Armenia. The president of the republic strives to uphold the constitution, and to ensure the functioning of the deep nuts executive. He is the guarantor of the independence, territorial integrity and security of the republic, the president of the republic is immune, he cannot be prosecuted or held liable for actions arising from his/her status during and after his/her term of office. For the actions not connected with his or her status the president of the Republic may be prosecuted when his/her term of office expires, the post of the President of the Republic of Armenia was founded by the decision of Armenian SSR Supreme Council of May 3,1990. On the basis of RA Supreme Councils decision of June 25,1991, Armenia became an independent state on 21 September 1991 by the nationwide referendum. The first presidential election was held on 17 October 1991, levon Ter-Petrosyan won the majority of the votes and became the first president of independent Armenia. He was reelected in 1996, however, he did not finish his term as president. Robert Kocharyan followed him, resigning until 2008, incumbent President Serzh Sargsyan was elected in February 2008 and reelected in February 2013. The elections of the president are held according to the procedures defined by the Constitution, the President of the Republic is elected by the citizens of the Republic of Armenia for a five-year term of office. The same person cannot be elected for the post of the President of the Republic for more than two consecutive terms. The election of the President of the Republic is held fifty days prior to the expiration of term of office according to the procedure defined by the Constitution. The candidate who has received more than half of the votes is elected President of the Republic, If the election involves more than two candidates and none of them receives the required number of votes, a second round of election is held on the fourteenth day following the voting. The two candidates having received the highest number of votes may participate in the round of election of the President of the Republic. In the second round the candidate who receives the highest number of votes is elected President of the Republic, If only one candidate runs for the election, he/she can be elected if he/she receives more than half of the votes of electors participated in the polls. If the President of the Republic is not elected, a new election is appointed, the President of the Republic takes office on the day when the term of office of the previous President expires. If The President of the Republic is elected by new or extraordinary elections, in case is insuperable obstacle for one of the candidates arise, the elections of the President of the Republic should be held off for two weeks. In case if the obstacles are not removed, new elections should be held upon end of the two week term, on the fortieth day. In case of decease of one of the candidates before the day, new elections are held
11.
Head of government
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The term head of government is often differentiated from the term head of state, as they may be separate positions, individuals, and/or roles depending on the country. In parliamentary systems, including constitutional monarchies, the head of government is the de facto leader of the government. For example, in the United Kingdom, the prime minister advises the Queen on the appointment of the cabinet, advice she is required to accept. On the other hand, the Queens long service as the head of state enables her to provide the prime minister with information and insight into many matters to better run the government. However, because the United Kingdom is a monarchy, the Prime Minister uses his or her own discretion regarding whether or not to follow the Queens advice. The Queen also is entitled to appoint a new Prime Minister, in presidential republics or in absolute monarchies, the head of state is also usually the head of government. The relationship between that leader and the government, however, can vary greatly, ranging from separation of powers to autocracy, in semi-presidential systems, the head of government may answer to both the head of state and the legislature, with the specifics provided by each countrys constitution. A modern example is the present French government, which originated as the French Fifth Republic in 1958, in France, the president, the head of state, appoints the prime minister, who is the head of government. In some cases, the head of state may represent one political party, in this case, known as cohabitation, the prime minister, along with the cabinet, controls domestic policy, with the presidents influence is largely restricted to foreign affairs. In directorial systems, the executive responsibilities of the head of government are spread among a group of people, a prominent example is the Swiss Federal Council, where each member of the council heads a department and also votes on proposals relating to all departments. A common title for many heads of government is prime minister, various constitutions use different titles, and even the same title can have various multiple meanings, depending on the constitutional order and political system of the state in question. In addition to prime minister, titles used for the democratic model, some of these titles relate to governments below the national level. Have been used by various Empires, Kingdoms and Princely States of India as a title for the Prime Minister, maltese, In Malta, the head of government is Prim Ministru. In this case, the prime minister serves at the pleasure of the monarch, some such titles are diwan, mahamantri, pradhan, wasir or vizier. However, just because the head of state is the de jure dominant position does not mean that he/she will not always be the de facto political leader, in some cases, the head of state is a figurehead whilst the head of the government leads the ruling party. In some cases a head of government may even pass on the title in hereditary fashion, the ability to vote down legislative proposals of the government. Control over or ability to vote down fiscal measures and the budget, all of these requirements directly impact the Head of governments role. Many parliamentary systems require ministers to serve in parliament, while others ban ministers from sitting in parliament, heads of government are typically removed from power in a parliamentary system by Resignation, following, Defeat in a general election
12.
Prime Minister of Armenia
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The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Armenia, but can be removed by a vote of no confidence in parliament. The office of President is generally considered to be powerful than the office of Prime Minister. The office of Prime Minister was first established in 1918 with the foundation of the First Republic of Armenia and it vanished when the First Republic of Armenia was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic. When Armenia regained its independence, the office of Prime Minister was reintroduced, Prime Ministers Prime Ministers Historical Overview – Former Prime Ministers – The Government of the Republic of Armenia
13.
Nikol Pashinyan
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Nikol Pashinyan is an Armenian politician, journalist, publicist. He was a member of the Armenian National Congress, an opposition movement led by former President of Armenia. He was the editor of Armenias best-selling daily liberal newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak, in 2000, while he was the head editor of Haykakan Zhamanak he was convicted on charges of defamation and libel against different people. Pashinyan supported Levon Ter-Petrosyan in the 2008 presidential elections, when he was described as Ter-Petrosyans customary crowd-warmer and he went into hiding shortly after the deadly unrest following the election, he was wanted by the Armenian police on allegations of murder and mass disorder. In June 2009, he out of hiding and turned himself to the police. He was released after an amnesty was granted to political prisoners in May 2011. On May 6,2012, he was elected to the National Assembly of Armenia, Pashinyan went into hiding after the events of March 1st,2008. Nikol Pashinyan considered this to be shameful for the National Security Service and he spoke at an Armenian National Congress rally, where he called for snap elections and said they were the only possible means of restoring Armenians confidence in their government. The fire completely destroyed the front section, including the drivers seat. After launching an inquiry, police concluded unusually quickly that the fire was caused by a breakdown of the car battery’s wires, Pashinyan has said that the explosion was as an assassination attempt engineered by a wealthy businessman, Gagik Tsarukian. He said that Tsarukian was infuriated by a recent Haykakan Zhamanak story that accused him of illegally cutting trees to build a villa in the town of Tsaghkadzor. On December 9,2013 Pashinyan with other six politicians and activists started a new group called Civil Contract. The members of the board of Civil Contract said they will seek the resignation of Serzh Sargsyan, Pashinyan stated that the organization will take part in the upcoming parliamentary elections. Official personal website Payqar official website and underground newspaper Haykakan Zhamanak website, armenaker Kamilion has a substantial number of English translations of Pashinyans articles in Payqar
14.
Cabinet (government)
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A cabinet is a body of high-ranking state officials, typically consisting of the top leaders of the executive branch. They are usually called ministers, but in some jurisdictions are sometimes called secretaries, in some countries, the cabinet is called Council of Ministers or Government Council or lesser known names such as Federal Council, Inner Council or High Council. These countries may differ in the way that the cabinet is used or established, in some countries, particularly those that use a parliamentary system, the Cabinet collectively decides the governments direction, especially in regard to legislation passed by the parliament. In this way, the President gets opinions and advice in upcoming decisions, instead, it is usually the Head of Government who holds all means of power in his hands and the Cabinet reports to him. In most governments, members of the Cabinet are given the title of minister, in a few governments, as in the case of Mexico, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, and United States, the title of secretary is also used for some Cabinet members. In many countries, a Secretary is a member with an inferior rank to a minister. In some countries attorneys general also sit in the cabinet, while in others this is strictly prohibited as the attorneys general are considered to be part of the judicial branch of government. The size of cabinets varies, although most contain around ten to twenty ministers, researchers have found an inverse correlation between a countrys level of development and cabinet size, on average, the more developed a country is, the smaller is its cabinet. In the United Kingdom and its colonies, cabinets began as smaller sub-groups of the English Privy Council, the term comes from the name for a relatively small and private room used as a study or retreat. The process has repeated itself in recent times, as leaders have felt the need to have a Kitchen Cabinet or sofa government, under the Westminster system, members of the cabinet are Ministers of the Crown who are collectively responsible for all government policy. All ministers, whether senior and in the cabinet or junior ministers, must publicly support the policy of the government, the cabinet may also provide ideas on/if new laws were established, and what they include. Cabinet deliberations are secret and documents dealt with in cabinet are confidential, in theory the prime minister or premier is first among equals. In some countries, the ministers are referred to as spokespersons. A prime ministerial government is a government where the minister is dominant in terms of the executive. As the prime minister is, by definition, a member of a cabinet – this form of government is often a development from cabinet government, in true cabinet government the prime minister is primus inter pares, where prime ministerial government necessitates the crossing of this boundary. An often cited example of ministerial government is the United Kingdom. Thatcher began using bilateral meetings with ministers to determine policy areas using cabinet to simply announce these decisions. Due to the extent of her success, and her control over cabinet positions, despite John Major moving back towards cabinet government, Tony Blair carried on Thatchers approach
15.
Government of Armenia
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Executive power is exercised by the government. Legislative power is vested in both the government and parliament, Armenia became independent from the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic on 28 May 1918 as the First Republic of Armenia. After the First Republic collapsed on 2 December 1920, it was absorbed into the Soviet Union, the TSFSR dissolved in 1936 and Armenia became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union known as the Armenian SSR. The population of Armenia voted overwhelmingly for independence in a September 1991 referendum, Ter-Petrosyan had been elected head of government in 1990, when the National Democratic Union party defeated the Armenian Communist Party. Kocharyan was successful in riding out the unrest, in May 2000, Andranik Margaryan replaced Aram Sargsyan as Prime Minister. Kocharyans re-election as president in 2003 was followed by allegations of ballot-rigging. He went on to propose controversial constitutional amendments on the role of parliament and these were rejected in a referendum the following May at the same time as parliamentary elections which left Kocharyans party in a very powerful position in parliament. There were mounting calls for the Presidents resignation in early 2004 with thousands of demonstrators taking to the streets in support of demands for a referendum of confidence in him. The unicameral parliament is dominated by a coalition, called Unity, dashnaksutyun, which was outlawed by Ter-Petrosyan in 1995–96 but legalized again after Ter-Petrosyan resigned, also usually supports the government. The Government of Armenias stated aim is to build a Western-style parliamentary democracy as the basis of its form of government, for the most part however, Armenia is considered one of the more pro-democratic nations in the Commonwealth of Independent States. Observers noted, though, that parties and candidates have been able to mount credible campaigns. Elections since 1998 have represented an improvement in terms of fairness and efficiency, although they are still considered to have fallen short of international standards. The new constitution of 1995 greatly expanded the powers of the branch and gives it much more influence over the judiciary. The observance of human rights in Armenia is uneven and is marked by shortcomings, police brutality allegedly still goes largely unreported, while observers note that defendants are often beaten to extract confessions and are denied visits from relatives and lawyers. Freedom of religion is not always protected under existing law, nontraditional churches, especially the Jehovahs Witnesses, have been subjected to harassment, sometimes violently. All churches apart from the Armenian Apostolic Church must register with the government, the governments policy toward conscientious objection is in transition, as part of Armenias accession to the Council of Europe. Most of Armenias ethnic Azeri population was deported in 1988–1989 and remain refugees, Armenias record on discrimination toward the few remaining national minorities is generally good. The government does not restrict internal or international travel, although freedom of the press and speech are guaranteed, the government maintains its monopoly over television and radio broadcasting
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Judiciary
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The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes, in some nations, under doctrines of separation of powers, the judiciary generally does not make law or enforce law, but rather interprets law and applies it to the facts of each case. In other nations, the judiciary can make law, known as Common Law, by setting precedent for other judges to follow, the Judiciary is often tasked with ensuring equal justice under law. In many jurisdictions the judicial branch has the power to change laws through the process of judicial review, Judges constitute a critical force for interpretation and implementation of a constitution, thus de facto in common law countries creating the body of constitutional law. Budget of the judiciary in many transitional and developing countries is almost completely controlled by the executive, the latter undermines the separation of powers, as it creates a critical financial dependence of the judiciary. The proper national wealth distribution including the government spending on the judiciary is subject of the constitutional economics and it is important to distinguish between the two methods of corruption of the judiciary, the state, and the private. For instance, in France, the jurisprudence constante of the Court of Cassation or the Council of State is equivalent in practice with case law, in common law jurisdictions, courts interpret law, this includes constitutions, statutes, and regulations. They also make law based upon prior case law in areas where the legislature has not made law, for instance, the tort of negligence is not derived from statute law in most common law jurisdictions. The term common law refers to this kind of law, in civil law jurisdictions, courts interpret the law, but are prohibited from creating law, and thus do not issue rulings more general than the actual case to be judged. Jurisprudence plays a role to case law. State courts, which try 98% of litigation, may have different names and organization, trial courts may be called courts of common plea, appellate courts superior courts or commonwealth courts. The judicial system, whether state or federal, begins with a court of first instance, is appealed to an appellate court, and then ends at the court of last resort. In France, the authority on the interpretation of the law is the Council of State for administrative cases. In the Peoples Republic of China, the authority on the interpretation of the law is the National Peoples Congress. Other countries such as Argentina have mixed systems that include lower courts, appeals courts, a cassation court, in this system the Supreme Court is always the final authority, but criminal cases have four stages, one more than civil law does. On the court sits a total of nine justices and this number has been changed several times. Japans process for selecting judges is longer and more stringent than the process in the United States, assistant judges are appointed from those who have completed their training at the Legal Training and Research Institute located in Wako. Once appointed, assistant judges still may not qualify to sit alone until they have served for five years, Judges require ten years of experience in practical affairs, as a public prosecutor or practicing attorney
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Armenia
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Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is a sovereign state in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia. The Republic of Armenia constitutes only one-tenth of historical Armenia, Armenia is a unitary, multi-party, democratic nation-state with an ancient cultural heritage. Urartu was established in 860 BC and by the 6th century BC it was replaced by the Satrapy of Armenia, in the 1st century BC the Kingdom of Armenia reached its height under Tigranes the Great. Armenia became the first state in the world to adopt Christianity as its official religion, in between the late 3rd century to early years of the 4th century, the state became the first Christian nation. The official date of adoption of Christianity is 301 AD. The ancient Armenian kingdom was split between the Byzantine and Sasanian Empires around the early 5th century, under the Bagratuni dynasty, the Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia was restored in the 9th century. Declining due to the wars against the Byzantines, the fell in 1045. An Armenian principality and later a kingdom Cilician Armenia was located on the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between the 11th and 14th centuries. By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia had been conquered by the Russian Empire, during World War I, Armenians living in their ancestral lands in the Ottoman Empire were systematically exterminated in the Armenian Genocide. By 1920, the state was incorporated into the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic, in 1936, the Transcaucasian state was dissolved, transforming its constituent states, including the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, into full Union republics. The modern Republic of Armenia became independent in 1991 during the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Republic of Armenia recognises the Armenian Apostolic Church, the worlds oldest national church, as the countrys primary religious establishment. The unique Armenian alphabet was invented by Mesrop Mashtots in 405 AD, Armenia is a member of the Eurasian Economic Union, the Council of Europe and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. Armenia supports the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, which was proclaimed in 1991, the native Armenian name for the country is Հայք. The name in the Middle Ages was extended to Հայաստան, by addition of the Persian suffix -stan, the further origin of the name is uncertain. It is also postulated that the name Hay comes from one of the two confederated, Hittite vassal states—the Ḫayaša-Azzi. The exonym Armenia is attested in the Old Persian Behistun Inscription as Armina, the ancient Greek terms Ἀρμενία and Ἀρμένιοι are first mentioned by Hecataeus of Miletus. Xenophon, a Greek general serving in some of the Persian expeditions, describes many aspects of Armenian village life and he relates that the people spoke a language that to his ear sounded like the language of the Persians. According to the histories of both Moses of Chorene and Michael Chamchian, Armenia derives from the name of Aram, a descendant of Hayk
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Culture of Armenia
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The culture of Armenia encompasses many elements that are based on the geography, literature, architecture, dance, and music of the people. Literature began in Armenia around 401 A. D, the majority of the literary arts were created by Moses of Khorene, in the 5th century. Through the years the elements of literature have changed as the stories, in the late 17th century, Alexander Tertzakian was a renowned Armenian writer who created several works considered to be among Armenias classics. During the 19th century, writer Mikael Nalbandian worked to create a new Armenian literary identity, nalbandians poem Song of the Italian Girl may have been the inspiration for the Armenian national anthem, Mer Hayrenik. Mesrop Mashtots is considered to be the creator of the Armenian alphabet, Khorenatsi is credited with the earliest known historiographical work on the history of Armenia written in Armenian, but was also a poet, or hymn writer, and a grammarian. The History of Armenia was written at the behest of Prince Sahak Bagratuni and has had an impact on Armenian historiography. It was used and quoted extensively by later medieval Armenian authors, the Armenian dance heritage has been one of the oldest, richest and most varied in the Near East. From the fifth to the third millennia B. C. in the regions of Armenia there are rock paintings of scenes of country dancing. These dances were accompanied by certain kinds of songs or musical instruments. In the 5th century Moses of Khorene himself had heard of how the old descendants of Aram make mention of these things in the ballads for the lyre and their songs, one of the most energetic Armenian dances is the martial dance Yarkhushta. Yarkhushta is believed to have its origins in the early Middle Ages as it is mentioned in the works of Movses Khorenatsi, Faustus of Byzantium, and Grigor Magistros. Yarkhushta has traditionally been danced by Armenian soldiers before combat engagements, partly for ritualistic purposes, the dance is performed by men, who face each other in pairs. The key element of the dance is a forward movement when participants rapidly approach one another, Classical Armenian architecture is divided into four separate periods. The first Armenian churches were built between the 4th and 7th Century, beginning when Armenia converted to Christianity, and ending with the Arab invasion of Armenia, the early churches were mostly simple basilicas, but some with side apses. By the 5th century the typical cupola cone in the center had become widely used, by the 7th century, centrally-planned churches had been built and a more complicated niched buttress and radiating Hripsimé style had formed. By the time of the Arab invasion, most of what we now know as classical Armenian architecture had formed. Though women historically dominated carpet-weaving in Armenian communities, several prominent carpet-weavers in Karabakh are known to have been men, and in some cases whole families took up the art. The oldest extant Armenian carpet from the region, referred to as Artsakh during the era, is from the village of Banants
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Armenian art
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Armenian art is the unique form of art developed over the last five millennia in which the Armenian people lived on the Armenian Highland. Armenian architecture and miniature painting have dominated Armenian art and have shown consistent development over the centuries, other forms of Armenian art include sculpture, fresco, mosaic, ceramic, metalwork, engraving, and textiles, especially Armenian carpets. Prehistoric Armenia was home to the Urartu culture in the Iron Age, notable for its early metal sculptures, often of animals. The region was, as later, often contested by the large empires holding the nearby regions of Persia, Mesopotamia and Anatolia, and these all had considerable influence of Armenian art. A distinctive Armenian feature, which may have influenced the Medieval art of Europe, was the popularity from early on of figurative relief carvings on the outside of churches, armenians specialized in arts and crafts such as carpet-weaving. The study of Armenian art began in the early 20th century, notable scholars of Armenian art were Catholicos Garegin Hovsepian and professor Sirarpie Der Nerséssian. More recently, Jean-Michel Thierry and Professor Dickran Kouymjian are prominent scholars of Armenian art, classical and Medieval Armenian architecture is divided into four separate periods. The first period, from the 4th to the 7th centuries, began with Armenias conversion to Christianity, the early churches were mostly simple basilicas, some with side apses. By the 5th century the typical cupola cone in the center had become widely used, by the 7th century, centrally-planned churches had been built and the more complicated niched buttress and radiating Hripsimé style had formed. By the time of the Arab invasions, most of what we now know as classical Armenian architecture had formed, the second period lasted from the 9th to the 11th centuries. Ornately carved Armenian khachkars were developed during this time, many new cities and churches were built during this time, including a new capital at Lake Van and a Cathedral on Akdamar Island to match. The Cathedral of Ani was also completed during this dynasty and it was during this time that the first major monasteries, such as Haghpat and Haritchavank were founded. This period was ended by the Seljuk invasion, illuminated manuscripts were produced in Armenia mainly between the 5th and the 17th centuries. The highest point of art is associated with the 13th century. The majority of the manuscripts were lost, and scolarly approach to studies of Armenian illuminated manuscripts was only developed in the half of the 20th century. Each culture possesses an original element which becomes a symbol of the entire national culture. In Armenia such symbol is “khachkar, the so-called cross-stones, the monuments of Armenia which are not found anywhere in the world, the word “khachkar” is formed by two Armenian roots, “khach” and kar. In 2015, Armenia won the Leone dOro for Best Pavilion at the Venice Biennale Culture of Armenia List of Armenian artists Cafesjian Museum of Art National Gallery of Armenia Thierry, THE ARTS OF ARMENIA an online Armenian art history book by Dickran Kouymjian, California State University, Fresno
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Cinema of Armenia
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The cinema of Armenia was born on April 16,1923, when the Armenian State Committee on Cinema was established by government decree. The first Armenian film with Armenian subject called Haykakan Sinema was produced in 1912 in Cairo by Armenian-Egyptian publisher Vahan Zartarian, the film was premiered in Cairo on March 13,1913. In March 1924, the first Armenian film studio, Armenfilm was established in Yerevan, starting with Soviet Armenia, the first sound film, Pepo was shot in 1935, director Hamo Beknazarian. More recent directors include, Sergei Parajanov Henrik Malyan Artavazd Peleshian Hamo Beknazarian Edmond Keosayan Frunze Dovlatyan Mikhail Vartanov Levon Mkrtchyan Atom Egoyan Ararat J
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Music of Armenia
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The music of Armenia has its origins in the Armenian Highlands, where people traditionally sang popular folk songs. Armenia has a musical tradition that was primarily collected and developed by Komitas. Traditional Armenian folk music as well as Armenian church music is not based on the European tonal system but on a system of Tetrachords. The last note of one tetrachord also serves as the first note of the next tetrachord – which makes a lot of Armenian folk music more or less based on a theoretically endless scale, Armenians have had a long tradition of folk music from the antiquity. Under Soviet domination, Armenian folk music was taught in state-sponsored conservatoires, instruments played include qamancha, kanun, dhol, oud, duduk, zurna, blul, shvi and to a lesser degree saz. Other instruments are used such as violin and clarinet. Earlier in Armenian history, instruments like the kamancha were played by popular, sayat Nova, an 18th-century Ashough, is revered in Armenia. Another oud player, John Berberian, is noted in particular for his fusions of music with jazz. From Lebanon and Syria, George Tutunjian, Karnig Sarkissian and others performed Armenian Revolutionary Songs which quickly became popular among the Armenian Diaspora, in Tehran Iran the folk music of the Armenian community is characterized by the work of Nikol Galanderian and the Goghtan choir. There are several folk ensembles from Armenia, the Shoghaken Folk Ensemble, founded in 1995 in Yerevan, has worldwide popularity, and others such as the Arev Armenian Folk Ensemble. Arto Tunçboyacıyan is a well known Turkish musician of Armenian descent, who is famous in Turkey and worldwide and he was the founder of the Armenian Navy Band. Ruben Hakobyan is a well recognized Armenian ethnographic and patriotic folk singer who has achieved national recognition due to his devotion to Armenian folk music. Armenian classical composers include Kemani Tatyos Ekserciyan, one of the composers of Ottoman classical music. Alexander Spendiarov, Armen Tigranian, and Haro Stepanian are best known for their Armenian operas, sargis Barkhudaryan and Caro Zakarian are representative composers of the pre- and early Soviet Armenian era. The most famous, however, was Aram Khatchaturian, internationally well known especially for his music for various ballets, gevorg Armenian, Anahit Tsitsikian, Arno Babadjanyan, Barseg Kanatchian, Edward Mirzoyan, Boris Parsadanian, Ashot Zohrabyan, and Aram Satian represent other Soviet era Armenian composers. Iosif Andriasovs music and ethics made him recognized as one of the most important figures in contemporary culture. Alexander Arutiunian is best known for his Trumpet Concerto in A-flat major, alexander Dolukhanian composed/arranged numerous Armenian songs including the well-known Swallow. Alexander Adgemian, Ashot Satian and Vagarshak Kotoyan are known for their contributions to Armenian choral and vocal music, eduard Abramian wrote songs on the poetry of Armenian poets Hovhannes Tumanyan and Avetik Isahakian which are now part of the standard repertoire
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Media of Armenia
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The media of Armenia refers to mass media outlets based in the Republic of Armenia. Television, magazines, and newspapers are all operated by both state-owned and for-profit corporations which depend on advertising, subscription, and other sales-related revenues, as a country in transition, Armenias media system is under transformation. The Constitution of Armenia guarantees freedom of speech, yet media freedom remains restricted, among threats of violence, strong political inferences, Armenia ranks 78th in the 2015 Press Freedom Index report compiled by Reporters Without Borders, between Lesotho and Sierra Leone. Article 27 of the Constitution of Armenia guarantees freedom of speech, Article 47 of the Constitution of Armenia prohibits incitement to national, racial and religious hatred, propaganda of violence. The Constitution also establishes the right to seek, receive, convey and disseminate information, yet, law is most often unevenly applied or completely disapplicated. Criminal liability for defamation was eliminated in 2010, but the civil code established high monetary penalties, a draft amendment that would make online media liable for defamatory comments was put forward in 2014, it was postponed sine die after domestic and international criticisms. Specialised media laws include the Telecommunication Law and the Law on Television, the latter guarantees right to freedom of selection, production and broadcast of TV and radio programme and forbids censorship. It also establishes the Public TV and Radio Company as an enterprise with special status, its management body is the Public TV Council. The same law establishes the National Commission of Television and Radio as an independent agency for the regulation of licensing and monitoring of private TV and radio companies. The 2010 new Law on Television and Radio was negatively assessed by the OSCE RFoM, as failing to promote media pluralism in the digital age, a Freedom of information Law was passed in 2003. 2014 amendments aimed at operationalise it, but to no avail yet, while courts have been responsive, government departments have declined access requests, and many Soviet-era files remain classified. Other relevant laws for the sector include the Law on Advertising. The latter established the right to public information and detailed the lawful limitations to such right. Broadcast media require licenses from the National Commission on Television and Radio, the licensing systems hinders media freedom and diversity. Print and online media are exempt from licenses, there is no law exempting journalists from testimony or protecting their sources in Armenia. There is no specific Press Council in Armenia, Journalists and media outlets can be prosecuted in court, and have one month to explain errors and convince the court of its innocence. TV is the medium in Armenia, and most of its channels are controlled or friendly with the government. The print sector is small and in decline, while online media are rising, ownership of the media is often opaque
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Sport in Armenia
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A wide array of sports are played in Armenia. Popular Sports in Armenia include football, basketball, volleyball and hockey, further, the country sends athletes to the Olympics in boxing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, gymnastics, track and field, diving, swimming and sharp shooting. Armenias mountainous terrain provides great opportunities for the practice of sports like skiing, being a landlocked country, water sports can only be practiced on lakes, notably Lake Sevan. Competitively, Armenia has been successful at chess, weightlifting. It also hosts the Pan-Armenian Games, prior to 1992, Armenians would participate in the Olympics representing the USSR. As part of the Soviet Union, Armenia was very successful, winning plenty of medals, the first medal won by an Armenian in modern Olympic history was by Hrant Shahinyan, who won two golds and two silvers in gymnastics at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. Armenia first participated at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, under a unified CIS team, despite only having five athletes Armenians won 4 medals. Hrachya Petikyan won gold in shooting, Israel Militosyan won gold in weightlifting. Since the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Armenia has participated as an independent nation, Armenia participates in the Summer Olympic Games in boxing, fencing, wrestling, weightlifting, judo, gymnastics, track and field, diving, swimming, and sharp shooting. It also participates in the Winter Olympic Games in alpine skiing, cross-country skiing, Armenia used to play as part of the USSR national football team at the international level. Armenia played as part of the USSR until 1992, when the Armenian national football team played their first official match, representing solely Armenia, the national team is controlled by the Football Federation of Armenia. The Armenian Premier League is the top competition in Armenia. The league currently consists of eight teams, and relegates to the Armenian First League, over the years, the league has evolved from a small competition, consisting of only eight teams to two separate divisions. Armenia also has many venues, such as the Hrazdan Stadium. Simonyan also became the Soviet Top League top goalscorer three times and he also holds the record for most league goals scored for Spartak Moscow at 133. After retiring from football, he became the coach of Spartak. Both teams won the Soviet Top League under Simonyans management, henrikh Mkhitaryan is the current Captain of the Armenian national football team and the teams star player. Mkhitaryan has won the Armenian Premier League four times and the Armenian Supercup twice as a player for FC Pyunik and he has also been given the Armenian Footballer of the Year award twice
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Vardavar
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Vardavar or Vartavar is an Armenian festival in Armenia where people of social groups drench each other with water. Although now a Christian tradition, Vardavars history dates back to pagan times, the ancient festival is traditionally associated with the goddess Astghik, who was the goddess of water, beauty, love and fertility. The festivities associated with this religious observance of Astghik were named “Vartavar” because Armenians offered her roses as a celebration, Vardavar is celebrated 98 days after Easter. During the day of Vardavar, people from an array of ages are allowed to douse strangers with water. It is common to see people pouring buckets of water from balconies on unsuspecting people walking below them, the festival is very popular among children as it is one day where they can get away with pulling pranks. It is also a means of refreshment on the usually hot, no comment Voice of America Armenians pour water on each other to bridge pagan and Christian traditions Vardevar Vardavar 2005
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History of Armenia
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Armenia lies in the highlands surrounding the Biblical mountains of Ararat. The original Armenian name for the country was Hayk, later Hayastan, translated as the land of Haik, and consisting of the name of the ancient Mesopotamian god Haya, the historical enemy of Hayk, Hayastan, was Bel, or in other words Baal. The word Bel is named in the Bible at Isaiah 46,1, the name Armenia was given to the country by the surrounding states, and it is traditionally derived from Armenak or Aram. In the Bronze Age, several states flourished in the area of Greater Armenia, including the Hittite Empire, Mitanni, soon after the Hayasa-Azzi were the Nairi and the Kingdom of Urartu, who successively established their sovereignty over the Armenian Highland. Each of the nations and tribes participated in the ethnogenesis of the Armenian people. Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, dates back to the 8th century BC. Erebuni has been described as designed as an administrative and religious centre. The Iron Age kingdom of Urartu was replaced by the Orontid dynasty, in 301, Arsacid Armenia was the first sovereign nation to accept Christianity as a state religion. The Armenians later fell under Byzantine, Sassanid Persian, and Islamic hegemony, after the fall of the kingdom in 1045, and the subsequent Seljuk conquest of Armenia in 1064, the Armenians established a kingdom in Cilicia, where they prolonged their sovereignty to 1375. By the 19th century, Eastern Armenia was conquered by Russia, Armenia, from then on corresponding to much of Eastern Armenia, regained independence in 1918, with the establishment of the First Republic of Armenia, and in 1991, the Republic of Armenia. Stone tools from 325,000 years ago have been found in Armenia which indicate the presence of humans at this time. The Armenian Highland shows traces of settlement from the Neolithic era, archaeological surveys in 2010 and 2011 have resulted in the discovery of the worlds earliest known leather shoe, straw skirt, and wine-making facility at the Areni-1 cave complex. The Shulaveri-Shomu culture of the central Transcaucasus region is one of the earliest known cultures in the area. An early Bronze-Age culture in the area is the Kura-Araxes culture, the earliest evidence for this culture is found on the Ararat plain, thence it spread to Georgia by 3000 BC, proceeding westward and to the south-east into an area below the Urmia basin and Lake Van. Today, the Modern Assyrians refer to the Armenians by the name Armani, the word is also speculated to be related to the Mannaeans, which may be identical to the biblical Minni. The earliest forms of the word Hayastan, an ethonym the Armenians use to designate their country, might come from Hittite sources of the Late Bronze Age. Another record mentioned by pharaoh Thutmose III of Egypt in the 33rd year of his reign as the people of Ermenen, however, what all these attestations refer to cannot be determined with certainty, and the earliest certain attestation of the name Armenia comes from the Behistun Inscription. Between 1500 and 1200 BC, the Hayasa-Azzi existed in the half of the Armenian Highland
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Demographics of Armenia
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After registering a steady increase all through the Soviet period, the population of Armenia declined from 3.604 million in 1991 to 3.211 million in 2003. The latest estimate is 2.872 million on October 12,2011, Armenia is the only republic of the former Soviet Union that has a nearly homogeneous population. It is also the second-most densely populated post-Soviet state after Moldova, ethnic minorities include Russians, Assyrians, Ukrainians, Yazidi Kurds, Iranians, Greeks, Georgians, and Belarusians. There are also communities of Vlachs, Mordvins, Ossetians, Udis. Minorities of Poles and Caucasus Germans also exist though they are heavily Russified, most Armenians are Christian, primarily of Apostolic Church rite. Armenia is considered the first nation to adopt Christianity, which was first preached in Armenia by two Apostles of Jesus, St. Bartholomew and St. Thaddeus in the 1st century, the Armenian Apostolic Church can trace its roots back to the 3rd and 4th centuries. The country formally adopted the Christian faith in 301 A. D, over 90% of Armenians belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. It is a ritualistic, conservative church, roughly comparable to the Coptic. Armenia also has a population of Catholics and evangelical Protestants, the countrys population has declined due to increased emigration since the break-up of the Soviet Union. The rates of emigration and population decline, however, have decreased in recent years,3 The population estimate for 2012 has been recalculated on the basis of the 2011 Census. Fertility Rate and CBR, Structure of the population, Armenian 97. 7%, Kurdish 1%, Russian 0. 9%, Armenian is the only official language. Armenia is a member of the La Francophonie due to a percentage of people studying enough French. The largest communities of the ethnic Armenian diaspora are fluent in Russian, the following demographic statistics are from the CIA World Factbook, unless otherwise indicated
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Administrative divisions of Armenia
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Armenia is subdivided into eleven administrative divisions. Of these, ten are provinces, known as marzer or in the singular form marz in Armenian, Yerevan is treated separately and granted special administrative status as the countrys capital. The chief executive in each of 10 marzer is the marzpet, in Yerevan, the chief executive is the mayor, appointed by the president. The following is a list of the regions population, area. Figures are from the National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia, note that the area of the Gegharkunik Province includes Lake Sevan which covers 1,278 square kilometres of its territory. To sort the information, use the devices in the table headings. Each community is self-governing and consists of one or more settlements, settlements are classified as either towns or villages. As of 2007, Armenia includes 915 communities, of which 49 are considered urban and 866 are considered rural, the capital, Yerevan, also has the status of a community. Additionally, Yerevan is divided into twelve semi-autonomous districts, ISO 3166-2, AM National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia Armenia Provinces on Statoids. com
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Aragatsotn Province
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Aragatsotn is a province of Armenia. It is located at the part of the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ashtarak, the National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia reported its population was 132,925 in the 2011 census. Aragatsotn Province occupies the part of Armenia and covers an area of 2,756 km². The Akhurian River at the west separates Aragatsotn from the Kars Province of Turkey, historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies parts the Aragatsotn, Nig and Shirak cantons of Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia. The northern part of the province are dominated by the Aragats mountain range, at the northeast and the east, it approximates the mountains of Pambak and Tsaghkunyats respectively. The mountains of Arteni dominate over the northeastern and the eastern parts of the province. The tiny Akhurian valley occupies the edge of Aragatsotn. At the south and the southeast, Aragatsotn occupies the northwestern parts of the Ararat plain, the altitude of the province ranges between 950 and 4090 meters above sea level. Mount Aragats is the highest peak of Aragatsotn and the Republic of Armenia, besides the Akhurian river, the rivers of Kasagh, Gegharot and Amberd, are the main water resources in the province. Mountain lakes including Lake Kari, Lessing, Amberd, Tagavor, between 1962 and 1967, the Aparan reservoir was built on the Kasagh river. The climate of Aragatsotn is deeply diversified due to the range of diffidence in the altitude of the region. The annual precipitation ranges between 400 mm at the lower areas and 1,000 mm at the mountainous territories. According to Movses Khorenatsi, Aramaniak -the son of the patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation Hayk- along with his clan, the cemeteries of Verin Naver archaeological site -located 3 km west of Ashtarak- are dating back to the period between the 24th and 14th centuries BC. Later in 190 BC, the Artaxiad dynasty took over the reign of the Armenian Kingdom, during the 2nd century AD, the towns of Casala, and Talina were mentioned by Ptolemy during the reign of the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia. Following the partition of Armenia by the Byzantine Empire and Sassanid Persia in 387 and in 428, the 4th-century Holly Cross Basilica of Kasagh located at the outskirts of modern-day Aparan, is among the earliest surviving samples of the Armenian church architecture. In 658, Armenia was conquered by the Arab invaders, at the end of the 9th century, Aragatsotn became part of the newly established Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. The Armenian noble families of Kamsarakan and Pahlavuni ruled over Aragatsotn under the Bagratid kings, at the beginning of the 16th century, Aragatsotn became part of the Erivan Beglarbegi within the Safavid Persia
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Ararat Province
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Ararat, is a province of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is the town of Artashat, the province is named after the biblical Mount Ararat. It is bordered by Turkey from the west and Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic from the south and it surrounds the Karki exclave of Nakhichevan which has been controlled by Armenia since its capture in May 1992 during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. Two former capitals of Armenia are located in the modern-day Ararat Province, Artaxata and it is also home to the Khor Virap monastery, significant as the place of Gregory the Illuminators 13-year imprisonment and the closest point to Mount Ararat within Armenian borders. Ararat Province is named after the historic Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia, according to Movses Khorenatsi and the Ashkharatsuyts medieval Armenian geographical book of Anania Shirakatsi, Ayrarat was one of the 15 provinces of Armenia Major. It was considered the province of the Armenian Highland. Most probably, the term Ararat derives from the Hebrew name of the ancient kingdom of Urartu, Ararat has an area of 2,090 km². It occupies the east of the part of modern-day Armenia. From the north, it has borders with Armavir Province, Yerevan, from the east, its bordered by Gegharkunik and Vayots Dzor. Iğdır Province of Turkey and Azerbaijans Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic respectively form the western and southern borders of the province, historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies the Vostan Hayots canton of Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia. The mountains of Yerakh are located at the centre of the province, approximately, 30% of the territory is plain, while the rest is dominated by mountains. The highest point of Ararat province is the Spitakasar peak of Gegham mountains with a height of 3560 meters, the lowest point is 801 meters at the Araks valley. Araks, Hrazdan, Azat and Vedi, are the 4 major rivers the flow through the province, the climate is highly diversified in the province. It ranges between extremely arid climate at the plains and cold snowy climate at the heights. The region of modern-day Ararat Province is among the earliest locations that was settled by the people of the Armenian Highland and it mainly includes the 3 cantons of Vostan Hayots, Urstadzor and Arats of the historic Ayrarat province. Vostan Hayots was known since the establishment of the Artaxiad Kingdom of Armenia at the beginning of the 2nd century BC, the ancient Armenian capitals of Artaxata founded in 176 BC, and Dvin founded during the 4th century AD, were both located within the Vostan Hayots canton. The other cantons of Urtsadzor and Arats were first mentioned in the 5th century AD by Yeghishe the historian in his History of Vardan and the Armenian War historical work. After the fall of the Armenian Kingdom in 428, the became part of the Sasanian Empire of Persia until the Arab conquest of Armenia in the mid-7th century
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Armavir Province
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Armavir, is a province in the western part of Armenia. Its capital is Armavir, and the largest city is Vagharshapat and it is located in the Ararat valley, between Mount Ararat and Mount Aragats, and shares a 45-mile border with Turkey to the south and west. The province is home to the centre of the Armenian nation. It is the seat of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the province is named after the ancient city of Armavir founded in 331 BC. The province is also the site of the decisive Battle of Sardarabad in 1918 that resulted in the foundation of the Republic of Armenia. The battle is seen as a historical event not only by stopping the Turkish advance into the rest of Armenia. The Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant is also located in Amravir Province near the town of Metsamor, the Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport is located near the village of Parakar in Armavir Province. The province is named after the ancient city of Armavir, one of the 13 historic capitals of Armenia, according to Movses Khorenatsi, ancient Armavir was built by Aramayis, the grandson of Hayk, who moved from Taron to the Ararat plain. Armavir has an area of 1,242 km2 making it the smallest province of the country in terms of the total area. It is bordered by the Turkish provinces of Kars from the wst and Iğdır from the south, with a length of 130.5 km bordrerline, where Aras River separates Armenia from Turkey. Domestically, it is bordered by Aragatsotn Province from the north, Ararat Province from the east, historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies the canton of Aragatsotn, along with small parts of Arsharunik and Masyatsotn cantons of the Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia. The province is located at the heart of the Ararat plain. Metsamor river is the river that originates from the province. The small lake of Ayger located near the Aknalich village, is among the few water surfaces of the province, the territory of ancient Armavir was inhabited since the 5th millennium BC. Many sites including the Metsamor Castle, Shresh hill and Mokhrablur hill date back to the neolithic period, the ancient Urartian settlement of Argishtikhinili was founded in 776 BC by king Argishti I. One of the oldest written records about the region was found in the left by the Urartian king Rusa II. It is believed that the town of Vagharshapat was founded by king Rusa II in 685 BC as Kuarlini, according to Movses Khorenatsi, the territories of modern-day Armavir Province mainly occupy the central part of the historic Ayrarat province at the centre of the Armenian Highland. It contains parts of the Aragatsotn canton along with parts of the Arsharunik
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Gegharkunik Province
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Gegharkunik, is a province of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is the town of Gavar, Gegharkunik Province is located at the eastern part of Armenia, bordering Azerbaijan and the Shahumyan Region of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. With an area of 5,348 km², Gegharkunik is the largest province in Armenia, however, approximately 1,278 km² of its territory is covered by Lake Sevan, the largest lake in the Caucasus and a major tourist attraction of the region. The village of Artsvashen province has an exclave inside Azerbaijan is also a part of the province, however, it was attacked and forcefully occupied by Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh War. The Yerevan-Sevan-Dilijan republican highway runs through the province, the name of Gegharkunik is derived from Gegham, a 5th-generation Haykazuni King and one of the descendants of the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation Hayk. Gegham was the father of Sisak, and Harma, Gegham mountains and the Lake of Gegham were also named after Gegham. Armenian gull is the symbol of the province and it is depicted on the Gegharkunik coat of arms adopted on May 4,2011, flying over the Lake Sevan and its peninsula, surrounded by the mountains of Sevan. Gegharkunik Province occupies the east of the part of modern-day Armenia. With an area of 5,349 km², it is ranked first among the provinces of Armenia in terms of the total area, Gegharkunik Province is situated at the east of modern-day Armenia, surrounding the Lake Sevan. Within the Republic of Armenia, it has borders with Tavush Province, Kotayk and Ararat provinces from the west, the Dashkasan and Gadabay districts of Azerbaijan, and the Shahumyan Region of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic form the eastern border of the province. The Artsvashen Armenian exclave of Gegharkunik Province is currently occupied and controlled by Azerbaijan, the height of the mountains ranges between 2500 and 3500 meters. The highest point of the province is mount Azhdahak of the Gegham mountains with a height of 3597 meters at the part of the range. Lake Sevan occupies the part of the province, lying at a height of 1900 meters above sea level. Gegharkunik is separated from Vayots Dzor by the 82 kilometers-long Vardenis Mountains, the climate of Gegharkunik is cold and snowy in winter, while the summer is characterized with warm and humid climate. The annual precipitation ranges between 500 and 600 mm at below 2000 meters, while it may reach up to 1000 mm in the mountainous areas. Lake Sevan is the largest body of water in Armenia. With a volume of around 32.92 billion m³ of water, Getik, Gavaraget and Masrik are the main rivers of the province. From 1930 until 1995, modern-day Aragatsotn was divided into 5 raions within the Armenian SSR, Sevan raion, Kamo raion, Krasnoselsk raion, Kamo raion, with the territorial administration reform of 1995, the 5 raions were merged to form the Gegharkunik Province
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Kotayk Province
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Kotayk, is a province of Armenia. It is located at the part of the country. Its capital is Hrazdan and the largest city is Abovyan and it is named after the Kotayk canton of the historic Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia. Kotayk is the province in Armenia that has no borders with foreign countries. Kotayk is also home to the winter sports resort and the spa-town of Tsaghkadzor. Kotayk Province is named after the historic Kotayk canton of the historic Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia, Kotayk was first mentioned as an Armenian region by Ptolemy as Kotakene. According to Movses Khorenatsi, the name Kotayk is derived from an ancient nearby settlement called Kutis, the decorative statue of the lion of Geghard was erected in 1958 among the mountains of Kotayk, on the way to the 4th-century Geghard monastery. It is derived from the lions carved on the walls of the monastery. The 1st-century pagan Temple of Garni is also depicted on the coat of arms of Kotayk, situated at the central part of modern-day Armenia, Kotayk covers an area of 2,089 km2. Historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies parts of the Aragatsotn, Kotayk, Varazhnunik, Kotayk occupies the northeastern part of the Ararat plain. The Kotayk plain located between Hrazdan and Azat rivers has a height of 1, 200–1,500 m above sea level and it is dominated by the Gegham mountains from the northeast including the mountains of Azhdahak, Hatis and Gutanasar. The province approximates the Pambak mountains at the north, while the Tsaghkunyats mountains lie at the west, affected by the Gegham volcanoes, the land relief of Kotayk is covered with lava and tufa. Hrazdan, Getar and Azat are the 3 major rivers of the province, lake Akna located at a height of 3,032 m, is the only lake in the province. The climate of the province is quite diversified and it ranges between arid and semi-arid climate at the south, and snowy climate at the centre and the north. Annual precipitation levels are less than 200 mm at the dry areas, the earliest records about the region date back to the 1st and 2nd centuries AD. According to Ptolemy, Kotayk was directly ruled by the Arsacid kings of Armenia, later between the 5th and 7th centuries, the region was granted to the Kamsarakan and Amatuni families, under the Persian rule. Between the 7th and 9th centuries, Armenia suffered from the Arab Islamic occupation, by the end of the 9th century, the region became part of the newly established Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. Between the 11th and 15th centuries, the region suffered from the Seljuk, Mongol, Ag Qoyunlu and Kara Koyunlu invasions, at the beginning of the 16th century, the territory of modern-day Kotayk became part of the Erivan Beglarbegi within the Safavid Persia
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Lori Province
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Lori, is a province of Armenia. It is located in the north of the country, bordering Georgia, Vanadzor is the capital and largest city of the province. Other important towns include Stepanavan, Alaverdi, and Spitak, the province was heavily damaged during the 1988 Armenian earthquake. The province is served by the Stepanavan Airport, the name Lori first appeared in the 11th century when King David I Anhoghin founded the fortified city of Lori. The fortress-city became the capital of the Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget in 1065, the name Lori later spread through the region and replaced the original name of Tashir. Situated at the north of modern-day Armenia, Lori covers an area of 3,789 square kilometres and it is bordered by Tavush Province from the east, Kotayk Province from the southeast, Aragatsotn Province from the southwest and Shirak Province from the west. The province is bordered by the Kvemo Kartli region of Georgia, historically, the territories of modern-day Lori are associated with tha cantons of Tashir, Boghnopor and Dzorapor of Gugark province of Ancient Armenia. Lori is a region, dominated by the ranges of Javakheti, Bazum, Pambak, Gugark, Halab. The highets point of the province is Mount Achkasar of the Javakheti range with a height of 3196 meters, the lowest point is 380 meters in the valley of Debed at the northeast of the province. The main water resource of the province is the Debed river with its tributaries Dzoraget, Pambak, the climate is characterized with extremely cold snowy winters and mild summers. The annual precipitation level is between 600 and 700 mm, excavations conducted in 1931 testify that the region of modern-day Lori was most probably settled during the 1st half of the 2nd millennium BC. Later, the became part of the Urartu Kingdom between the 8th and 6th centuries BC. After the Achaemenid invasion, the became part of the Satrapy of Armenia. With the establishment of the Kingdom of Armenia in 331 BC, the became part of the kingdom within the historic Gugark province. In 658, Armenia was conquered by the Arab invaders, at the end of the 9th century, most of the Gugark province became part of the newly established Bagratid Kingdom of Armenia. In 979, King Kiurike I founded the Kingdom of Tashir-Dzoraget under the rule of the Kiurikian dynasty, the capital of the kingdom was Matsnaberd and the Lori fortress. The Kiurikians ruled the kingdom until 1118 when Tashir-Dzoraget became part of the Kingdom of Georgia, the Orbelians revolted unsuccessfully in 1177, after which a Kipchak named Khubasari was appointed spasalari of Lori. Later in 1185, the province became ruled by the Zakarian dynasty after Queen Tamar of Georgia appointed the Zakarid prince Sarkis as its governor
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Shirak Province
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Shirak, is a province of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering Turkey in the west and its capital and largest city is Gyumri. It is as much semi-desert as it is mountain meadow or high alpine, in the south, the high steppes crash into mountain terrain, verdant green in the spring, hues of reddish brown in the summer. The province is served by the Shirak International Airport of Gyumri, Shirak Province is named after the Shirak canton of the historic Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia, ruled by the Kamsarakan noble family between the 3rd and 8th centuries. According to Movses Khorenatsi, the name Shirak is derived from Shara, Shirak Province occupies the northwestern part of Armenia and covers an area of 2,680 km2. It has borders with Lori Province from the east, Aragatsotn Province from the south, Kars Province of Turkey from the west, historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies the Shirak canton of Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia. Shirak is mainly dominated by the Ashotsk Plateue at the north, the vast plains of the province are surrounded with the Bazum and Pambak mountains from the east, Javakheti Range and Yeghnakhagh mountains from the north and the Aragats mass from the south. Akhurian River at the east, separates Shirak from the Kars Province of Turkey, Akhurian River with its reservoir is the main water resource in the province. Lake Arpi at the northwest of Shirak is the lake of the province. The area is protected by the government as the Lake Arpi National Park, Shirak is rich with tufa, pumice and limestone. The climate is characterized with cold snowy winters and mild summers. The annual precipitation level can reach up to 700 mm, many ancient human settlements were found at the Akhurian valley dating back to around 9000 BC. The territory of Shirak has been settled since the early Stone Age, at the higher areas that are above 2000 meters, many remains were found from the early Bronze Age. Other remains from the 2nd millennium BC, revealed that a civilization was founded between the 20th and 12th centuries BC, wuth the start of the Iron Age during the 12th century BC, the relations among the ethnic groups of Armenian Highland has been developed. Soon after the establishment of the Urartu Kingdom of Van at the end of the 9th century BC,2 cuneiform scripts have been found in Shirak left by King Argishti I, where he narrates about the invasion of the land of Eriakhi. According to the scripts, the region was home to a developed civilization based on agriculture. In 720 BC, the Cimmerians conquered the region and probably founded the Kumayri settlement, historians believe that Xenophon passed through the territories of Shirak during his return to the Black Sea, a journey immortalized in his Anabasis. By the second half of the 6th century BC, Shirak became part of the Achaemenid Empire, the remains of a royal settlement found near the village of Beniamin dating back to the 5th to 2nd centuries BC, are a great example of the Achemenid influence in the region
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Syunik Province
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Syunik, is the southernmost province of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is the town of Kapan, the National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia reported its population was 141,771 in the 2011 census, down from 152,684 at the 2001 census. Historically, Syunik was one of the 15 provinces of the ancient Kingdom of Armenia, at various times, the region of present-day Syunik was also known by other names such as Syunia, Sisakan and Zangezur. However, the present-name of the province is derived from the ancient Armenian Siunia dynasty, Syunik is located between the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic of Azerbaijan from the west, and the de facto independent Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from the east. The Vayots Dzor Province of Armenia forms its northern borders, while Aras River at the south separates Syunik from Iran, Syunik covers an area of 4,506 km², making it the second-largest province in Armenia after Gegharkunik in terms of the total area. Historically, the current territory of the province occupies most of the historic Syunik province of Ancient Armenia, Syunik is a mountainous region, mainly covered with thick green forests. The Zangezur Mountains occupy most of the territories of Syunik, Mount Kaputjugh with a height of 3905 meters and Mount Gazanasar with a height of 3829 meters are the highest peaks of the province. Summer temperature can reach up to 40 °C, although the temperature is around 22 °C. Its border with Nakhchivan to the west is defined by the Zangezur Mountains, inscriptions found in the region around Lake Sevan attributed to King Artaxias I confirm that the historic province of Syunik was part of the Artaxiad Kingdom of Armenia during the 2nd century BC. The first dynasty to rule Syunik was the Siunia dynasty, beginning in the 1st century, the first known Naχaarar ruler was Valinak Siak and his successor was his brother Andok or Andovk. In 379 Babik the son of Andok, was re-established as a Naxarar by the Mamikonian family, Babik had a sister called Pharantzem who had married the Arsacid Prince Gnel, nephew of the Armenian King Arsaces II and later married Arsaces II as her second husband. Babik’s rule lasted for less than ten years and by about 386 or 387, Vasak had two sons, Babik, Bakur and a daughter who married Vasak’s successor, Varazvahan. Varazvahan’s son Gelehon ruled from 470–477, who died in 483, Babik the brother of Varazvahan became the new Naxarar in 477. Hadz the brother of Gelehon died on September 25482, the Syunik Province was later governed by Vahan, Philip, Stephen, Sahak and Grigor. A dynasty was formed, governed by a branch of the Bagratuni, Vasak III suffered an assault from the emir of Manazkert, Sevada. He established a garrison in Chalat, in the district of Dzoluk and he then called for help from the Persian revolutionary chief Babak Khorramdin, who married a daughter of the king. After the death of Vasak III in 821, Babak inherited the country that revolted against him, Babak suppressed the revolt but was harassed by both Muslims and Armenians. Finally, he abdicated and the children of Vasak, Philip and Sahak, Philip controlled over eastern Syunik, including the cantons of the Vayots Dzor and Baghk
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Tavush Province
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Tavush, is a province of Armenia. It is located at the northeast of Armenia and bordered by Georgia from the north and it is domestically bordered by the Gegharkunik Province from the south, Kotayk Province from the southwest and Lori Province from west. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ijevan, the name of the province is derived form the Tavush canton of the historic Utik province of Ancient Armenia. Tavush has an area of 2,704 km² and it occupies the northeastern part of the Republic of Armenia. It is bordered by Georgia from the north and Azerbaijan from the east, domestically, it is bordered by the Gegharkunik Province from the south, Kotayk Province from the southwest and Lori Province from west. The territory is mountainous and rocky hillsides covered with a green carpet of Alpine meadows. Tavush is sometimes referred to as a little Armenian Switzerland, the average height of the region is around 900 meters above sea level. The province entirely lies among the mountains of the Lesser Caucasus and it is surrounded by the Miapor mountains from the east, the Somkheti mountains from the north, the Gugark mountains from the east and the Kenats mountains from the south. The highets point of Tavush is the Miapor peak with a height of 2993 meteres, the province is a major source of water in Armenia. The main source is Aghstev river with its tributaries Getik, Voskepar, minor rivers include Akhum, Tavush and Khndzorut. Tavush is also rich for its springs, mineral water and small lakes such as the Lake Parz. Most of the Tavush territory is covered with forests, mainly around the towns of Dilijan, Ijevan. From 1930 until 1995, modern-day Tavush was divided into 3 raions within the Armenian SSR, Ijevan raion, Noyemberyan raion, with the territorial administration reform of 1995, the 3 raions were merged to form the Tavush Province. Tavush is the second least populated province in Armenia, according to the 2011 official census, Tavush has a population of 128,609, forming around 4. 3% of the entire population of Armenia. The urban population is 54,186 and the rural is 74,423, the province has 5 urban and 55 rural communities. The largest urban community is the center of Ijevan, with a population of 21,081. The other urban centres Dilijan, Berd, Noyemberyan and Ayrum, with a population of 4,420, the village of Koghb is the largest rural municipality of Tavush. The majority of the Tavush Province population are ethnic Armenians who belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church, the regulating body of the church is the Diocese of Tavush, headed by Archbishop Yeznik Petrosyan
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Vayots Dzor Province
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Vayots Dzor, is a province of Armenia. It lies at the end of the country, bordering the Nakhichevan exclave of Azerbaijan form the west. It covers an area of 2,308 km², with a population of only 53,230, it is the most sparsely populated province in the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor is also home to the spa-town of Jermuk. The village of Gladzor in Vayots Dzor was home to the 13th, literally meaning the valley of sorrows, it is named after the Vayots Dzor canton of the historic Syunik province of Ancient Armenia, ruled by the Siunia dynasty. Situated at the end of modern-day Armenia, Vayots Dzor covers an area of 2,308 km². It is one of the most sparsely populated province in the country and it borders the Nakhichevan exclave of Azerbaijan form the west and the Shahumyan Region of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from the east. Domestically, it is bordered by the Gegharkunik Province from the north, Ararat Province from the northwest, historically, the current territory of the province occupies most of the Vayots Dzor canton of the historic Syunik province of Ancient Armenia. Vayots Dzor is mainly a mountainous region and it is mainly divided into 3 ranges, Vardenis mountain range at the north, Arpa range at the middle and Vayk range at the south. At a height of 3522 meters, the Vardenis volcano at the north is the highest point of the province, while the Areni valley, Vayots dzor has many rivers, mountains springs and mineral water. Arpa river has the most significant of them and it flows 92 km in the territory of Vayots Dzor. It originates in Vayots Dzor from the northwest hillside of Syunik plateau at a height of 3260 meters and it has a number of tributaries that form waterfalls such as the Jermuk Waterfall and the Herher waterfall. Yeghegis river is the tributary of Arpa. It flows into a valley that is protected by the government as a wildlife sanctuary, most of the rivers in Vayots Dzor are characterized with swift flow, deep fall and inclination. A large project was completed during the Soviet period, to transfer the water of Arpa river to Lake Sevan, thus, an underground water tunnel was opened in 1981 that starts from the basin of Kechut reservoir to transfer the flow of Arpa river into lake Sevan. A number of lakes are also found in the valley of Herher river. Vayots Dzor was first mentioned in the Armenian history by Movses Khorenatsi, however, during archaeological excavations, many sites and objects were found in the region dating back to the Paleolithic Era and the Bronze Age. Carvings on cliffs depicting scenes of hunting and animals were also found, as a result of the archaeological studies, historians assumed that the region has been settled since prehistoric times
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Yerevan
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Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia as well as one of the worlds oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural and it has been the capital since 1918, the thirteenth in the history of Armenia, and the seventh located in or around the Ararat plain. The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, Erebuni was designed as a great administrative and religious centre, a fully royal capital. During the centuries long Iranian rule over Eastern Armenia that lasted from the early 16th century up to 1828, in 1828, it became part of Imperial Russia alongside the rest of Eastern Armenia which conquered it from Iran through the Russo-Persian War between 1826 and 1828. After World War I, Yerevan became the capital of the First Republic of Armenia as thousands of survivors of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire settled in the area, the city expanded rapidly during the 20th century as Armenia became part of the Soviet Union. As of 2011, the population of Yerevan was 1,060,138, according to the official estimate of 2016, the current population of the city is 1,073,700. Yerevan was named the 2012 World Book Capital by UNESCO, Yerevan is an associate member of Eurocities. One theory regarding the origin of Yerevans name is the city was named after the Armenian king, Yervand IV, the last leader of the Orontid Dynasty, and founder of the city of Yervandashat. However, it is likely that the name is derived from the Urartian military fortress of Erebuni. As elements of the Urartian language blended with that of the Armenian one, while looking in the direction of Yerevan, after the ark had landed on Mount Ararat and the flood waters had receded, Noah is believed to have exclaimed, Yerevats. In the late medieval and early periods, when Yerevan was under Turkic and later Persian rule. This name is widely used by Azerbaijanis. The city was known as Erivan under Russian rule during the 19th. The city was renamed back to Yerevan in 1936, up until the mid-1970s the citys name was spelled Erevan, more often than Yerevan, in English sources. The principal symbol of Yerevan is Mount Ararat, which is visible from any area in the capital, the seal of the city is a crowned lion on a pedestal with the inscription Yerevan. The lions head is turned backwards while it holds a scepter using the front leg. The symbol of eternity is on the breast of the lion with a picture of Ararat in the upper part, the emblem is a rectangular shield with a blue border. On 27 September 2004, Yerevan adopted an anthem, Erebuni-Yerevan, written by Paruyr Sevak and it was selected in a competition for a new anthem and new flag that would best represent the city
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Parliamentary
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In a parliamentary system, the head of state is usually a different person from the head of government. Since ancient times, when societies were tribal, there were councils or a headman whose decisions were assessed by village elders, eventually these councils have slowly evolved into the modern Parliamentary system. The first parliaments date back to Europe in the Middle Ages, for example in 1188 Alfonso IX, the modern concept of parliamentary government emerged in the Kingdom of Great Britain and its contemporary, the Parliamentary System in Sweden. In England, Simon de Montfort is remembered as one of the fathers of representative government for holding two famous parliaments, the first, in 1258, stripped the King of unlimited authority and the second, in 1265, included ordinary citizens from the towns. Later, in the 17th century, the Parliament of England pioneered some of the ideas and systems of liberal democracy culminating in the Glorious Revolution, in the Kingdom of Great Britain, the monarch, in theory, chaired cabinet and chose ministers. In practice, King George Is inability to speak English led the responsibility for chairing cabinet to go to the minister, literally the prime or first minister. By the nineteenth century, the Great Reform Act of 1832 led to parliamentary dominance, with its choice invariably deciding who was prime minister, hence the use of phrases like Her Majestys government or His Excellencys government. Nineteenth century urbanisation, industrial revolution and, modernism had already fueled the political struggle for democracy. In the radicalised times at the end of World War I, a parliamentary system may be either bicameral, with two chambers of parliament or unicameral, with just one parliamentary chamber. Scholars of democracy such as Arend Lijphart distinguish two types of parliamentary democracies, the Westminster and Consensus systems, the Westminster system is usually found in the Commonwealth of Nations and countries which were influenced by the British political tradition. These parliaments tend to have a more style of debate. The Australian House of Representatives is elected using instant-runoff voting, while the Senate is elected using proportional representation through single transferable vote, regardless of which system is used, the voting systems tend to allow the voter to vote for a named candidate rather than a closed list. The Western European parliamentary model tends to have a more consensual debating system, Consensus systems have more of a tendency to use proportional representation with open party lists than the Westminster Model legislatures. The committees of these Parliaments tend to be more important than the plenary chamber, some West European countries parliaments implement the principle of dualism as a form of separation of powers. In countries using this system, Members of Parliament have to resign their place in Parliament upon being appointed minister, ministers in those countries usually actively participate in parliamentary debates, but are not entitled to vote. Some countries such as India also require the prime minister to be a member of the legislature, the head of state appoints a prime minister who will likely have majority support in parliament. The head of state appoints a minister who must gain a vote of confidence within a set time. The head of state appoints the leader of the party holding a plurality of seats in parliament as prime minister
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Representative democracy
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Representative democracy is a type of democracy founded on the principle of elected officials representing a group of people, as opposed to direct democracy. Representative democracy is often presented as the most efficient form of democracy possible in mass societies and it arguably allows for efficient ruling by a sufficiently small number of people on behalf of the larger number. Government efficiency can be judged based on metric of cost effectiveness, representatives voting on behalf of the people allows for a monetary benefit as there is lessened use of polling stations, vote counters, etc. The government is responsible for paying for the wages of the representatives. This system of governance is also time efficient as decisions can be made by a select few and it is a system in which people elect their lawmakers, who are then held accountable to them for their activity within government. It has been described by political theorists including Robert A Dahl, Gregory Houston. In it the power is in the hands of the representatives who are elected by the people in elections. Representatives are elected by the public, as in elections for the national legislature. Elected representatives may hold the power to other representatives, presidents, or other officers of the government or of the legislature. The constitution may also provide for some deliberative democracy or direct popular measures, however, these are not always binding and usually require some legislative action—legal power usually remains firmly with representatives. Their wishes ought to have great weight with him, their opinion, high respect, their business, unremitted attention. It is his duty to sacrifice his repose, his pleasures, his satisfactions, to theirs, and above all, ever, and in all cases, to prefer their interest to his own. But his unbiassed opinion, his judgment, his enlightened conscience, he ought not to sacrifice to you, to any man. These he does not derive from your pleasure, no, nor from the law and they are a trust from Providence, for the abuse of which he is deeply answerable. Your representative owes you, not his only, but his judgment. The Roman Republic was the first government in the world to have a representative government. In Britain, Simon de Montfort is remembered as one of the fathers of representative government for holding two famous parliaments, the first, in 1258, stripped the King of unlimited authority and the second, in 1265, included ordinary citizens from the towns. Later, in the 17th century, the Parliament of England pioneered some of the ideas and systems of liberal democracy culminating in the Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution led to the creation of a new Constitution of the United States in 1787
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Multi-party system
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First-past-the-post requires concentrated areas of support for large representation in the legislature whereas proportional representation better reflects the range of a populations views. Proportional systems have multi-member districts with more than one elected from a given district to the same legislative body. Duvergers Law states that the number of political parties is one plus the number of seats in a district. In these countries, usually no single party has a majority by itself. Instead, multiple political parties form coalitions for the purpose of developing power blocks for governing, a system where only two parties have the possibility of winning an election is called two-party system. A system where three parties have a realistic possibility of winning an election or forming a coalition is sometimes called a Third-party system. Usually this is because the electoral system penalises the third party, in the 2010 elections, the Liberal Democrats gained 23% of the total vote but won less than 10% of the seats due to the First-Past-The-Post electoral system. Despite this, they still had enough seats to form coalitions with one of the two parties, or to make deals in order to gain their support. An example is the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition formed after the 2010 general election, another is the Lib-Lab pact during Prime Minister James Callaghans Minority Labour Government, when Labour lost its three-seat majority in 1977, the pact fell short of a full coalition. Unlike a one-party system, a multi-party system encourages the general constituency to form distinct, officially recognized groups. Each party competes for votes from the enfranchised constituents, a multi-party system prevents the leadership of a single party from controlling a single legislative chamber without challenge. If the government includes an elected Congress or Parliament, the parties may share power according to proportional representation or the first-past-the-post system, in proportional representation, each party wins a number of seats proportional to the number of votes it receives. In first-past-the-post, the electorate is divided into a number of districts and this gravitation is known as Duvergers law. Proportional representation, on the hand, does not have this tendency. But, recent coalition governments, such as that in the U. K. represent two-party systems rather than multi-party systems and this is regardless of the number of parties in government. A two-party system requires voters to align themselves in large blocs, some theories argue that this allows centrists to gain control. On the other hand, if there are multiple parties, each with less than a majority of the vote. This also promotes centrism, as well as promoting coalition-building skills while discouraging polarization, coalition Polarized pluralism Political organisation Ingroups and outgroups
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Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic
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After the February Revolution, the Russian Provisional Government installed the Special Transcaucasian Committee to govern the area. In November 1917, following the October Revolution, the first government of an independent Transcaucasia was created in Tbilisi, a Transcaucasian Committee and a Transcaucasian Commissariat existed for a couple of months. On December 5,1917, the Committee endorsed the Armistice of Erzincan signed by the Ottoman command of the Third Army, on March 3,1918, the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk marked the end of Russias involvement in World War I. The Ottoman Empire regained Batum, Kars and Ardahan, starting on March 14, the Trabzon peace conference was held between the Ottoman Empire and a delegation from the Sejm. The mood in Tbilisi, however, was very different, instead of being bound by the terms of Brest-Litovsk, the Sejm gathered and made the decision to establish independence. On 22 April 1918, it proclaimed the establishment of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, a state of war between the Republic and the Ottoman Empire was confirmed and, shortly afterwards, the Ottoman Third Army took Erzerum and Kars. A new peace conference was convened at Batum on May 11, the Ottoman Empire extended its demands to include Tiflis as well as Alexandropol and Echmiadzin, where their leaders wanted to build a railroad to connect Kars and Julfa with Baku. No agreement was reached and, on May 21, the Ottoman forces resumed their advance, the battles of Bash Abarn, Sardarapat and Kara Killisse followed. On May 26,1918, the Democratic Republic of Georgia declared independence and this marked the end of the Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic. Following the Russian Revolution, the breakup of the Russian Caucasus Army left the Caucasus virtually undefended against the advancing Ottoman Third Army. In response, the Armenians, Georgians and Azerbaijanis attempted to establish a unified military and these forces consisted of Armenian volunteer units formed during the course of World War I, Georgian forces raised by their Provisional Government, and Azerbaijani troops raised independently. The Military Council of Nationalities was short-lived, on May 28,1918, Georgia signed the Treaty of Poti with Germany and welcomed the German Caucasus Expedition as protection against post-Revolution instability and the Ottoman military advance. Azerbaijan, on the hand, chose to ally itself with the Ottoman Empire. Transcaucasian SFSR Armenian–Azerbaijani War Georgian–Armenian War 1918
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First Republic of Armenia
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The First Republic of Armenia, officially known at the time of its existence as the Republic of Armenia, was the first modern Armenian state since the loss of Armenian statehood in the Middle Ages. The republic was established in the Armenian-populated territories of the disintegrated Russian Empire, the leaders of the government came mostly from the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. The First Republic of Armenia bordered the Democratic Republic of Georgia to the north, the Ottoman Empire to the west, Persia to the south, and it had a total land area of roughly 70,000 km², and a population of 1.3 million. The Armenian National Council declared the independence of Armenia on 28 May 1918, from the very onset, Armenia was plagued with a variety of domestic and foreign problems. A humanitarian crisis emerged from the aftermath of the Armenian Genocide as tens of thousands of Armenian refugees from the Ottoman Empire settled there, the republic lasted for over two years, during which time it was involved in several armed conflicts caused by territorial disputes. By late 1920, the nation was conquered by the Soviet Red Army, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the republic regained its independence as the current Republic of Armenia in 1991. With the help of several battalions of Armenians recruited from the Russian Empire, the Russians continued to make considerable advances even after the toppling of Tsar Nicholas II in February 1917. In March 1917, the revolution that toppled Tsar Nicholas. Shortly after, the Provisional Government replaced Grand Duke Nicholas administration in the Caucasus with the five-member Special Transcaucasian Committee, the Ozakom included Armenian Democrat Mikayel Papadjanian, and was set to heal wounds inflicted by the old regime. In doing so, Western Armenia was to have a general commissar and was to be subdivided into the districts of Trebizond, Erzerum, Bitlis, and Van. The decree was a concession to the Armenians, Western Armenia was placed under the central government. Dr. Hakob Zavriev would serve as the assistant for civil affairs, in October 1917, the Bolsheviks seized power from the Provisional Government and announced that they would be withdrawing troops from both the Western and Caucasus fronts. The Armenians, Georgians, and Muslims of the Caucasus all rejected the Bolsheviks legitimacy, on December 5,1917, the armistice of Erzincan was signed between the Ottoman Empire and the Transcaucasian Commissariat, ending armed conflict. After the Bolshevik seizure of power, a congress of Transcaucasian representatives met to create a provisional regional executive body known as the Transcaucasian Seim. The Commissariat and the Seim were heavily encumbered by the pretense that the South Caucasus formed a unit of a non-existent Russian democracy. The Armenian deputies in the Seim were hopeful that the forces in Russia would prevail in the Russian Civil War. In February 1918, the Armenians, Georgians and Muslims had reluctantly joined to form the Transcaucasian Federation, on March 3,1918, Russian followed the armistice of Erzincan with the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk, and left the war. It ceded territory From March 14 to April 1918, when a conference was held between the Ottoman Empire and the delegation of the Seim
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