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yerevan administrative divisions: 11 provinces (marzer. singular - marz); aragatsotn. ararat. armavir. geghark'unik'. kotayk'. lorri. shirak. syunik'. tavush. vayots' dzor. yerevan independence: 21 september 1991 (from soviet union) national holiday: independence day. 21 september (1991) constitution: adopted by nationwide referendum 5 july 1995; amendments adopted through a nationwide referendum 27 november 2005 legal system: based on civil law system suffrage: 18 years of age; universal executive branch: chief of state: president robert kocharian (since 30 march 1998) head of government: prime minister andranik margaryan (since 12 may 2000) cabinet: council of ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 19 february and 5 march 2003 (next to be held na 2008); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed with the majority support of the national assembly; the prime minister and council of ministers must resign if the national assembly refuses to accept their program election results: robert kocharian reelected president; percent of vote - robert kocharian 67.5%. stepan demirchyan 32.5% legislative branch: unicameral national assembly (parliament) or azgayin zhoghov (131 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms; 90 members elected by party list. 41 by direct vote) elections: last held 25 may 2003 (next to be held in the spring of 2007) note: percent of vote by party - republican party 23.5%. justice bloc 13.6%. rule of law 12.3%. arf (dashnak) 11.4%. national unity party 8.8%. united labor party 5.7%; seats by party - republican party 23. justice bloc 14. rule of law 12. arf (dashnak) 11. national unity 9. united labor 6; note - seats by party change frequently as deputies switch parties or announce themselves independent judicial branch: constitutional court; court of cassation (appeals court) political parties and leaders: agro-industrial party [vladimir badalyan]; armenia party [myasnik malkhasyan]; armenian national movement or anm [alex arzumanyan. chairman]; armenian ramkavar liberal party or hrak [harutyun mirzakhanyan. chairman]; armenian revolutionary federation ("dashnak" party) or arf [vahan hovhanissian]; democratic party [aram sarkisyan]; justice bloc (comprised of the democratic party. national democratic party. national democratic union. the people's party. and the republic party) [stepan demirchyan]; national democratic party [shavarsh kocharian]; national democratic union or ndu [vazgen manukian]; national revival party [albert bazeyan]; national unity party [artashes gegamian. chairman]; people's party of armenia [stepan demirchyan]; republic party [aram sarkisyan. chairman]; republican party or rpa [andranik markaryan]; rule of law party [artur baghdasaryan. chairman]; union of constitutional rights [hrant khachaturyan]; united labor party [gurgen arsenyan] political pressure groups and leaders: yerkrapah union [manvel grigorian] international organization participation: acct (observer). asdb. bsec. ce. cis. eapc. ebrd. fao. iaea. ibrd. icao. icct (signatory). icrm. ida. ifad. ifc. ifrcs. ilo. imf. interpol. ioc. iom. iso. itu. miga. nam (observer). oas (observer). opcw. osce. pfp. un. unctad. unesco. unido. upu. wco. wftu. who. wipo. wmo. wtoo. wto diplomatic representation in the us: chief of mission: ambassador tatoul markarian chancery: 2225 r street nw. washington. dc 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1976 fax: [1] (202) 319-2982 consulate(s) general: los angeles diplomatic representation from the us: chief of mission: ambassador john m. evans embassy: 1 american ave.. yerevan 375082 mailing address: american embassy yerevan. department of state. 7020 yerevan place. washington. dc 20521-7020 telephone: [374](10) 464-700 fax: [374](10) 464-742 flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top). blue. and orange economy - overview: under the old soviet central planning system. armenia had developed a modern industrial sector. supplying machine tools. textiles. and other manufactured goods to sister republics in exchange for raw materials and energy. since the implosion of the ussr in december 1991. armenia has switched to small-scale agriculture away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the soviet era. the agricultural sector has long-term needs for more investment and updated technology. the privatization of industry has been at a slower pace. but has been given renewed emphasis by the current administration. armenia is a food importer. and its mineral deposits (copper. gold. bauxite) are small. the ongoing conflict with azerbaijan over the ethnic armenian-dominated region of nagorno-karabakh and the breakup of the centrally directed economic system of the former soviet union contributed to a severe economic decline in the early 1990s. by 1994. however. the armenian government had launched an ambitious imf-sponsored economic liberalization program that resulted in positive growth rates in 1995-2005. armenia joined the wto in january 2003. armenia also has managed to slash inflation. stabilize the local currency (the dram). and privatize most small- and medium-sized enterprises. armenia's unemployment rate. however. remains high. despite strong economic growth. the chronic energy shortages armenia suffered in the early and mid-1990s have been offset by the energy supplied by one of its nuclear power plants at metsamor. armenia is now a net energy exporter. although it does not have sufficient generating capacity to replace metsamor. which is under international pressure to close. the electricity distribution system was privatized in 2002. armenia's severe trade imbalance has been offset somewhat by international aid. remittances from armenians working abroad. and foreign direct investment. economic ties with russia remain close. especially in the energy sector. the government made some improvements in tax and customs administration in 2005. but anti-corruption measures will be more difficult to implement. investment in the construction and industrial sectors is expected to continue in 2006 and will help to ensure annual average real gdp growth of about 7.5%. gdp (purchasing power parity): $15.27 billion (2005 est.) gdp (official exchange rate): $3.426 billion (2005 est.) gdp - real growth rate: 8% (2005 est.) gdp - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5.100 (2005 est.) gdp - composition by sector: agriculture: 24.9% industry: 34.6% services: 40.5% (2004 est.) labor force: 1.2 million (2004) labor force - by occupation: agriculture 45%. industry 25%. services 30% (2002 est.) unemployment rate: 30% (2003 est.) population below poverty line: 43% (2003 est.) household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 46.2% (1999) distribution of family income - gini index: 37.9 (1998) inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (2005 est.) investment (gross fixed): 23% of gdp (2005 est.) budget: revenues: $786.1 million expenditures: $930.7 million. including capital expenditures of na (2005 est.) agriculture - products: fruit (especially grapes). vegetables; livestock industries: diamond-processing. metal-cutting machine tools. forging-pressing machines. electric motors. tires. knitted wear. hosiery. shoes. silk fabric. chemicals. trucks. instruments. microelectronics. jewelry manufacturing. software development. food processing. brandy industrial production growth rate: 15% (2002 est.) electricity - production: 4.954 billion kwh (2003) electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 42.3% hydro: 27% nuclear: 30.7% other: 0% (2001) electricity - consumption: 4.42 billion kwh (2003) electricity - exports: 650 million kwh; note - exports an unknown quantity to georgia; includes exports to nagorno-karabakh region in azerbaijan (2003) electricity - imports: 463 million kwh; note - imports an unknown quantity from iran (2003) oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2003) oil - consumption: 40.000 bbl/day (2003 est.) oil - exports: na (2001) oil - imports: na (2001) natural gas - production: 0 cu m (2001 est.) natural gas - consumption: 1.4 billion cu m (2001 est.) natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.) natural gas - imports: 1.4 billion cu m (2001 est.) current account balance: $-237.7 million (2005 est.) exports: $800 million f.o.b. (2005 est.) exports - partners: belgium 18%. israel 15.3%. germany 13.3%. russia 12.5%. us 8.1%. netherlands 7.2%. iran 5.5%. georgia 4.3%. uae 4% (2004) imports: $1.5 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.) imports - partners: russia 11.3%. belgium 10.1%. israel 8.4%. us 7.6%. iran 7.1%. uae 6.1%. ukraine 5.9%. italy 5.5%. germany 5.2%. georgia 4.6%. france 4.5% (2004) reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $625.6 million (2005 est.) debt - external: $1.868 billion (31 december 2004) economic aid - recipient: oda $170 million (2000) currency (code): dram (amd) currency code: amd exchange rates: drams per us dollar - 445 (2005). 533.45 (2004). 578.76 (2003). 573.35 (2002). 555.08 (2001) fiscal year: calendar year telephones - main lines in use: 562.600 (2003) telephones - mobile cellular: 114.400 (2003) telephone system: general assessment: system inadequate; now 90% privately owned and undergoing modernization and expansion domestic: the majority of subscribers and the most modern equipment are in yerevan (this includes paging and mobile cellular service) international: country code - 374; yerevan is connected to the trans-asia-europe fiber-optic cable through iran; additional international service is available by microwave radio relay and landline connections to the other countries of the commonwealth of independent states and through the moscow international switch and by satellite to the rest of the world; satellite earth stations - 3 (2005) radio broadcast stations: am 9. fm 6. shortwave 1 (1998) radios: 850.000 (1997) television broadcast stations: 3 (plus an unknown number of repeaters); (1998) televisions: 825.000 (1997) internet country code: .am internet hosts: 2.206 (2004) internet service providers (isps): 9 (2001) internet users: 150.000 (2003) airports: 16 (2004 est.) airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3.047 m: 2 2.438 to 3.047 m: 2 1.524 to 2.437 m: 4 914 to 1.523 m: 3 (2005 est.) airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5 1.524 to 2.437 m: 2 914 to 1.523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2005 est.) pipelines: gas 1.871 km (2004) railways: total: 845 km broad gauge: 845 km 1.520-m gauge (828 km electrified) note: some lines are out of service (2004) roadways: total: 7.633 km paved: 7.633 km (includes 1.561 km of expressways) (2003) military branches: army. air force. air defense force military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for compulsory military service. conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (may 2004) manpower available for military service: males age 18-49: 722.836 (2005 est.) manpower fit for military service: males age 18-49: 551.938 (2005 est.) manpower reaching military service age annually: males: 31.774 (2005 est.) military expenditures - dollar figure: $135 million (fy01) military expenditures - percent of gdp: 6.5% (fy01) disputes - international: armenia supports ethnic armenian secessionists in nagorno-karabakh and since the early 1990s. has militarily occupied 16% of azerbaijan - organization for security and cooperation in europe (osce) continues to mediate dispute; over 800.000 mostly ethnic azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and armenia; about 230.000 ethnic armenians were driven from their homes in azerbaijan into armenia; azerbaijan seeks transit route through armenia to connect to naxcivan exclave; border with turkey remains closed over nagorno-karabakh dispute; ethnic armenian groups in javakheti region of georgia seek greater autonomy; tens of thousands of armenians emigrate. primarily to russia. to seek employment refugees and internally displaced persons: refugees (country of origin): 236.306 (azerbaijan) idps: 50.000 (conflict with azerbaijan over nagorno-karabakh) (2004) illicit drugs: illicit cultivation of small amount of cannabis for domestic consumption; used as a transit point for illicit drugs - mostly opium and hashish - moving from southwest asia to russia and to a lesser extent the rest of europe
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