Armenia overview

There are a lot of great places to visit if you're goingemerging democracy and because of its strategic
to Armenia for your cheap holidays from Travelmatch.location, it lies among both the Russian and Western
Explore this beautiful country and get to know thespheres of influence.
culture and history to make your visit more meaningful.Name
Armenia, officially the Republic of Armenia, is aThe original Armenian name for the country was Hayq.
landlocked mountainous country in Eurasia betweenThe name later evolved into Hayastan a combination
the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea, located in theof Hayasa or Hayk with the Persian suffix '-stan' (land)
Southern Caucasus. It shares borders with Turkey toin the Middle Ages. Hayk was one of the great
the west, Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east,Armenian leaders after whom the The Land of Hayk
and Iran and the Nakhichevan exclave of Azerbaijanwas named. According to legend, Hayk was a
to the south. A former republic of the Soviet Union,great-great-grandson of Noah (son of Togarmah, who
Armenia is a unitary, multiparty, democratic nation-statewas a son of Gomer, who was a son of Japheth,
and one of the oldest and most historic civilizations inwho was a son of Noah), and according to an ancient
the world. It has a rich cultural heritage and was theArmenian tradition, a forefather of all Armenians. He is
first nation to adopt Christianity as its official religion.said to have settled at the foot of Mount Ararat,
Although today Armenia is constitutionally a seculartraveled to assist in building the Tower of Babel, and,
state, the Christian faith plays a major role in both itsafter his return, defeated the Babylonian king Bel
history and the identification of the Armenian people.(believed by some researchers to be Nimrod) in 2492
Culturally, historically, and politically, Armenia isBCE near the mountains of Lake Van, in the
considered to be part of Europe. However, its locationsouthwestern part of historic Armenia (present-day
in the southern Caucasus means that it can also beeastern Turkey). Pre-Christian accounts suggest that
considered to be at the arbitrary border betweenNairi, meaning "land of rivers", used to be an ancient
Europe and Asia; in other words, a transcontinentalname for the country's mountainous region, first used
nation. However, both these classifications are entirelyby Assyrians around 1200 BCE. In the fifth century
arbitrary, as there is no easily definable geographicBCE Herodotus, in his review of the troops opposing
difference between Asia and Europe.the Greeks, he wrote that “the Armenians
Armenia is currently a member of more than thirty-fivewere armed like the Phrygians, being Phrygian settlers
different international organizations, including the United(refugees). The traditional etymology for the ethnology
Nations, the Council of Europe, Asian Developmentis from Armenak or Aram, the great-grandson of
Bank, the Commonwealth of Independent States, theHaik's great-grandson, and another leader who is,
World Trade Organization and the Organization of theaccording to Armenian tradition, the ancestor of all
Black Sea Economic Cooperation. It is a PartnershipArmenians. Akkadian language inscriptions (2400 BCE)
for Peace (PfP) member of NATO and in a militarymention Armani, locating them in the southern
alliance of CSTO. It is also an observer member of theArmenian Highlands near Lake Van. Armani was the
Eurasian Economic Community, La Francophonie, andearlier form of Armens who were of
the Non-Aligned Movement. Armenia is also active inProto-Indo-European descent. To this day Assyrians
the international sports community with full membership(direct descendents of Akkadians) refer to Armenians
in the Union of European Football Associations andby their inscription form Armani.
International Ice Hockey Federation. The country is an