Created by Angela Albanese Copyright of Global Ties Akron & Know Your Community - Know Your World

1. Republic of Armenia
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2. Speaker:

3. Armenia is located in a region known as the South Caucasus.
It is one of the most secluded countries in the world because it
is landlocked and surrounded by high mountains. Armenia is
slightly smaller than Maryland in area. Sadly, most of the land
cannot be lived on because it is so dry.

4. Country Quick Facts
 Full name: Republic of Armenia
 Population: about 3 million (July 2014)
 Capital: Yerevan
 Largest city: Yerevan
 Official language: Armenian
 Major religion: Armenian Orthodox (92.6%)
 Life expectancy: Male-71, Female-78
 Monetary unit: Armenian Dram
 Main exports: iron, copper, metal, gold, diamonds, mineral products,
energy, foodstuffs
 GNI per capita: $8,880

5. Armenian History in Brief
 Humans have lived on the land that is Armenia today since
prehistoric times
 The area was passed between the Persian and Roman
Empires and was conquered by Arabs, Mongols, and then the
Turks when it became part of the Ottoman Empire
 In the 1800s, Armenia was taken over by Russia
 Armenia became part of the Soviet Union in 1920
 September 21, 1991 became independent from the USSR
 1991-Conflict with Azerbaijan broke out over the Nagorno-
Karabakh region that still remains a problem today

6. The Armenian Genocide
 April 24, 2015 marked the 100 year anniversary of the Armenian
Genocide
 At the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th there was a
minority of about 3 million Armenians living in the Ottoman Empire
(present-day Turkey)
 Armenians wanted more rights in the Empire, which was seen as
threating to the government’s power and plans
 Between 1915-1923 it is estimated that 1½ million Armenians were
killed after the Ottoman government ordered large-scale round-ups,
deportations, and killing of Armenians throughout the Empire
 There is international disagreement over whether this mass killing of
Armenians was actually a “genocide” by definition, with Turkey arguing
that genocide was not committed
 Turkey says the deaths were a tragic result of famine and problems
related to World War II

7. The Forget-Me-Not flower is the official
emblem of the 100th Year Remembrance
of the Armenian Genocide
It serves as eternal remembrance of all
those who died in the genocide

8. Language
 HELLO: Barev /բարև
 GOODBYE: Hajoghutyun /Հաջողությո'ւն
 YES: ayo/այո
 NO: voch/ոչ
 THANK YOU: Mersi/ մերսի
 YOU’RE WELCOME: Khndrem/ խնդրեմ
 PLEASE: Khentrem /Խնդրեմ
 I LOVE YOU: Sirum em kez/ Սիրում եմ քեզ
 HOW ARE YOU: Vonts es? /Ո՞նց ես

9. Government
 President: Serzh Sargsyan
 Prime minister: Hovik Abrahamyan
 Type of government: republic
 Voting age: 18 years old
Sargsya
n
Abrahamya
n

10. Current Issues
 Government corruption
 High unemployment, people very poor, no jobs
 Pollution is high from the agricultural factories
 Conflict with Azerbaijan and Turkey, especially over
the region of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is part of
Azerbaijan but is mostly inhabited by ethnic
Armenians
 Rely too much on Russia
 Turkey does not acknowledge the deaths of
Armenians in the 1915 as genocide

11. Economy
 Armenia’s economy has had a hard time since its independence in
1991
 Armenia must rely on other nations for energy such as natural gas
 Agricultural sector is suffering because people that own the farms
cannot afford to keep up with the demand for food
 Relies on Russia for help in its industries
Mineral mining in
Armenia is one of
the few industries

12. Currency
 Armenian dram
 1 US dollar= 477.18 Armenian dram (July 2015)

13. Armenian Music and
Dance
 Armenia is most famous for its classical music
 Well-known “Sabre Dance”:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyBnByXq9
3k
 Music is very important to Armenians and if
affordable, children almost always take lessons
for at least one instrument, mostly common
would be piano
 Armenian folk dancing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1RXqZmsk

14. Traditional
Clothing

15. Life in Armenia
 Most Armenians live in apartments in the city that most of us
would consider very small
 Apartments are crowded because they probably live with their
grandparents and sometimes even aunts and uncles in
addition to their parents and siblings
 Both parents will work and the grandparents will take care of
the children and household
 Most families don’t own and car and if they do they rarely use
it
 Students walk or take public transportation to school
 A lot of times there is little hot water and no electricity in the

16. School Life in Armenia
 Children begin school when they are 5 years old and
continue through high school
 They learn subjects similar to the ones in America and
then they learn Russian and sometimes English
 In high school, students decide what they want to do
for a career and their choice determines whether they
go on to college or trade school
 Armenian children learn about their culture in school,
like folk dancing
 They don’t take gym class, sports are outside of
school

17. Free Time
 Kids enjoy playing soccer, basketball, tennis, gymnastics, and
wrestling outside of school
 Almost all children will take a musical instrument lesson
 Pets are seen as very important and they are well taken care
of by children
 Most children don’t watch television, play on the computer, or
have Xbox or PlayStation
 Children play at the park a lot because the house/apartment
is small and they make up their own games since they don’t
have a lot of toys
 Sometimes help the family earn money by getting a job
themselves when they are old enough, or at least do chores
around the home

18. Armenian Food
 Armenian food has Islamic roots
 Very spicy and has a lot of garlic
 Lamb shish kebabs cooked over open fire
 Solyanka- stew made of beef parts and heavily spiced with
herbs
 Yogurt is very popular and is used as a side dish or put in
soup
 Pshat- fruit of the oleaster tree that has a dry taste
 Lavash- thin bread
 Tahn- a drink made with salt and minted yogurt

19. Pshat fruit (left), lavash
bread (below), and
tahn

20. Fun Facts
 Armenia was the world’s first Christian nation when it
made Christianity its official religion in 301 AD
 Mount Ararat is a national symbol of Armenia, even though
its currently located inside Turkey’s borders
 There are about 11 million Armenians (or people of
Armenian descent) outside of Armenia, many of which are
in the US, including the Kardashians!
 Armenia has one of the oldest and longest cable cars in
the world
 Armenia has an important lake called Lake Sevan, which
is one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world

21. Wings of Tatev, left,
is one of the
longest and oldest
cable cars in the
world.
Lake Sevan (right)

22. View of Mount Ararat, a national symbol of Armenia,
from the Yerevan, the capital city

23. This is the St. Gregory of Narek Armenian Church in
Cleveland. There are about 3,000 people of Armenian
descent in Cleveland!

24. Armenian
Cultural
Garden,
Cleveland

25. Links and Resources on Armenia
and the Armenian Genocide
 Website of documentary on the Armenian Genocide:
http://watchersofthesky.com/
 Watchers of the Sky trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1e0HFCKcVhc
 Armenian Genocide lesson plans: https://www.facinghistory.org/for-
educators/educator-resources/resource-collections/armenian-genocide-
resource-collection/lessons-and-units
 Armenian Culture Garden, Cleveland:
http://culturalgardens.org/gardenDetail.aspx?gardenID=3
 The Ash Tree by Daniel Melnick from Beachwood, Ohio is a story about an
Armenian immigrant in the US
 https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/am.html
 http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/countrys/europe/am.htm