The former Soviet republic with a population of about 3 million people is a beautifully developing state. In comparison with neighboring Azerbaijan, Christianity is practiced to a greater extent in this country, therefore, the traditional for Caucasians assertiveness and impulsiveness are not so pronounced.
Numerous tourists are attracted here by magnificent mountain landscapes, wonderful Armenian cities with ancient sights listed as a UNESCO heritage site, and, of course, amazing hospitality and friendliness of local residents.
General information about Armenia
Armenia extends to the northeastern territory of the Armenian Highlands. It borders in the east with Azerbaijan, in the west with Turkey, in the north with Georgia and in the south with Iran. This is an amazing edge of the mountains with medieval monasteries. This is the land that suffered the sunset of the most ancient civilizations and the Great Flood. It is here that the carpets of fabulous beauty are created and the best cognac is produced.
Armenia is a state in whose territory wonderful cities are located. The capital is Yerevan.
Below is a description of several Armenian cities.
City List
In Armenia, there are a total of 10 regions, 48 cities and 953 rural settlements. In this state, the concept of "city" is not determined by the population.
The largest Armenian cities:
- Yerevan (1,060,138 people);
- Gyumri (121976);
- Vanadzor (86199);
- Vagharshapat (46540);
- Abovyan and Kapan (over 43,000);
- Distributed (more than 41 thousand);
- Armavir (more than 29 thousand).
The population of such cities as Dilijan, Gavar, Artashat, Ararat, Ijevan, Goris, Cherentsavan and Masis is a little more than 20 thousand people.
Ararat city
The city is located 48 kilometers southeast of the city of Yerevan. It received its name in honor of the sacred mountain Ararat, located seven kilometers from it. It extends to the Ararat plain, which is the most fertile in its entire history. The largest settlements have always been located on it.
The city was founded in 1939. Ararat is known as the center of heavy industry. It houses a gold processing factory and a cement plant. There is a railway station Ararat, daily passing electric trains from the village of Erash to the capital Yerevan.
The main attraction of the city of Ararat is the mountain of the same name, also called the Giant. Its circumference exceeds 40 kilometers. This majestic mountain is famous not only for its beauty, it is also sacred. According to biblical stories, it was here that Noah's ark moored. Until now, many residents of Armenia are sure that it was the Armenians who were the first settlers on planet Earth after the Flood.
City Meghri
Armenia has many rivers on its territory, including Meghri. In the south of the state along the banks of this river is the city of the same name. Its height above sea level is approximately 600 meters. The climate in these places is much warmer than in the main part of Armenia. In winter there is little snow, and there is practically no frost. Summer weather is dry and hot, with little rainfall.
The word "Meghri" in translation from local means "honey." The city is so named due to the fact that this area is the most melliferous in the country.
The settlement, whose population is only about 5,000 people, received the title of city in 1984.
Getting to Meghri is hard. The railway branch, located 5 kilometers from the settlement, has not been operating for a long time, and the roads are bad. There is an airport near Meghri, which is also not used today.
However, there is something to see in this area. Among the Armenian cities, Meghri is famous for the fact that there is an ancient monument in it - the Meghri fortress, which is a 17th-century building. There are also several ancient temples and cathedrals in the vicinity.
The city is also famous for the fact that the genus Kharatyan originates from these places, the descendant of which is the famous Russian actor Dmitry Kharatyan.
Ruined city
From the Armenian language “Spitak” is translated as “white”. The former name of the city is “Amamlu”, which is translated from the Turkic word “ammamly” means “bathhouse”. Perhaps this name was associated with the presence of warm springs in these places.
This Armenian settlement was completely destroyed in just 30 seconds as a result of the catastrophic earthquake that occurred on December 7, 1988. 40% of the territory of Armenia suffered from this terrible natural phenomenon. Today Spitak is in a recovery phase.
The main attractions of the area are the city church of Surb Astvatsatsin, rebuilt on the basis of the old one, as well as ancient cave dwellings in the vicinity of the city.
Finally
Armenia is a small but surprisingly beautiful country, and traveling through it, you can see many interesting historical places with architectural monuments. While in these small cities, you can learn a lot about Armenian hospitality, as well as enjoy the beautiful scenery of the surroundings and the wonderful mountain air.