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Geography Of ArmeniaLocation: Armenia is a southwestern Asian country, east of Turkey Geographic coordinates: Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States Area:
total: 29,800 km
land: 28,400 km
water: 1,400 km Area comparative Historical Armenia is a region much larger than the modern country, including much of what is now eastern Turkey. In fact, the early Armenian capital of Ani now lies within Turkey. Land boundaries:
total: 1,254 km
border countries: Azerbaijan-proper 566 km, Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave 221 km, Georgia 164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) Climate: highland continental, hot summers, cold winters Terrain: Armenian Highland with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing rivers; good soil in Aras River valley Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Debed River 400 m
highest point: Mount Aragats 4,095 m Natural resources: small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland: 15%
other: 41% (1993 est.) Irrigated land: 2,870 km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts Environment - current issues: soil pollution from toxic chemicals such as DDT; energy blockade, the result of conflict with Azerbaijan, has led to deforestation when citizens scavenged for firewood; pollution of Hrazdan (Razdan) and Aras Rivers; the draining of Sevana Lich (Lake Sevan), a result of its use as a source for hydropower, threatens drinking water supplies; restart of Metsamor nuclear power plant without adequate (IAEA-recommended) safety and backup systems Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants Geography - note: landlocked Reference Much of the material in this article comes from the CIA World Factbook 2000 and the 2003 U.S. Department of State website. Related Articles Armenia, Geography of
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