FAO Representation

Country Information

Armenia is a landlocked country with limited natural resources, covering an area of 29,800 km². It is located in the Caucasus region. In the north and east it borders the Republic of Georgia and Azerbaijan, in the west and south Turkey and Iran. 

Armenia is essentially made up of high rolling plateaus and wide river valleys, together with sharp mountain ridges from the southern edge of the Caucasus range. The average elevation is about 1 650 m. The climate is continental with hot summers and cold winters and annual rainfall varying between 300 mm in the low-lying Ararat plains to about 600 mm in the rest of the country. 

The greatest part of Armenia is mountainous (about 300 feet above sea level), while one-third is pastureland. A land of rugged mountains and extinct volcanoes, its highest peak is Mount Aragats, 13 453 ft. (4 095 m). There are more than 200 streams and rivers in Armenia, none navigable, however, because of their steep descents and rapid currents. The Armenian countryside also boasts some 100 small, but picturesque lakes. One of the largest mountain lakes in the world, Lake Sevan, covers an area of 1 400 square kilometres and is about 650 feet above sea level. 

The capital city, Yerevan, lies on the Hrazdan River, and is home to some 1.2 million people. 

Armenia is not rich in land resources. Only 46 percent of the total area of the country can be used for agricultural purposes. Armenia has a unique rectilinear zoning peculiar to mountainous countries. The country is renowned for its different land types. 

Radical reforms which began in 1991 in the food and agricultural sector of Armenia resulted in the establishment of 321 000 individual and 256 collective private farms in comparison to the former 869 large state farms. Sixty-five percent of the utilized land, including 69.3 percent of perennial crops and 43.8 percent of hay fields were privatized. About 96 percent of the privatized land belongs to private farms with an average area of 1.4 hectares. Currently, the food and agriculture sector provides 40 percent of the country's GDP, of which 25 percent comes from agriculture. 

The targeted development of agriculture will contribute to an increase in food sufficiency and an improvement in living standards for the entire nation. Viticulture and fruit growing are the priority sub-sectors of Armenian agriculture. Armenians have always favoured viticulture. The fame of Armenian "sun-flavoured" cognacs (brandy) and wines is largely attributable to the special quality of Armenian grape varieties. Furthermore, the agro-ecological conditions, the geographical position of Armenia and the multipurpose use of vegetables have led to a great diversity of vegetable varieties.