Religion  The Armenian Church has been the unifying force for the Armenian people throughout a history distinguished by continuous foreign invasion, occupation, and forced migration. Christianity has remained strong in Armenia despite many efforts to stifle its expression. Like the Georgian church, the Armenian Church is an independent entity. The seat of its Catholicos, the supreme spiritual head of the Armenian Church, is located in Echmiadzin, twelve miles from the Turkish border and twelve miles west of Yerevan. The Armenian Church has combined nationalism and religion as its policy for safeguarding Armenian culture.

The founders of the Armenian Church were the Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew, whose grave sites can be found in Armenia and are honored as holy sites. In 301 A.D., the Armenians were the first nation to accept Christianity as their state religion under the guidance of Grigor Lusavorich, Gregory the Illuminator, the patron saint of Armenia. 

Armenian Diaspora  Today, more Armenians live outside their country than inside, due to the Armenian Genocide and the recent large-scale emigration after the earthquake and the collapse of the Soviet Union. An Armenian Diaspora has existed throughout the nation's history, but with the particularly heavy emigration they have become even more prominent and have formed large communities throughout the Middle East, Europe and Asia, which are thriving today.  Beirut, Los Angeles, Buenos Aires, Paris, Moscow, Isfahan and many other cities have significant Armenian communities. An estimated 60 percent of the total eight million Armenians worldwide live outside the country, with one million each in the U.S. and Russia.

Language  The official language of Armenia is Armenian, a unique language with its own branch on the tree of Indo-European languages and no close living related languages.  It is a distinct language with its own 38-letter alphabet invented by Mesrob Mashdots in order to translate the bible into Armenian. Russian is also commonly spoken.  There are many dialects spoken today, though the Yerevan Armenian is most widely spoken. The Diaspora speaks Western Armenian, which is significantly different from Eastern Armenian.

As well as being important cultural and religious symbols, churches and monasteries are extraordinary examples of Armenian architectures.  The Seventh Century is often referred to as “The Golden Age of Armenian Ecclesiastical Architecture”.  In the Tenth Century, the Church of the Holy Cross was erected on Aghtamar Island with exterior sculpture and relieves of Biblical subjects and interior frescoes of the like.  The Aghtamar frescoes are the only surviving examples of medieval Armenian murals still including the full repertoire of motifs traditional in church interiors of the time.  These monasteries also provided for the production of khatchkars (literally, “cross stones” in Armenian).  These carved stones were mostly used as grave stones as well as to mark victories, foundations of villages, the completion of a church and the like. 

Traditions & Holidays  Armenia lays across Anatolia and Caucasia, the two land bridges from Europe to Asia. It has been a Christian country surrounded almost entirely by Muslim neighbors since the dawn of these religions. These factors have influenced the society heavily and created a pleasant mixture of east and west. The Armenians are extremely proud of their rich heritage and cultural traditions and celebrate often with a level of hospitality unseen by most westerners. Visitors are welcomed with open arms and usually with a party, as the AECP physicians will tell you.  At the end of a two-week medical mission, they are always honored with a large party the night before they leave

A warm and generous people, Armenians are known for their hospitality.  This hospitality especially embraces the table, where feasts can last for several hours. Among the “meza” (appetizers) are items such as spicy dried meats called “basturma”, stuffed vegetables and fruits called “dolma”, tasty meatballs with raising and pine nuts, and home cured olives. Other popular dishes are fluffy pastries, “bourek”, filled with meat, cheese, or spinach; and spicy sausages called “sudjuk”. The popular yogurt and cucumber dip, “jajik”, accompanies practically any dish.

Since the fall of communism, Armenia has seen a huge increase in the number of restaurants and cafes.  Pizza, Arabic food, shish kebab (also called khorovadz) and other ethnic foods are easy to find in Yerevan.   There are no western fast food franchises with the exception of two Yum Yum Donuts.  Along with food, liquor is enjoyed, especially vodka.  A large part of drinking is toasting, which at dinners is led by the tamada (toastmaster).  Aside from vodka, Armenian beer and cognac are common beverages.  There are also many homemade alcohols and liqueurs, most of which are delicious. 

Cultural entertainment is prolific in Armenia.  The Opera has many world-class programs, with multiple events each week.  Compared to other major cities throughout the world, prices are astonishingly low.  Dancing is a national pastime and there are many dance clubs in Yerevan.  Armenians can also be seen sitting at one of the hundreds of overlapping cafes in Yerevan or simply sitting by the fountains in Republic Square.

Prominent Armenians  There are many prominent Armenians around the world; however, they often do not identify themselves as Armenian.  The most widely known are Andre Agassi and Cher (Cherylin Sarkissian).  Others include politicians, such as George Deukmejian, the former governor of California, and many actors and artists: Eric Boghosian (Actor), Michael Connors (Ohanian-Actor), Charles Aznavour (Singer and Actor), Hovhaness Aivazovsky (Painter), Arshile Gorky (Painter), Gary Kasparov (#1 Chess player in the world), Dr. Kevorkian (physician), Kirk Kerkorian (investor and owner of MGM/MGM Grand), Jerry “Tark the Shark” Tarkanian (basketball coach), System of a Down (music group) and many others.

Government  Armenia is a parliamentary democracy with a strong executive branch. Many parties have formed and disappeared in Armenia's first decade of independence, and the parties often are based on the popularity of one leader, or dislike of a current leader. There are also some political parties which formed over a hundred years ago and were represented in the Armenian government in 1918-1921, which have survived in Diaspora communities and have come back and reestablished themselves after independence.

Economy  The transition from a communist, socialistic economy to a capitalist economy continues to be very difficult for Armenia because it came shortly after the devastating earthquake of 1988, and during the blockade of Armenia by Azerbaijan and Turkey.  The widespread collapse of the interdependent Soviet industries, as well as the blockades preventing the importation of raw material and the exportation of products, have caused a severe shrinking of the economy.  Electricity shortages caused by the blockade forced the reopening of the Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant, and Armenia is once again exporting electricity.  As the infrastructure and the economy begin to recover, agriculture, information technologies, tourism, and other industries are re-emerging.

Industries Traditionally diverse, including (as a percent of output of former USSR) metal cutting machine tools (5.5%), forging-pressing machines (1.9%), electric motors (9%), tires (1.5%), knitted wear (4.4%), hosiery (3.0%), shoes (2.2%), silk fabric (0.8%), washing machines (2.0%), chemicals, trucks, watches, instruments, and microelectronics (1990); currently, much of industry is shut down.

Agriculture Only 17% of land area is arable; Armenia employs 31% of labor force as residents increasingly turn to subsistence agriculture; fruits (especially grapes) and vegetable farming, minor livestock sector; vineyards near Yerevan are famous for brandy and other liqueurs.

Unemployment rate 6.3% in 2008 compared to 7% in 2007.