Armenia Geography

Armenia lies on the southern slopes of the Armenian Mountains in the Lesser (southern) Caucasus and is landlocked.  It is bounded by Georgia to the north, Azerbaijan to the east, Iran to the south, and Turkey to the west.  However, the borders with Azerbaijan and Turkey have been closed because of disputes with these two countries.

It has a total area of 30,000 square kilometers, on a chain of mountains and extinct volcanoes called the Armenian Plateau.  The average altitude of the country is 1800 meters above sea level; the highest peak (Mount Aragat) has an altitude of 4,090 meters and the lowest point is at an altitude of 380 meters.  The 5165 meter Mount Ararat, geographically located in Turkey, is visible from the southwest region including Yerevan.

Among the chain of mountains are 10 lakes, 15 rivers, 5 canyons and many  waterfalls and valleys.  One of the lakes is Lake Sevan, which is at 1900 meters above sea level and has a maximum depth of 100 meters.  28 rivers flow into it, but only one flows out.  The mountainous terrain is rich in mineral water sources, renowned for their healing powers.