Yerevan
(
Armenian
:
?????? or ?????
) is the
capital
and largest
city
of
Armenia
. In 2004 about 1,088,300 people lived in Yerevan. Some people write Yerevan as
Erevan
. In past, Yerevan was called
Erebuni
or
Erivan
.
It is on the Hrazdan River, and is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country.
The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the
Urartian
fortress of
Erebuni
in 782 BC.
[1]
Eventually, the letter "b" in the name
Erebuni
changed in the 5th or 4th century BC, becoming "v".
[2]
The climate of Yerevan is
continental
, with dry, hot summers and cold, snowy and short winters. The temperature in August can reach 40°
C
(104°
F
), while January may be as cold as -15 °C (5 °F). The amount of precipitation is small, about 350
mm
(14
in
) per year.
As a centre of
Armenian
culture, Yerevan is the site of Yerevan State University (1919), the Armenian Academy of Sciences, a historical museum, an opera house, a music conservatory and several technical institutes. The
Matenadaran
archives hold a rich collection of valuable ancient Armenian,
Greek
,
Assyrian
,
Hebrew
,
Roman
and
Persian
manuscripts. Yerevan has several large public libraries, a number of museums and theaters, botanical gardens and zoos. It is also at the heart of an extensive rail network and is a major trading centre for agricultural products. In addition, industries in the city produce metals, machine tools, electrical equipment, chemicals, textiles and food products.
Two major tourist attractions are the Opera House, the ruins of an
Urartu
fortress and a Roman fortress. The Armenia Marriott Hotel is in the heart of the city at Republic Square (also known as Hraparak).
The Yerevan Metro is a
rapid transit
system that serves the capital city.
Its interior resembles that of western former Soviet nations with chandeliers hanging
from the corridors. The metro stations had most of their names changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the Independence of the Republic of Armenia.
Yerevan is Armenia's industrial, transportation, and cultural center. Manufactures include chemicals, primary metals,
machinery
,
rubber
products, plastics,
textiles
, and processed food. Not only is Yerevan the headquarters of major Armenian companies, but of international ones as well, as it's seen as an attractive outsourcing location for Western European, Russian and
American
multinationals.
Recently, Yerevan has been undergoing an ambitious redevelopment process in which old Soviet-style apartments and buildings are being demolished and replaced with modern buildings. However, this urban renewal plan has been met with opposition and (
[1]
Archived
2010-08-12 at the
Wayback Machine
) criticism from some residents.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Yerewan
.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
?????
.