Gegharkunik Province

Gegharkunik
Գեղարքունիք
Province

Coat of arms

Location of Gegharkunik within Armenia
Coordinates: 40°25′N 45°12′E / 40.417°N 45.200°E / 40.417; 45.200Coordinates: 40°25′N 45°12′E / 40.417°N 45.200°E / 40.417; 45.200
Country Armenia
Capital
and largest city		 Gavar
Government
 • Governor Nver Poghosian
Area
 • Total 5,349 km2 (2,065 sq mi)
Area rank 1st
Population (2011[1])
 • Total 235,075
 • Rank 7th
 • Density 44/km2 (110/sq mi)
Time zone AMT (UTC+04)
Postal code 1201–1626
ISO 3166 code AM.GR
FIPS 10-4 AM04
Website Official website

Gegharkunik (Armenian: Գեղարքունիք, Armenian pronunciation: [ɡɛʁɑɾkʰuˈnikʰ]), is a province (marz) of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is the town of Gavar.

Gegharkunik Province is located at the eastern part of Armenia, bordering Azerbaijan and the Shahumyan Region of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic. With an area of 5,348 km², Gegharkunik is the largest province in Armenia. However, approximately 1,278 km² of its territory is covered by Lake Sevan, the largest lake in the Caucasus and a major tourist attraction of the region.

The village of Artsvashen province has an exclave inside Azerbaijan is also a part of the province. However, it was attacked and forcefully occupied by Azerbaijan during the Nagorno-Karabakh War.

The Yerevan-Sevan-Dilijan republican highway runs through the province.

Etymology

The name of Gegharkunik is derived from Gegham, a 5th-generation Haykazuni King and one of the descendants of the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation Hayk. Gegham was the father of Sisak (founder of the Siunia dynasty), and Harma (grandfather of Ara the Beautiful). Gegham mountains and the Lake of Gegham (currently known as Lake Sevan) were also named after Gegham.

Geography

Mount Armaghan (2829 m.) of the Gegham mountains

Gegharkunik Province occupies the east of the central part of modern-day Armenia. With an area of 5,349 km² (18% of total area of Armenia), it is ranked first among the provinces of Armenia in terms of the total area.

Historically, the current territory of the province mainly occupies the Gegharkunik and Sotk cantons of Syunik province of Ancient Armenia, along with parts of Mazaz and Varazhnunik cantons of Ayrarat province.

Gegharkunik Province is situated at the east of modern-day Armenia, surrounding the Lake Sevan. Within the Republic of Armenia, it has borders with Tavush Province, Kotayk and Ararat provinces from the west and Vayots Dzor Province from the south. The Dashkasan and Gadabay districts of Azerbaijan, and the Shahumyan Region of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic form the eastern border of the province.

The Artsvashen Armenian exclave of Gegharkunik Province is currently occupied and controlled by Azerbaijan.

Poppies on the shores of Sevan

Gegharkunik has a mountainous landscape. The territory is dominated by the Gegham mountains from the west, the mountains of Vardenis from the south, Sevan mountains from the east, Miapor mountains from the northeast and the Kenats mountains from the north. The height of the mountains ranges between 2500 and 3500 meters.

Hippophae rhamnoides at the Sevan Botanical Garden

The highest point of the province is mount Azhdahak of the Gegham mountains with a height of 3597 meters at the western part of the range. Lake Sevan occupies the central part of the province, lying at a height of 1900 meters above sea level and covering an area of 1260 km².[2] (around 23.5% of the area of Gegharkunik).

Gegharkunik is separated from Vayots Dzor by the 82 kilometers-long Vardenis Mountains, where the highest point is Mount Vardenis at 3,522 meters.

The climate of Gegharkunik is cold and snowy in winter, while the summer is characterized with warm and humid climate. The annual precipitation level ranges between 500 and 600 mm at below 2000 meters, while it may reach up to 1000 mm in the mountainous areas.[3]

Lake Sevan is the largest body of sweet water in Armenia and Southern Cucasus. With a volume of around 32.92 billion m³ of water, Sevan is of a major environmental importance for the entire region.

Getik, Gavaraget and Masrik are the main rivers of the province.

History

From 1930 until 1995, modern-day Aragatsotn was divided into 5 raions within the Armenian SSR: Sevan raion, Kamo raion, Krasnoselsk raion, Kamo raion and Vardenis raion. With the territorial administration reform of 1995, the 5 raions were merged to form the Gegharkunik Province.

Demographics

Population

According to the 2011 official census, Gegharkunik has a population of 235,075 (119,180 men and 115,895 women), forming around 7.8% of the entire population of Armenia. The urban population is 71,423 (30.4%) and the rural is 163,652 (69.6%). The province has 5 urban and 87 rural communities. The largest urban community is the provincial centre of Gavar, with a population of 20,765. The other urban centres of are Sevan, Martuni, Vardenis and Chambarak.

With a population of 9,880, the village of Vardenik is the largest rural municipality of Gegharkunik. Vardenik is also the largest rural community in Armenia.

Ethnic groups and religion

Cathedral of the Holy Mother of God in Gavar

Gegharkunik Province is almost entirely populated by ethnic Armenians who belong to the Armenian Apostolic Church. The regulating body of the church is the Diocese of Gegharkunik, headed by Bishop Markos Hovhannisyan. The Holy Mother of God Cathedral in Gavar is the seat of the diocese.

In 1992, the Artsvashen exclave was occupied by Azerbaijan and resettled by Azerbaijanis.

The villages of Chkalovka (formerly Aleksandrovka) and Semyonovka were founded by Russian Molokans during the 1st half of the 19th century. Currently, very few Molokans are still residing in the 2 villages.

The regions of Vardenis and Chambarak used to have a significant minority of Azerbaijani population. However, after the break-out of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1988, the Azerbaijanis were expelled and replaced by Armenian refugees who were displaced from several regions of Azerbaijan.

Culture

There are cultural palaces and many public libraries in the urban settlements of the province. A geological museum operates in Sevan on the basis of the Sevan Botanical Garden. Gavar is home to a history museum as well as drama theatre.

The cuisine of Gavar is closely related with the oriental cuisine elements, characterized with various spices, vegetables, fish, and fruits combination. One of the famous sweets of the town is the Kyavar baklava which is a many-layered pastry with tissue-thin sheets of phyllo dough, filled with nuts and sugar and finished with a dousing of hot honey.

The summer presidential residence of the Republic of Armenia is located at the Sevan Peninsula.

Fortresses and archaeological sites

Berdkunk Fortress
Noratus cemetery

Churches and monasteries

Vanevan Monastery

Media

Gegharkunik has 4 regional TV stations:

Transportation

The province is connected with other parts of Armenia through the M-4, M-10 and M-14 Motorways. The M-11 Motorway that passes through Martuni and Vardenis, connects the province with the town of Karvachar of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

Sevan has a train station that connects the town with Yerevan through railway. The provincial centre Gavar has an airstrip since the Soviet years, located to the north of the town.

Economy

Agriculture

Cattle-breeding near Sevan

The economy of Gegharkunik Province has a predominantly agricultural orientation, including farming and cattle-breeding. It has a share of 18% in the annual total agricultural product of Armenia. Around 65% (3,487 km²) of the total area of the province are arable lands, out of which 27.3% (951.5 km²) are ploughed.[4] Around 60,000 farms in Gegharkunik are operated by the private sector. The main crops are potato and grains.

Fishing and fish farming is also dominant in the province. Recently, beekeeping has significantly developed.

Industry

Generally, Gegharkunik has a poor industrial index with a small number of operating firms. Currently, the province has a contribution of only 2% in the annual total industrial product of Armenia.

Tourism

Harsnaqar Hotel and Water Park in Sevan
The Juniper Woodlands Sanctuary

Tourism services in Gegharkunik are seasonal. The towns of Sevan, Chambarak and Martuni along with their surrounding beaches are a major summer destination for locals and foreigners with many hotels and resorts. The cultural heritage and the natural monuments of the region attract the tourists too.

During the last decade, many new hotels and spa resorts were opened along the coast of Lake Sevan, including the Harsnaqar Hotel and Water Park, the Best Western Bohemian Resort Sevan, the Akhtamar Sevan Hotel, the Tufenkian Avan Marag Hotel of Tsapatagh, the Blue Sevan Rest-house near Tsovagyugh, the Maria Resort Sevan and the Lavanda City cottages.

In February 2011, the Sevan ropeway was opened at the north of the town, in the area known as "mashtotsner", on the way to Tsovagyugh village. It has a length of 1,130 meters.[5]

Many forests of the province are listed among the protected areas of Armenia, including the Sevan National Park, the Getik Sanctuary, and the Juniper Woodlands Sanctuary of the mountains of Sevan. The Sevan Botanical Garden is also a major destination for the lovers of ecotourism.

Education

The Vaskenian Theological Academy

As of 2016, Gegharkunik Province has 126 public schools.[6]

Three major educational institutions currently operating in Gegharkunik are:

Sport

Windsurfing in Sevan

During the brief summer of the region, Sevan and the nearby beaches tun into a popular beach resort. Many professionals and amateurs visit the region to practice their favourite types of sports including beach soccer, beach volleyball and windsurfing.

The defunct football teams of FC Akhtamar Sevan and Lernagorts Vardenis FC represented the province at the domestic competitions during the 1990s. Alashkert FC represented town of Martuni between 1990 and 2000 before being relocated to Yerevan.

There are football stadiums in Martuni, Vardenis and the village of Lchashen.

Communities

The province of Gegharkunik consists of the following 92 communities (hamaynkner), of which 5 are considered urban and 87 are considered rural.[7]

Towns or urban communities

Image City (town) Province Founded Land area (km2) Population
(2011 census)		 Population
(2016 estimate)
Chambarak Gegharkunik 1830s 6 5,850 5,700
Gavar Gegharkunik 1830 16 20,765 19,500
Martuni Gegharkunik 1830 10 12,894 12,200
Sevan Gegharkunik 1842 17.75 19,229 19,200
Vardenis Gegharkunik 1830 10 12,685 12,600

Villages or rural communities

Non-community villages

Former villages

See also

References

  1. ↑ Gegharkunik population, 2011 census
  2. ↑ Gegharkunik agroweb
  3. ↑ Lake Sevan
  4. ↑ Armstat, Gegharkunik Province
  5. ↑ The new ropeway of Sevan will be opened on 15 February 2011
  6. ↑ Gegharkunik Province schools
  7. ↑ "RA Gegharkunik Marz" (PDF). Marzes of the Republic of Armenia in Figures, 2002–2006. National Statistical Service of the Republic of Armenia. 2007.
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