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ERIVAN

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Originally appearing in Volume V09, Page 748 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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ERIVAN , a See also:

government of See also:Russia, See also:Transcaucasia, having the See also:province of See also:Kars on the W., the government of See also:Tiflis on the N., that of See also:Elisavetpol on the N. and E., and See also:Persia and See also:Turkish See also:Armenia on the S. It occupies the See also:top of an immense See also:plateau (6000-8000 ft.). Continuous chains of mountains are met with only on its See also:borders, and in the E., but the whole See also:surface is thickly set with See also:short ridges and isolated mountains of volcanic origin, of which Alagoz (14,440 ft.) and See also:Ararat (16,925 ft.) are the most conspicuous and the most important. Both must have been active in See also:Tertiary times. See also:Lake Gok-cha (540 sq. m.) is encircled by such volcanoes, and the neighbourhood of See also:Alexandropol is a " volcanic See also:amphitheatre," being entirely buried under volcanic deposits. The same is true of the slopes leading down to the See also:river See also:Aras; and the valley of the upper Aras is a stony See also:desert, watered only by See also:irrigation, which is carried on with See also:great difficulty owing to the See also:character of the See also:soil. The government is drained by the Aras, which forms the boundary with Persia and flows with great velocity down its stony See also:bed, the fall being 17-22 ft. per mile in its upper course, and 9 ft. at Ordubad, where it quits the government, while See also:lower down it again increases to 23 ft. Many of the small lakes, filling volcanic craters, are of great See also:depth. See also:Timber is very scarce. A variety of useful minerals exists, but only See also:rock-See also:salt is obtained, at'See also:Nakhichevan and See also:Kulp. The See also:climate is extremely varied, the following being the See also:average temperatures and mean See also:annual rainfall at Alexandropol (alt. 5078 ft.) and Aralykh (2755 ft.) respectively: See also:year 42°, See also:January r 2°, See also:July 65°, mean rainfall 16.2 in.; and year 53°, January 20.5°, July 79°, rainfall 6.3 in.

The See also:

population numbered 829,578 in 1897 (only 375,086 See also:women), of whom 82,278 lived in the towns. An estimate in 1906 gave a See also:total of 909,100. They consist chiefly of Armenians (441,000), See also:Tatars (40%), Kurds (49,389), with Russians, Greeks and Tates. Most of the Armenians belong to the Gregorian (See also:Christian) See also:Church, and only 4020 to the Armenian See also:Catholic Church. The Tatars are mostly Shiite Mussulmans, only 27,596 being See also:Sunnites; 777 2 belong to the See also:peculiar faith of the Yezids. While See also:barley only can be grown on the high parts of the plateau, See also:cotton, mulberry, vines and all sorts of See also:fruit are cultivated in the valley of the Aras. See also:Cattle-breeding is extensively carried on; camels also are bred, and leeches are collected out of the swamps and exported to Persia. See also:Industry is in its See also:infancy, but cottons, carpets, and See also:felt goods are made in the villages. A considerable See also:trade is carried on with Persia, but trade with See also:Asia See also:Minor is declining. The government is divided into seven districts—Erivan, Alexandropol, See also:Echmiadzin (See also:chief See also:town, Vagarshapat), Nakhichevan, Novobayazet, Surmali (chief town, Igdyr), and Sharur-daralagoz (chief town, Norashen). The See also:principal towns are Erivan (see below), Alexandropol (32,018 inhabitants in 1897), Novobayazet (8507), Nakhichevan (8845), and Vagarshapat (3400).

End of Article: ERIVAN

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