Nicely tucked away in the Southern Caucasus, Armenia offers a fine compilation of scenery, culture, and history. Lake Sevan is one of the world's prettiest alpine lakes (it's higher and larger than Lake Tahoe). Armenia's capital, Yerevan, and the living antiquities of Echmiadzin and a host of mountain-girded monasteries and churches make it a delightful destination.

• TOTAL AREA: 29,800 sq km

• LAND AREA: 28,400 sq km

• WATER AREA: 1,400 sq km

• POPULATION: 2,976,372

• RELIGIONS: Armenian Apostolic 94.7%, other Christian 4%, Yezidi (monotheist with elements of nature worship) 1.3%

• LANGUAGES: Armenian 97.7%, Yezidi 1%, Russian 0.9%, other 0.4%

• GOVERNMENT TYPE: Republic

• CAPITAL CITY: Yerevan

• OFFICIAL CURRENCY: dram (AMD)

• TIME ZONE: GMT/UTC +4