Gegharkunik Province
Gegharkunik (, ), 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. It includes the exclave of Artsvashen, which has been under Azerbaijani occupation since the First Nagorno-Karabakh war. With an area of , Gegharkunik is the largest province in Armenia. However, approximately 24% or of its territory is covered by Lake Sevan, the largest lake in Transcaucasia and a major tourist attraction of the region. The Yerevan-Sevan-Dilijan republican highway runs through the province. Etymology and symbols. The early  Armenian history Movses Khorenatsi connected the name of Gegharkunik with 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). The Gegham mountains and the Lake of Gegham (currently known as Lake Sevan) were also named after Gegham. The region of Gegharkunik has been connected to Uelikuni/Uelikuhi, attested in Urartian sources as one of the local "kingdoms" conquered by Urartu in the eighth century BCE. The word "Uel" is  believed to be an early (proto-Armenian) version of "Gegh" (proto-Indo European "u" corresponds with "g" in Armenian, "l" corresponds with the Armenian "gh"). Armenian gull is the symbol of the province. It is depicted on the Gegharkunik coat of arms adopted on 4 May 2011, flying over the Lake Sevan and its peninsula, surrounded by the mountains of Sevan. The wheat ears on both sides of the coat of arms represent the agricultural characteristic of the province, while the opened book at the bottom represents the intellectual and cultural heritage of the region. Geography. Gegharkunik Province occupies the  east of the central part of modern-day Armenia. With an area of 5,349 km (18% of total area of Armenia), it is ranked first among the provinces of Armenia in terms of the total area. Gegharkunik Province is situated at the east of modern-day Armenia, surrounding the Lake Sevan. Within Armenia, it has borders with Tavush Province, Kotayk and Ararat provinces from the west and Vayots Dzor Province from the south. The Dashkasan, Gadabay and Kalbajar districts of Azerbaijan form the eastern border of the province. Shahumyan Region of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic was bordered from east between 1993  and 2020. The Artsvashen Armenian exclave of Gegharkunik Province is currently occupied and controlled by Azerbaijan. 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. 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 km. (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. Lake Sevan is the largest  body of fresh water in Armenia and Southern Caucasus. 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. 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. From 1930 until 1995, modern-day Gegharkunik was divided into 5 raions within the Armenian SSR: "Sevan raion", "Kamo raion", "Krasnoselsk raion", "Martuni raion" and "Vardenis raion . With the territorial administration reform of 1995, the 5 raions were merged to form the Gegharkunik Province. After the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war, the length of the province's border with Azerbaijan increased. Starting on 12 May 2021, Azerbaijani troops advanced into Gegharkunik province and established positions near the villages of Kut and Verin Shorzha, precipitating a border crisis between Armenia and Azerbaijan. On 25 May 2021, an Armenian soldier was killed by Azerbaijani fire in Gegharkunik, and two days later on 27 May, six Armenian soldiers were captured by Azerbaijani forces in Gegharkunik while carrying out engineering work near 	Gegharkunik Province
25917711	the border with Azerbaijan. Demographics. Population. According to the 1989 Soviet census, the Gegharkunik Province (then part of the Vardenis, Kamo, Krasnoselsk, Martuni, and Sevan districts in 1930–1995) had a population of 230,548. 58,185 or 25.24% of which was urban, distributed into the cities of Kamo (31,234) and Sevan (26,951), and 172,363 or 74.76% were rural, distributed into the districts of Vardenis (31,282), Kamo (30,555), Krasnoselsk (16,428), Martuni (75,866), and Sevan (18,232). 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 	Gegharkunik Province
25917712	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. 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 Province
25917713	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 still reside in the two villages. The regions of Vardenis and Chambarak used to have a significant minority of Azerbaijani population. However, after the break-out of the First Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1988, the Azerbaijanis were expelled and replaced by Armenian  refugees who were displaced from several regions of Azerbaijan. Administrative divisions. Gegharkunik Province is currently divided into 57 municipal communities ("hamaynkner"). Rural communities and included settlements: During the recent years, many rural settlements in Gegharkunik became abandoned, including the villages of Chapkut, Chichakli, Karakoyun, Karmirkharab, Kizilkharaba, Nshkhark and Zariver. 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 Armenia is located at the Sevan Peninsula. Media. Gegharkunik has four 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. The Vardenis-Martakert highway, the second highway connecting Armenia with Nagorno-Karabakh, was opened in September 2017. Part of the highway came under the control of Azerbaijan as a result of the 2020 Nagorno-Karabakh war and currently cannot be used by Armenians. Sevan has a train station that connects the town with Yerevan through railway. The provincial centre Gavar has had an airstrip since the Soviet years, located to the north of the town. Economy. Agriculture. 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 km) of the total area of the province are arable lands, out of which 27.3% (951.5 km) are ploughed. 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. 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. 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. As of 2016, Gegharkunik Province has 126 public schools. Two major educational institutions currently  operating in Gegharkunik are: Sport. 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 with small seating capacities in Sevan, Martuni, Vardenis and the village of Lchashen. Gegharkunik Province