Europe: All about Armenia Trivia Quiz

Answer: Theater

Opened in 1933, the Alexander Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet Academic Theater opened with Alexander Spendiaryan's opera performance. The theater was designed by Alexander Tamanian, an Armenian architect. The theater has two concert halls: the Alexander Spendiaryan Opera and Ballet National Theatre which consists of 1,200 seats, and the Aram Khatchaturian concert hall which contains 1,400 seats.

Answer: Azerbaijan

Armenia does border Turkey, but Turkey lies west. Armenia also borders Georgia, but Georgia lies north. To the south of Armenia lies Iran, and the Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan.

Answer: Temple of Garni

Situated in the centre of the country near the village of Garni, the Temple of Garni collapsed in the 1679 Armenian earthquake. It was reconstructed between 1969-1975 after being discovered around 1909-1911. The temple was rebuilt almost entirely of its original stones, which were found in a collapsed state.

It remains a significant symbol and testament to pre-Christian Armenia. Even before its reconstruction, it was a popular tourist attraction.

Answer: Areni-1 cave

Located along the Arpa River in the Vayots Dzor Province of south-east of Armenia, Areni-1 cave was not only where this old humanoid brain was discovered, but also the world's oldest known winery at over 6,000 years old, and the world's earliest known shoe, at around 5,500 years old, were also discovered here. A straw skirt was reported to have been found here also in 2011, dating to around 3,900 BC. The cave was first excavated in 2007, with the first thing the archaeological team finding being burial sites. This however, was the tip of the iceberg. The wine cellar included a wine press, shreds of pottery and wine jars. Chemical tests reported the presence of malvidin in the objects of the wine cellar, which is the compound in wine that gives the beverage its red colour.

The brain that was found is among the best preserved in the world for its age, and some argue it is the very best preserved brain from its time. The leather shoe was discovered around a year later, in 2008.

The reason why there were several well-preserved items (and possibly more lying undiscovered in the cave) is the cave's constant cool and dry weather conditions. The shoe was also particularly well preserved for an object over 5,000 years old, because it was encased in sheep dung with a ceramic bowl sitting atop it. It sits on display in the History Museum of Armenia, Yerevan.

Answer: Vishapakar

Also known as the "vishap stones" or "serpent stones," the vishapakar are typically sculpted from one single large stone, into a cigar-like shape, depicting fish heads and serpents. They are depictions of the vishaps, which are dragons with poisonous saliva that often dwell in water, in Armenian mythology. Almost all of these monoliths are located near some form of water.

There are 150 known vishap stones, 90 of which are located in Armenia. Their exact age remain unclear, but they do pre-date Christian Armenia, as Christian crosses have been carved across some of the original depictions of the dragon stones.

Answer: Ayrum

Ayrum is a town located on the banks of the Debed River (which runs through Armenia and Georgia), situated in the Tavush province of north-east Armenia. It is around 130 miles (205 km) from Armenia's capital, Yerevan. The town is also only around 6 miles (10 km) west of Armenia's border with Azerbaijan.

Also located on the Debed River, the town of Alaverdi is close to the Armenia-Georgia border, and had a direct train link there, however it is not quite as close to the border as just a mile away.

Answer: Gegharkunik

Located in the east of the country, Gegharkunik Province encompasses an area of 2,065 square miles (5,349 square km). Bordering Azerbaijan, the territory of Gegharkunik includes the exclave village of Artsvashen, which is surrounded by the territory of Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan has controlled and occupied Artsvashen since the First Nagorno-Karabakh War (1988-1994).

The capital of Gegharkunik Province is Gavar. Although Gegharkunik is the largest province of Armenia by area, around a quarter of its territory is covered by Lake Sevan, the largest lake in the country.

Answer: Artik

Lmbatavank is famous for the legend of the Turks trying to attack Armenia but the church on the hillside stopped the cannon firing each time, making the Turks miss their target. The foundation of the church was excavated in the 1950s, and Armenian stone carved crosses (also known as "khachkar") were discovered, as well as a cemetery dating back as far as the Bronze Age. Another legend states that when a robber was convinced to return the church door he had stolen from Lmbatavank, once he returned to the church he could not remove it from his back, cursed for daring to rob from it.

Artik is situated on the north-western end of Mount Aragats, in the Shirak Province. It is around 40 miles (70 km) away from the capital, Yerevan. The town is famous for its tufa stones, that is, limestone formed via the carbonate minerals that precipitate from ambient (room temperature) water. The stones are often pink.

Answer: Estonia

Tallinn is the capital of Estonia. Armenia has a town named Talin.

Situated on the west end of Mount Aragats, Talin is known for the Cathedral of Talin, a well preserved 7th century cathedral. Armenia's capital, Yerevan, is located around 40 miles (70 km) south-east of Talin. It is one of the oldest places for recorded human habitation in Armenia.

Answer: Luma

The word "dram" translates to "money" in English. The dram had been used as silver coins from as early as the 1100s. Once the Soviets had taken over the country, Soviet money was legal tender in Armenia until around 1993. Armenia minted the first ever commemorative coins of the country in 1994.

In 2001, a commemorative 50,000 dram note was created in order to honor the 1700th anniversary of the adoption of Christianity in Armenia.

Answer: Hrazdan Stadium

Built in 1970, the Hrazdan Stadium is located in Yerevan and currently has a seating capacity for just over 54,000 people. It used to be able to hold 70,000, however the stadium was renovated in 1999, making it an all-seater as opposed to having fans stand in certain parts of the ground.

The stadium's first event was a football match in 1971, where F.C. Ararat Yerevan triumphed over F.C. Kairat Almaty by 3-0 with 78,000 fans in attendance.

Answer: Iran

The Armenia-Iran border is only 27 miles (44 km) long. The primary crossing is the Armenian village of Agarak in the Syunik Province in the south of Armenia, and the village of Nurduz in Iran.

Armenia's longest border is with Azerbaijan, at around 350 miles (565 km) long. This includes the territory of the breakaway state, the Republic of Artsakh.

Answer: Tavush

Situated in the north-east of the country, Tavush Province has Georgia lying to its north, and Azerbaijan lies east. The province is mountainous and hilly, sometimes coined Armenia's "Little Switzerland." Tavush features the Berdavan Fortress, built around the 10th century, near the border with Azerbaijan.

Shirak Province does border two other countries also, but it borders Turkey and Georgia. Lori Province borders Georgia.

Answer: Chess

Since 2011, all children in Armenia between the ages of 6-8 undertake compulsory chess lessons at school. Armenia has a long history with chess, with Soviet Armenian, Tigran Petrosian, holding the title of World Chess Champion from 1963-1969. He was nicknamed "Iron Petrosian" because of his style of playing which focused mainly on defense, his wall of pieces being almost impenetrable.

The education industry in Armenia insists that including chess in their curriculum as a compulsory subject is about building character of the students, rather than producing a nation of chess champions.

Answer: Shakira

Armenia and Azerbaijan have long been rivals. Shakira (from Colombia) was unaware that she was carrying the Colombian flag upside down. This accidental colour rearrangement meant that the Colombian flag appeared as the Armenian flag, to the fury and puzzlement of Azerbaijan, but Armenia in general found the incident hilarious, and Shakira has been appreciated for her gaffe amongst Armenians ever since.