Armenia is subdivided into eleven administrative divisions. Of these, ten are provinces, known as marzer (մարզեր) or in the singular form marz (մարզ) in Armenian.
Yerevan is treated separately and granted special administrative status as the country's capital. The chief executive in each of 10 marzes is the marzpet, appointed by the government of Armenia. In Yerevan, the chief executive is the mayor, elected by the Yerevan City Council.
A raion (also spelt rayon) is a type of administrative unit of several post-Soviet states. The term is used for both a type of subnational entity and a division of a city. The word is from the French rayon (meaning 'honeycomb, department'), and is commonly translated as 'district' in English.
A raion is a standardized administrative entity across most of the former Soviet Union and is usually a subdivision two steps below the national level, such as a subdivision of an oblast. However, in smaller USSR republics, it could be the primary level of administrative division. After the fall of the Soviet Union, some of the republics kept the raion (e.g. Azerbaijan, Belarus, Ukraine, Russia, Moldova, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan) while others dropped it (e.g. Georgia, Uzbekistan, Estonia, Latvia, Armenia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan).
Shirak (Armenian: Շիրակ, Armenian pronunciation: [ʃiˈɾɑk] ) is a province (marz) of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering the provinces of Lori to the east and Aragatsotn to the south and southeast, and the countries of Turkey to the west and Georgia to the north. Its capital and largest city is Gyumri, which is the second largest city in Armenia. It is as much semi-desert as it is mountain meadow or high alpine. In the south, the high steppes merge into mountain terrain, being verdant green in the spring, with hues of reddish brown in the summer. The province is served by the Shirak International Airport of Gyumri.
Lori (Armenian: Լոռի, Armenian pronunciation: [lɔˈri] ) is a province (marz) of Armenia. It is located in the north of the country, bordering Georgia. Vanadzor is the capital and largest city of the province. Other important towns include Stepanavan, Alaverdi, and Spitak. It is home to the UNESCO World Heritage Sites of Haghpat and Sanahin monasteries and the well-preserved Akhtala monastery.
The province was heavily damaged during the 1988 Armenian earthquake.
Vayots Dzor (Armenian: Վայոց Ձոր, Armenian pronunciation: [vɑjˌɔt͡sʰ ˈd͡zɔɾ] ) is a province (marz) of Armenia. It lies at the southeastern end of the country, bordering the Nakhchivan exclave of Azerbaijan to the west and the Kalbajar District of Azerbaijan to the east. It covers an area of 2,308 km (891 sq mi). Known for its mountainous terrain, Vayots Dzor is Armenia's most sparsely populated province, with a population was 47,369 in the 2022 census, down from 52,324 at the 2011 census. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Yeghegnadzor.
A major wine-producing region in Armenia, Vayots Dzor is home to many ancient landmarks and historical attractions. Among them are the Areni-1 cave complex and Areni-1 winery of the Chalcolithic period, the 8th-century Tanahat Monastery, the 10th-century fortress of Smbataberd, and the 13th-century monastery of Noravank. The province is also home to the spa-town of Jermuk and the village of Gladzor, known for the 13th and 14th-century University of Gladzor.
Kotayk (Armenian: Կոտայք, Armenian pronunciation: [kɔˈtɑjkʰ] ), is a province (marz) of Armenia. It is located at the central part of the country. Its capital is Hrazdan and the largest city is Abovyan. It is named after the Kotayk canton of the historic Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia.
Kotayk is bordered by Lori Province from the northwest, Tavush Province from the north, Gegharkunik Province from the north, Aragatsotn Province from the southwest, and Ararat Province from the southwest and the capital Yerevan from the west. Kotayk is the only province in Armenia that has no borders with foreign countries.
Ararat (Armenian: Արարատ, Armenian pronunciation: [ɑɾɑˈɾɑt] ) is a province (marz) of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is the town of Artashat.
The province is named after the biblical Mount Ararat. It is bordered by Turkey from the west and Azerbaijan's Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic from the south. It surrounds the Karki exclave of Nakhichevan which has been controlled by Armenia since its capture in May 1992 during the First Nagorno-Karabakh War. Domestically, Ararat is bordered by Armavir Province from the northwest, Kotayk Province from the north, Gegharkunik Province from the east, Vayots Dzor Province from the southeast and the city of Yerevan from the north.
Gegharkunik (Armenian: Գեղարքունիք, Armenian pronunciation: [ɡɛʁɑɾkʰuˈnikʰ] ) is a province (marz) of Armenia. Its capital and largest city is Gavar. Gegharkunik is inhabited by approximately 209,669 people and the majority are ethnic Armenians.
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 5,348 km (2,065 sq mi), Gegharkunik is the largest province in Armenia. However, approximately 24% or 1,278 km (493 sq mi) of its territory is covered by Lake Sevan, the largest lake in the South Caucasus and a major tourist attraction of the region.
Tavush (Armenian: Տավուշ, Armenian pronunciation: [tɑˈvuʃ] ) is a province of Armenia located at the northeast of Armenia, bordered by Georgia from the north and Azerbaijan from the east. Internally, Tavush borders the Gegharkunik Province from the south, Kotayk Province from the southwest, and the Lori Province from west. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ijevan.
Aragatsotn (Armenian: Արագածոտն, Armenian pronunciation: [ɑɾɑɡɑˈt͡sɔtən] ) is a province (marz) of Armenia. It is located in the western part of the country. The capital and largest city of the province is the town of Ashtarak. The Statistical Committee of Armenia reported its population was 128,941 in the 2022 census.