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.
Between 1929 and 1995, Armenia's administrative subdivisions consisted of up to 37 raions (districts, in Armenian shrjan) and 22 cities. Originally formed from the territory of the tsarist uezds (counties) between 24 June 1929 and 1930, the districts of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic and later the independent Republic of Armenia were combined on 11 April 1995 into ten provinces known as marzes, in addition to Yerevan which, being the capital of the country, was granted a special administrative status. Prior to the establishment of the raions, Soviet Armenia consisted of nine uezds, three of which (Dilijan, Meghri, and Lori-Pambak) were formed after the Sovietization of Armenia and the 1921 delineation of the South Caucasian republics' frontiers.
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.
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.
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.