Armenia has a dearth of quality maps. The best quality maps are usually marked "Top Secret" and called military maps, and there is an idea in official circles that the average Joe will spend hundreds (or thousands) of dollars to get what they can download from the Internet (go to www.nasa.gov and look under satellite photos and maps) for free. Unlike in Russia, Armenian cities and towns were not eliminated to prevent "spying", but the kind of map that we consider minimal is treated as State property. Naturally there are no current transport or walking tour maps.

Fortunately Armenia is such a small country with so many helpful people it is almost impossible to get lost, and even the most rudimentary maps do get you where you’re going. As tourism increases, the "secret maps" will begin to be massed produced and sold. Already, two quite adequate maps (1 centimeter = 5 kilometers) of Armenia and Mountainous Karabakh were printed in 1994 (the topographical map is in Armenian), and can be found at some shops and in the Vernisage (about $10). They are meant to be wall maps, so you either roll and stuff and fold and stuff as you travel.

This year a new folding Yerevan City map in English was produced for the Chess Olympiad. It shows both the center and the outlying sections of the city. Available at newspaper kiosks for 2000 AMD.

Maps in Armenia
Simple maps of Armenia and Yerevan are available in Russian (a few in English) at most newspaper kiosks ("terteri kerpak") in the center of Yerevan, Giumri and Vanadzor. City maps are called "Karaki Kartez", regional maps, "Sherjani Kartez," and for Armenia, "Hayastani Kartez." Prices vary between a few hundred drams and $5. In Yerevan, street side sellers at Vernisage and in the park by Metro Yeredasardakan (the corner of Terian and Isahakian Streets), sell the two mentioned above as well as large USSR, Soviet Armenia, and Historical Armenia Maps, as well as some tourist books from the Soviet era. An interesting map showing the locations of historic monuments throughout Armenia is available at Echmiadzin and Vernisage. One of the cheapest places in Yerevan to buy maps and books is at the Map and Book shop by Armenian Airlines Town Office on Moskovian Street (next to the statue of Toumanian in front of Cascade). They have the two better maps, historic maps, and a map showing Armenian communities in Georgia.

Other Yerevan shops are at the book store on Mashtots Avenue by Pharmacy #10 (it has a bronze owl as part of the entrance decor), one at Mashtots and Pavstos Biusand (across from Aviatrans), at 25, Abovian Street, and the Knigi shop between the US Embassy and the Academy of Sciences.

In Vanadzor and Giumri, there are cheaper book shops that also stock old maps, but the selection is limited. Armenian Airline flights sometimes stocks "Welcome to Zvartnotz and Armenia" maps in the pockets of their seats. They are low on grammar, but OK starter maps for Yerevan. If you can get a good map before you come, grab it, as the hunt for maps means you may need a map in the first place!

Maps Outside Armenia
If you begin from Moscow or St. Petersburg, visit one of the Dom Knigi map departments. They are all in Cyrillic, but they are really decent enough to use, and much cheaper than in Armenia. Also visit Atlas on Kuznetsky Most and Knigi at 20 Kuznetsky Most, both of which have tourist maps that should include the Caucasus.

For shops in the USA, see the various listings under Book Sources. Brentano’s, Border Books and the larger Walton Books have map sections that include the CIS.

Bartholomew, Freytag and Berndt both have CIS folding maps, which can be more frustrating than illuminating, since Armenia is stuck in one little corner of the whole plan.

In England, try Collets and Edward Stanford (see Bookshops Outside Armenia).

The State Ministry for Media and Information controls the Print and Broadcast Media. The media has gone through several stages of growing independence and there is an independent news agency that has managed to navigate the stormy waters, with promise of further loosening of the strings. Since the only papers in English are either weekly or monthly, it will be more likely (and more interesting) to catch up on local news via the most efficient news source in the country: the neighborhood gossip line.

Armenian, Russian Language Print Media
There are a myriad of Armenian papers printed in Armenia, and while most are weeklies or monthlies, and their quality is mixed, a few are standouts for serious in-depth reporting and more independent editor policies. Noyan Tapan (which has a web page on www.arminco.com), publishes a daily Armenian paper, and has English translation of news stories in its online archives. Other dailies include Hayastani Hanrapetutun (official government view), Leragir and Azg (Left of Center view point), Lousavoritch, Haya, Debrotz, Jependats, Gnats, Zinfor, PAS, Hayastan, Molorak, Yerekoyan Yerevan, Aravot, Haik, Nzhar, Oolik, Grkakan Tert, Ira Vunk, Aysor, Inch Vordegh Yerp, and Sensatsa. Football and Football Plus are two sports papers. Two journals are Armenii & Mir and Sport (both in Russian). Three recent upstarts that are becoming popular are Avant Garde, Express and Hayereniki Zain. Russian language papers printed in Armenia include Respublika Armenie, Golos Armeni (reputed to be the most independent paper), Komsomolskaya Pravda and Vremya.

At Metro Stations and at newspaper kiosks ("terteri kerpak"), you can find the more in-depth and serious Russian dailies Argumenty i Fakty, and Isvestia, plus two popular papers Chastnaya Zhizn (Private Life) and Spid-Info (Speed Info.). Metro Stations also carry various Russian scandal rags and trash dailies (featuring "I saw Elvis in Yeltsin’s Bedroom" lead-in stories). The Russian version of Cosmopolitan is sold at Vernisage.

A sign of change is the beginning of journals devoted to advertising, which are distributed at kiosks, stores and restaurants. They advertise the more expensive places to spend your money, but they also make searching for the pizzeria a little easier. Among them are 02 and Gind , and a Russian, Armenian and English advertising paper published and distributed by Garant (56-14-65, 58-28-53), 16, Abovian Street.

Another sign of change (and man’s best friend’s emerging status) is the beginning of a new journal devoted to dogs, Zangi Zrangi. The paper is in Armenian, features humor, stories, poetry and pictures, is printed in volumes, and available at kiosks in Yerevan and Giumri for 250 AMD. For more information or subscriptions, call ((374-2) 23-54-40), and ask for Tiko.

Giumri and Vanadzor have their own local papers in addition to carrying the papers mentioned above. Giumri’s weekly (once was a daily) is called Kumairi.

English Language Print Media
Noyan Tapan prints and distributes a weekly newspaper, which is available at its office in the News Agency Building across from the Circus. A few companies crop up peddling the odd monthly news digest, but all have failed to capture a readership.

There is not a large enough readership to justify selling International papers or magazines at hotels or on the street, but if you’re going to be here a while, or just have to have the latest copy of The International Herald Tribune, The Wall Street Journal, Time or Newsweek International, U.S. News and World Report, or French and German newspapers and dailies, contact the EMS Office ((374-2) 58-47-50, 56-74-80), 25 Sarian Street (caticorner from the Ministry of Communications/ Armentel building; open from 9-5 Mon-Fri, and 10-2 on Sat.), and order a copy. They bring them in once a week from Moscow or Paris, and cost between $2.50-$5.00 per issue. If they have any extra’s, they can sell them from the office.

Lratar ((374-2) 58-99-42) has over 300 titles of newspapers, journals and magazines it can order in from Moscow. Languages include English, French, German, Italian, Norwegian and Dutch. Topics cover news, fashion, sports, computers, women's, even home decorating. Takes a week to deliver, but if you want to catch up on Madonna's latest antics in four languages, call these guys.

Another option is to visit the USIS library located in the US EMbassy or the library at the American University of Armenia at 40 Baghramian Street (M: Marshal Baghramian). They stock English language newspapers, magazines and journals, as well as about 5,000 English language books. The books can be checked out, but all periodicals are in-house reading only.

Outside of Armenia, contact one the organizations in Book Sources for newspapers, journals and other print media published outside of Armenia.

Armenian, Russian Language TV
While the invasion of the market system clouds the viewer’s vision with tasteless commercials between mediocre to so-strange-it’s-fascinating programming on the Armenian television networks, most people turn their channels to ORT and RTR, the two Russian Federation Channels. ORT is the Russian National Television network, and its quality has surged in recent years to where there is no difference in quality between it and Western Networks. The same has happened with RTR. Both feature popular entertainment, dubbed foreign films, news and in-depth talk shows.

The technological surge in Russia has escaped Armenia and the thousands made on advertising hasn’t resulted in any investment into quality. Production values are akin to the public access channels on cable TV: the fun is watching how bad it can be. Haykakan Kanal Mek (1) is the main channel in the country, and varies between lengthy talk shows, concerts, traditional Armenian music and dance, and Russian or Armenian dubbed spectacles and adventure films. Nork Kanal (2) is the king of pirated movies dubbed in Russian. An evening of their fare will show you where all those B-grade movies that failed in the West ended up. A new upstart commercial channel is A1, (channel 37).

Giumri and Vanadzor have their own local channels, with Giumri setting the Armenian trend for most eclectic programming, with three local channels (Shirak, Zaik and Shant ), two national (Haykakan Mek and Nork ), and 4 Turkish channels. Yerevan can reach two Turkish channels.

English and Other Language TV
Satellite TV channels include CNN, BBC, MTV, French Canal 5, German, Italian and Spanish language channels, as well as broadcasting from the Middle East. Some hotel lobbies, the US Embassy, the USIS information center (at the Embassy), and certain bars or restaurants have satellite connections. Invariably the channel will be turned to Sports or reruns of "I Dream of Jeanie".

Armenian, Russian, English and French Language Radio
Most people think it’s an intercom, a battery charger, or a poorly disguised KGB bugging system. They are those boxes hung on the walls of the hotel rooms, offices and in people’s homes, and they are part of the largest radio network in the world, a vestige of the Soviet days, when the State tried to control everyone’s access to the news. They ran a single wire to everyone’s home, dispensing with the risk of wireless radios. Local channels and national broadcast channels (Armenian and Russian) are still broadcast on this network, and the variety of music ranges from classical to traditional to mild rock, with local, Russian and Voice of America news hours.

Several FM-Radio stations have recently began broadcasting in Armenia. An all French-Armenian music and talk radio in Yerevan is at 102.25 FM. Also in Yerevan is HAI FM (105.5), which began broadcasting three years as the brainstorm of a Peace Corps volunteer. It broadcasts music that is more pop oriented, including Russian rock and subscribes to the Voice of America Europe system. The DJ’s tend to imitate American IN-YOUR-FACE radio Rambos, without any understanding of what they are saying. A newer Yerevan FM-station (106.5), has a good mix of music, and a minimum of talk. They will play entire albums by Aretha Franklin, U 2, B. B. King, Maria Callas, Dango Reinhardt, Smashing Pumpkins and Broadway Musicals within a few hours. A pleasant surprise in Armenia.

"Radio Nostlagie" at FM 107.6 plays the oldies and goodies. The language is a mixture of Russian and Armenian, but the music is pure classic rock and roll.

The Moscow Russian radio station "Mayak" broadcasts on 702 AM. Giumri has the first FM-Station to open in Armenia (105 FM), which plays an eclectic mix of music, news and talk. They also carry the Moscow channel, and the national Armenian radio channels.

Short wave freaks can find the BBC World Service at 9.410, 12.095 and 15.1 MHz (you have to fine-tune as the evening progresses); Voice of America at 15.2-15.5 MHz; and Iranian News at 13.7 on Sunday afternoons.