Shirak Province
|
Shirak Շիրակ |
|
|---|---|
| Province | |
 Location of Shirak within Armenia |
|
| Coordinates: 40°50′N 43°55′E / 40.833°N 43.917°ECoordinates: 40°50′N 43°55′E / 40.833°N 43.917°E | |
| Country | Armenia |
|
Capital and largest city |
Gyumri |
| Government | |
| • Governor | Felix Tsolakyan (2013-) |
| Area | |
| • Total | 2,681 km2 (1,035 sq mi) |
| Area rank | 6th |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 251,941 |
| • Rank | 2nd |
| Time zone | AMT (UTC+04) |
| Postal code | 2601–3126 |
| ISO 3166 code | AM-SH |
| FIPS 10-4 | AM07 |
| Website | Official website |
Shirak (Armenian: , Armenian pronunciation: [ʃiˈɾɑk]), is a province (marz) of Armenia. It is located in the north-west of the country, bordering Turkey in the west and Georgia in the north. Its capital and largest city is Gyumri. It is as much semi-desert as it is mountain meadow or high alpine. In the south, the high steppes crash into mountain terrain, verdant green in the spring, hues of reddish brown in the summer. The province is served by the Shirak International Airport of Gyumri.
Shirak Province is named after the Shirak canton of the historic Ayrarat province of Ancient Armenia, ruled by the Kamsarakan noble family between the 3rd and 8th centuries.
According to Movses Khorenatsi, the name Shirak is derived from Shara, who was the great grandson of Hayk the legendary patriarch and founder of the Armenian nation. However, according to the Shirak Regional Museum, many historians assume that the name is derived from the name Eriakhi found in an ancient Urartian cuneiform, where king Argishti I narrated about his invasion of the land of Eriakhi.
Shirak Province occupies the northwestern part of Armenia and covers an area of 2,681 km2 (1,035 sq mi) (9% of total area of Armenia). It has borders with Lori Province from the east, Aragatsotn Province from the south, Kars Province of Turkey from the west and Samtskhe-Javakheti region of Georgia from the north.
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Wikipedia