Kotayk Province

Kotajk, also Kotayk, ( [kɔˈtɑjkʰ], Armenian Կոտայքի մարզ, in scientific transliteration Kotayk' marz) is one of the provinces of Armenia.

Kotajk is located in the center of the country. The capital of the province is Hrasdan. The area of the province is 2089 km² and the population is 245,324 (as of 2011).

Other towns besides Hrazdan are the somewhat larger Abovyan, Charenzavan and Zaghkadzor, the former urban-type settlements of Bjureghavan and Nor Hatschn, which were elevated to towns in the 1990s, and the former village of Yeghward, which was elevated to a town in the same period. In addition to these seven urban municipalities, there are 60 rural municipalities with a total of 62 villages; the largest villages (each with a population of over 5000) are Arindsh, Dzhvesh, Garni, Kassakh, Nor Geghi, and Sowuni (as of 2011). Until the 1990s, the present villages of Arsni (a resort) and Argel (as Lussakert) also had the status of urban-type settlements.

The province was formed during the administrative reorganization within the framework of decentralization in 1995 from the rajons Hrasdan and Kotajk (until 1990 Abowjan) existing since 1930 in the Armenian SSR of the Soviet Union, as well as the rajon Nairi spun off in 1972 and the rajon-free towns Abowjan, Hrasdan and Tscharenzawan. The Argel hydroelectric power plant is located in the area.

Tourist centers are the village of Garni with the temple of Garni and the monastery of Geghard, as well as the Armenian ski resort of Zaghkadsor. In the province are the monastery ruins Havuts Tar, Neghuz and Tejharuyk.

A brewery in Abovyan, very popular in Armenia, is named after the province, which is written in Latin letters corresponding to the English transcription Kotayk.

Administration breakdown

The Armenian province of Kotajk contains 42 municipalities, of which seven are urban and 35 are rural:

Rural communities and contained settlements: