Armenia

Armenia lies immediately south of the great Caucasus Mountain range. Armenia's rugged topography, and the fact that its plateau lies at the meeting point of different biogeographical regions, has resulted in a great diversity of landscapes. Although Armenia is a small country, it boasts more plant species than the vast Russian plains. There are five altitudinal vegetation zones: semi-desert, steppe, forest, alpine meadows and high-altitude tundra. The semi-desert landscape consists of a gently rolling plain covered with sparse vegetation, mainly sage scrub. Wild boar, wildcat, jackal, viper, gurza, scorpion and less frequently, leopard inhabit this area. Armenia is dominated by steppes, which is covered with drought-tolerant grasses, while the hillsides are covered with thorny shrubs and juniper. The forest belt is located in the southeastern part of Armenia, where humidity is high. The northeastern forests, which cover almost one tenth of Armenia, are mostly beech. In the southeastern areas, where the climate is drier, oak forests dominate, while hackberry, pistachio and honeysuckle grow in the lower part of the forest belt. The fauna is represented by the Syrian Bear, Wild Cat, lynx and squirrel. Birds such as woodpeckers and robins are abundant. The alpine zone lies above 6,600 ft, where the stunted grass provides good summer grazing. The fauna is rich, abundant birdlife includes the Mountain Turkey, the Horned Lark and the Bearded Vulture, while the mountains are also home to the Bezoar Goat and the Mouflon. Finally, the alpine tundra, with sparse cushion vegetation, covers only limited mountainous areas and lonely peaks.