Yerevan is the capital and largest city of Armenia as well as one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. It is situated on the Hrazdan River, 14 miles from the Turkish frontier. Though first historically recorded in 607 ce, Yerevan dates by archaeological evidence to a settlement on the site in the 6th–3rd millennia bce and subsequently to the fortress of Yerbuni in 783 bce. From the 6th century bce it formed part of the Armenian kingdom. Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and industrial center of the country. It has been the capital since 1918, the fourteenth in the history of Armenia and the seventh located in or around the Ararat plain. The city also serves as the seat of the Araratian Pontifical Diocese; the largest diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church and one of the oldest dioceses in the world.The history of Yerevan dates back to the 8th century BC, with the founding of the fortress of Erebuni in 782 BC by king Argishti I at the western extreme of the Ararat plain. Erebuni was «designed as a great administrative and religious centre, a fully royal capital.» By the late ancient Armenian Kingdom, new capital cities were established and Yerevan declined in importance. Under Iranian and Russian rule, it was the center of the Erivan Khanate from 1736 to 1828 and the Erivan Governorate from 1850 to 1917, respectively. After World War I, Yerevan became the capital of the First Republic of Armenia as thousands of survivors of the Armenian Genocide in the Ottoman Empire arrived in the area.

The city expanded rapidly during the 20th century as Armenia became part of the Soviet Union. In a few decades, Yerevan was transformed from a provincial town within the Russian Empire to Armenia's principal cultural, artistic, and industrial center, as well as becoming the seat of national government. With the growth of the Armenian economy, Yerevan has undergone major transformation. Much construction has been done throughout the city since the early 2000s, and retail outlets such as restaurants, shops, and street cafés, which were rare during Soviet times, have multiplied. As of 2011, the population of Yerevan was 1,060,138, just over 35% of the Republic of Armenia's total population. According to the official estimate of 2016, the current population of the city is 1,073,700.

Yerevan was named the 2012 World Book Capital by UNESCO. Yerevan is an associate member of Eurocities.Of the notable landmarks of Yerevan, Erebuni Fortress is considered to be the birthplace of the city, the Katoghike Tsiranavor church is the oldest surviving church of Yerevan and Saint Gregory Cathedral is the largest Armenian cathedral in the world, Tsitsernakaberd is the official memorial to the victims of the Armenian Genocide, and several opera houses, theatres, museums, libraries, and other cultural institutions. Yerevan Opera Theatre is the main spectacle hall of the Armenian capital, the National Gallery of Armenia is the largest art museum in Armenia and shares a building with the History Museum of Armenia, and the Matenadaran repository contains one of the largest depositories of ancient books and manuscripts in the world.

• The total land area of Yerevan is 86 square miles (223 square kilometres)
• Yerevan’s population was 1,075,000 in 2016 which gives it a population density of around 12,400 residents per square mile
  It is located 3,246 ft above sea level
• It enjoys a semi-arid climate with long, hot summers, followed by short and cold winters, a high temperature range and an average annual temperature of 12.4°C
• Yerevan is known as the ‘pink city’. This is due to the wonderful natural colour of the historic buildings which were made from naturally coloured volcanic rock
• Armenia welcomed 1,204,000 tourists into the country in 2014, many of whom visited Yerevan for its wonderful mix of tradition and modern prosperity which is evident in every area of life
   

Yerevan has been the capital of Armenia since the independence of the First Republic in 1918. Situated in the Ararat plain, the historic lands of Armenia, it served as the best logical choice for capital of the young republic at the time. When Armenia became a republic of the Soviet Union, Yerevan remained as capital and accommodated all the political and diplomatic institutions in the republic. In 1991 with the independence of Armenia, Yerevan continued with its status as the political and cultural centre of the country, being home to all the national institutions: the Government House, the National Assembly, the Presidential Palace, the Central Bank, the Constitutional Court, all ministries, judicial bodies and other government organizations.

The first city council formed was headed by Hovhannes Ghorghanyan, who became the first mayor of Yerevan. The Constitution of the Republic of Armenia adopted on 5 July 1995, granted Yerevan the status of a marz .

Therefore, Yerevan functions similarly to the provinces of Armenia with a few specifications.

The mayor, appointed by the President upon the recommendation of the Prime Minister, alongside a group of four deputy mayors heading eleven ministries , the Yerevan City Council, regrouping the Heads of community districts under the authority of the mayor, twelve “community districts”, with each having its own leader and their elected councils.Yerevan has a principal city hall and twelve deputy mayors of districts.

The first election of the Yerevan City Council took place in 2009 and won by the ruling Republican Party of Armenia.In addition to the national police and road police, Yerevan has its own municipal police. All three bodies cooperate to maintain law in the city. Yerevan is divided into twelve «administrative districts» each with an elected leader.
 

As of 2013, the share of Yerevan in the annual total industrial product of Armenia is 41%.The industry of Yerevan is quite diversified including chemicals, primary metals and steel products, machinery, rubber products, plastics, rugs and carpets, textiles, clothing and footwear, jewellery, wood products and furniture, building materials and stone-processing, alcoholic beverages, mineral water, dairy product and processed food. Even though the economic crisis of the '90s ravaged the industry of the country, several factories remain always in service, notably in the petrochemical and the aluminium sectors. Armenian beverages, especially Armenian cognac and beer, have a worldwide fame. Hence, Yerevan is home to many leading enterprises of Armenia and the Caucasus for the production of alcoholic beverages, such as the Yerevan Ararat Brandy Factory, Yerevan Brandy Company, Yerevan Champagne Wines Factory, «Beer of Yerevan» brewery, Armco Brandy Factory, Proshyan Brandy Factory and Astafian Wine-Brandy Factory. The 2 tobacco producers in Yerevan are the «Cigaronne» and «Grand Tabak» companies.Carpet industry in Armenia has a deeply rooted history with ancient traditions, therefore, carpet production is rather developed in Yerevan with three major factories that also produce hand-made rugs.The «Megerian Carpet» factory is the leading in this sector.

Other major plants in the city include the «Nairit» chemical and rubber plant, Rusal Armenal aluminum foil mill, «Grand Candy» Armenian-Canadian confectionery manufacturers, «Arcolad» chocolate factory, «Marianna» factory for dairy products, «Talgrig Group» for wheat and flour products, «Shant» ice cream factory, «Crown Chemicals» for paints, «ATMC» travertine mining company, Yerevan Watch Factory «AWI watches», Yerevan Jewellry Plant, and the mineral water factories of «Arzni», «Sil», and «Dilijan Frolova». As an attractive outsourcing location for Western European, Russian and American multinationals, Yerevan headquarters many international companies. It is Armenia's financial hub, being home to the Central Bank of Armenia, the Armenian Stock Exchange , as well as the majority of the country's largest commercial banks.

As of 2013, the city dominates over 85% of the annual total services in Armenia, as well as over 84% of the annual total retail trade. Many subsidiaries of Russian service companies and banks operate in Yerevan, including Gazprom, Ingo Armenia, Rosgosstrakh and VTB Bank. The ACBA-Credit Agricole is a subsidiary of the French Crédit Agricole, while the HSBC Bank Armenia is also operating in Yerevan.

The construction sector has experienced a significant growth during the 1st decade of the 21st century. Many major construction projects has been conducted in Yerevan, such as the Northern Avenue and the rehabilitation of Old Yerevan on Aram Street. The Northern Avenue is completed and was opened in 2007, while the Old Yerevan project is still under development. In the past few years, the city centre has also witnessed major road reconstruction, as well as the renovation of the Republic square, funded by the American-Armenian billionaire Kirk Kerkorian. On the other hand, the Argentina-based Armenian businessman Eduardo Eurnekian took over the airport, while the cascade development project was funded by the US based Armenian millionaire Gerard L. Cafesjian.

However, the sector has significantly dropped by the end of the 1st decade of the 21st century, as a result of the global real estate crisis in 2007–09. In 2013, Yerevan dominated over 58% of the annual total construction sector of Armenia.

In February 2017, the urban development committee of the government revealed its plans for the upcoming major construction projects in the city.
 

Yerevan is served by the Zvartnots International Airport, located 12 kilometres west of the city center. It is the primary airport of the country. Inaugurated in 1961 during the Soviet era, Zvartnots airport was renovated for the first time in 1985 and a second time in 2002 in order to adapt to international norms. It went through a facelift starting in 2004 with the construction of a new terminal. The first phase of the construction ended in September 2006 with the opening of the arrivals zone. A second section designated for departures was inaugurated in May 2007. The departure terminal is anticipated, October 2011 housing state of the art facilities and technology. This will make Yerevan Zvartnots International Airport, the largest, busiest and most modern airport in the entire Caucasus. Currently there are no national airlines operating in Armenia. The entire project costs more than US$100 million.

A second airport, Erebuni Airport, is located just south of the city. Since the independence, «Erebuni» is mainly used for military or private flights. The Armenian Air Force has equally installed its base there and there are several MiG-29s stationed on Erebuni's tarmac. Public transport in Yerevan is heavily privatized and mostly handled by around 60 private operators. But the 50.4% of public transit is still served by «public vans», locally known as marshrutka. These are about 1210 Russian-made GAZelle vans with 13 seats, that operate same way as buses, having 79 different lines with certain routes and same stops. According to Yerevan Municipality office, in future, marshrutkas should be replaced by ordinary larger buses. Despite having about 13 seats, the limit of passengers is not controlled, so usually these vans carry many more people who stand inside.

The Yerevan trolleybus system has been operating since 1949. Some old Soviet-era trolleybuses have been replaced with comparably new ones. As of May 2017, only 5 trolleybus lines are in operation , with around 45 units in service. The trolleybus system is owned and operated by the municipality.

The tram network that operated in Yerevan since 1906 was decommissioned in January 2004. Its operation had a cost 2.4 times higher than the generated profits, which pushed the municipality to shut down the network, despite a last-ditch effort to save it towards the end of 2003. Since the closure, the rails have been dismantled and sold.

Due to being dispersed among dozens of private operators, the transportation is barely regulated, with only trip fee is being a subject of regulation. Thus, the quality of vehicles is often inadequate, with no certain regulations for safety. Unlike the majority of world capitals, there is no established ticketing system in Yerevan's public transportation. The central station in Nor Kilikia neighborhood serves as bus terminal for inter-city transport, serving outbound routes towards practically all the cities of Armenia as well as abroad, notably Tbilisi and Tabriz.

The Yerevan Metro named after Karen Demirchyan, is a rapid transit system that serves the capital city since 1981. It has a single line of 12.1 km length with 10 active stations and 45 units in service. The interiors of the stations resemble that of the former western Soviet nations, with chandeliers hanging from the corridors. The metro stations had most of their names changed after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of the Republic of Armenia. A northeastern extension of the line with two new stations is currently being developed. The construction of the first station and of the one-kilometre tunnel linking it to the rest of the network will cost US$18 million. The time of the end of the project has not yet been defined. Another long-term project is the construction of two new lines, but these have been suspended due to lack of finance. The system transports more than 60,000 people on a daily basis.

Yerevan has a single central railway station that is connected to the metro via the Sasuntsi Davit station. The railway station is made in Soviet-style architecture with its long point on the building roof, representing the symbols of communism: red star, hammer and sickle. Due to the Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades of Armenia, there is only one international train that passes by once every two days, with neighboring Georgia being its destination. For example, for a sum of 9 000 to 18 000 dram, it is possible to take the night train to the Georgian capital, Tbilisi.

This train then continues to its destination of Batumi, on the shores of the Black sea in the summer season. The only railway that goes to Iran to the south passes by the closed border of Nakhichevan.