World Facts Index
 Eastern
Turkmenistan for centuries formed part of the Persian province of Khurasan; in
medieval times Merv (today known as Mary) was one of the great cities of the
Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia between
1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved
independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Extensive
hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped
country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The
Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum
transportation routes to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. President for Life
Saparmurat NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first
multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Gurbanguly
BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a vice premier under NYYAZOW, emerged as the country's new
president.
Geography of Turkmenistan
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Location:
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Central Asia, bordering the
Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan |
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Coordinates:
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40 00 N, 60 00 E |
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Area:
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total: 488,100 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 488,100 sq km |
|
Area comparative:
|
slightly larger than
California |
|
Land boundaries:
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total: 3,736 km
border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379
km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km |
|
Coastline:
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0 km; note - Turkmenistan
borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km) |
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Climate:
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subtropical desert |
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Terrain:
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flat-to-rolling sandy
desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along
border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern
Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the
elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m)
highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m |
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Natural resources:
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petroleum, natural gas,
coal, sulfur, salt |
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Environment current issues:
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contamination of soil and
groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination,
water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea
pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into
irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral
Sea; desertification |
|
Geography - note:
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landlocked; the western and
central low-lying, desolate portions of the country make up the great
Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country;
eastern part is plateau
|
Population of Turkmenistan
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Population:
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5,179,571 (July 2008 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14 years: 35.2% (male 913,988/female 863,503)
15-64 years: 60.7% (male 1,501,486/female 1,557,155)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 79,227/female 127,561) |
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Median age:
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21.8 years |
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Growth rate:
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1.83% |
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Infant mortality:
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72.56 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
|
total population: 61.83 years
male: 58.43 years
female: 65.41 years |
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Fertility rate:
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3.37 children born/woman |
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Nationality:
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noun: Turkmen(s)
adjective: Turkmen |
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Ethnic groups:
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Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% |
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Religions:
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Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2% |
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Languages:
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Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other
7% |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.3%
female: 98.3%
|
Government
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Country name:
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conventional short form: Turkmenistan
former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Ashgabat |
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Administrative divisions:
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5 provinces (welayatlar, singular -
welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap
Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers
(exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) |
|
Independence:
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27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 27 October (1991) |
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Constitution:
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adopted 18 May 1992 |
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President Gurbanguly
BERDIMUHAMEDOW; note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term. |
|
Legislative branch:
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under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary
bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to
2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular vote and some of whom are appointed;
meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); membership is scheduled to be increased
to 65 seats |
|
Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the
president) |
Economy
Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive agriculture in
irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated
land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's 10th-largest producer.
Poor harvests in recent years have led to an almost 50% decline in cotton
exports. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally
based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic
reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient economy.
Privatization goals remain limited. From 1998-2005, Turkmenistan suffered from
the continued lack of adequate export routes for natural gas and from
obligations on extensive short-term external debt. At the same time, however,
total exports rose by an average of roughly 15% per year from 2003-07, largely
because of higher international oil and gas prices. Overall prospects in the
near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, a poor
educational system, government misuse of oil and gas revenues, and Ashgabat's
reluctance to adopt market-oriented reforms. In the past, Turkmenistan's
economic statistics were state secrets. The new government has established a
State Agency for Statistics, but GDP numbers and other figures are subject to
wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain.
Since his election, President BERDIMUHAMEDOW has sought to improve the health
and education systems, ordered unification of the country's dual currency
exchange rate, begun decreasing state subsidies for gasoline, signed an
agreement to build a gas line to China, and created a special tourism zone on
the Caspian Sea. All of these moves hint that the new post-NYYAZOW government
will work to create a friendlier foreign investment environment.
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GDP:
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$26.92 billion (2007 est.) |
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GDP growth rate:
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4% |
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GDP per capita:
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$8,000 |
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GDP composition by sector:
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agriculture: 20.9%
industry: 38%
services: 41.1% |
|
Inflation rate:
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10.5% |
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Labor force:
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2.32 million |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture: 48.2%
industry: 13.8%
services: 37% |
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Unemployment:
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60% |
|
Budget:
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revenues: $1.401 billion
expenditures: $1.542 billion |
|
Electricity production by source:
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fossil fuel: 99.9%
hydro: 0.1%
other: 0% |
|
Industries:
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natural gas, oil, petroleum products,
textiles, food processing |
|
Agriculture:
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cotton, grain; livestock |
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Exports:
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gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles |
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Export partners:
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Ukraine 44.7%, Iran 16.7%, Hungary 5.6% |
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Imports:
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machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs |
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Import partners:
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UAE 11.2%, Ukraine 10.5%, Turkey 9.4%, US 9.2%, Russia
9.2%, Iran 5.5%, Georgia 5.4%, Germany 5.4%, Kazakhstan 4.3% |
|
Currency:
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Turkmen manat (TMM) |
SOURCES: The CIA World Factbook, U.S. Department of State, Area Handbook of the US Library of Congress
Copyright 2004 - 2008 worldfacts.us |