Background: Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885,
Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1925. It achieved its
independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President NIYAZOV
retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not tolerated.
Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this
underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects can be worked
out.
Government
type: republic
Capital: Ashgabat
Currency: 1 Turkmen manat (TMM) = 100 tenesi
Geography of Turkmenistan
Location: Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 60 00 E
Area:
total: 488,100 sq km
land: 488,100 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Land boundaries:
total: 3,736 km
border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan
1,621 km
Coastline: 0 km
note: Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: subtropical desert
Terrain: flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the
south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m (note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in north
eastern Turkmenistan whose water levels fluctuate widely; at its shallowest, its level is
-110 m; it is presently at -60 m, 20 m above Vpadina Akchanaya)
highest point: Ayrybaba 3,139 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt
Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 63%
forests and woodland: 8%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 13,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Environment - current issues: 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
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: 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.
People of Turkmenistan
Population: 4,952,081 (July 2005 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 38%
15-64 years: 58%
65 years and over: 4%
Population growth rate: 1.87%
Birth rate: 28.88 births/1,000 population
Death rate: 9.04 deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: -1.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: 73.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 60.91 years
male: 57.29 years
female: 64.71 years
Total fertility rate: 3.63 children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Turkmen(s)
adjective: Turkmen
Ethnic groups: Turkmen 77%, Uzbek 9.2%, Russian 6.7%, Kazakh 2%, other 5.1%
(1995)
Religions: Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Languages: Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 97% (1989 est.)
SOURCE: The World Factbook |