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 NIYAZOV died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV, a former NIYAZOV aide, emerged as the country's new president.
Location
Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Geographic coordinates
40 00 N, 60 00 E
Map references
Asia
Area
total
488,100 sq km
land
488,100 sq km
water
NEGL
Area - comparative
slightly larger than California
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 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
Natural resources
petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Land use
arable land
4.51%
permanent crops
0.14%
other
95.35% (2005)
Irrigated land
18,000 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards
NA
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
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
5,097,028 (July 2007 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years
34.7% (male 900,718/female 866,930)
15-64 years
60.9% (male 1,537,638/female 1,567,049)
65 years and over
4.4% (male 97,454/female 127,239) (2007 est.)
Median age
total
22.3 years
male
21.7 years
female
22.9 years (2007 est.)
Population growth rate
1.617% (2007 est.)
Birth rate
25.36 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Death rate
6.17 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Net migration rate
-3.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth
1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years
1.039 male(s)/female
15-64 years
0.981 male(s)/female
65 years and over
0.766 male(s)/female
total population
0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Infant mortality rate
total
53.49 deaths/1,000 live births
male
57.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female
48.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population
68.3 years
male
65.23 years
female
71.54 years (2007 est.)
Total fertility rate
3.13 children born/woman (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate
less than 0.1% (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
less than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths
less than 100 (2004 est.)
Nationality
noun
Turkmen(s)
adjective
Turkmenistani
Ethnic groups
Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)
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
98.8%
male
99.3%
female
98.3% (1999 est.)
Country name
conventional long form
none
conventional short form
Turkmenistan
local long form
none
local short form
Turkmenistan
former
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Capital
name
Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)
geographic coordinates
37 57 N, 58 23 E
time difference
UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat) and 1 independent city*
Ahal Welayaty (Anew), 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
27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday
Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
Constitution
adopted 18 May 1992
Legal system
based on civil law system and Islamic law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch
chief of state
President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government
President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 14 February 2007)
cabinet
Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
elections
president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 11 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results
Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV elected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV 89.2%
Legislative branch
two parliamentary bodies, a People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some elected by popular vote and some appointed; meets at least yearly) and a National Assembly or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held in December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2008)
election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by the president
note: in late 2003, a law was adopted reducing the powers of the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the constitution or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of government
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT
note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; UDPT is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based in Moscow
Political pressure groups and leaders
NA
International organization participation
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission
Ambassador Murad Bairamovich ORAZOV
chancery
2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone
[1] (202) 588-1500
FAX
[1] (202) 588-0697
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission
Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jennifer L. BRUSH
embassy
No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000
mailing address
7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070
telephone
[993] (12) 35-00-45
FAX
[993] (12) 39-26-14
Flag description
green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the regions or velayats of Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe
Economy - overview
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 15% per year from 2003-06, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. In 2006, Ashgabat raised its natural gas export prices to its main customer, Russia, from $66 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm. 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 unwillingness to adopt market-oriented reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain. President BERDIMUHAMEDOV's election platform included plans to build a gas line to China, to complete the AmuDarya railroad bridge in Lebap province, and to create special border trade zones in southern Balkan province - a hint that the new post-NIYAZOV government will work to create a friendlier foreign investment environment.
GDP (purchasing power parity)
$42.84 billion (2006 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate)
$15.18 billion (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate
IMF estimate
6%
note
official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates are widely regarded as unreliable (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP)
$8,500 (2006 est.)
GDP - composition by sector
agriculture
24.4%
industry
33.9%
services
41.7% (2006 est.)
Labor force
2.32 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation
agriculture
48.2%
industry
13.8%
services
37% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate
60% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line
58% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share
lowest 10%
2.6%
highest 10%
31.7% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index
40.8 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
11% (2006 est.)
Investment (gross fixed)
28.8% of GDP (2006 est.)
Budget
revenues
$1.803 billion
expenditures
$2.063 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2006 est.)
UAE 13.6%, Azerbaijan 11.8%, Turkey 9.8%, Ukraine 8%, Russia 8%, Germany 6.8%, Iran 6.7%, China 5.6% (2006)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$3.518 billion (2006 est.)
Debt - external
$2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient
$16 million from the US (2001)
Currency (code)
Turkmen manat (TMM)
Currency code
TMM
Exchange rates
Turkmen manat per US$ - 11,100 (2006) official rate
note: in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 24,000 to 25,000 Turkmen manats to the dollar
Fiscal year
calendar year
Telephones - main lines in use
495,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular
52,000 (2004)
Telephone system
general assessment
poorly developed
domestic
Turkmenistan's telecommunications network remains woefully underdeveloped; Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign investors, is planning to upgrade the country's telephone exchanges and install a new digital switching system
international
country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat (2006)
Radio broadcast stations
AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios
1.225 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations
4 (government-owned and programmed) (2004)
Televisions
820,000 (1997)
Internet country code
.tm
Internet hosts
585 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)
1
Internet users
36,000 (2005)
Airports
29 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways
total
22
over 3,047 m
1
2,438 to 3,047 m
11
1,524 to 2,437 m
8
914 to 1,523 m
2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total
7
1,524 to 2,437 m
2
914 to 1,523 m
1
under 914 m
4 (2006)
Heliports
1 (2006)
Pipelines
gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2006)
Railways
total
2,440 km
broad gauge
2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2005)
Roadways
total
24,000 km
paved
19,488 km
unpaved
4,512 km (1999)
Waterways
1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006)
Ground Forces, Artillery and Rocket Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Manpower available for military service
males age 18-49
1,132,833
females age 18-49
1,162,569 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service
males age 18-49
759,978
females age 18-49
940,179 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually
males age 18-49
56,532
females age 18-49
55,413 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP
3.4% (2005 est.)
Disputes - international
cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005, but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran, and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate the sea's waters and seabed
Refugees and internally displaced persons
refugees (country of origin): 11,173 (Tajikistan) (2006)
Illicit drugs
transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan
