About Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan
Introduction
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 diversify its gas export routes beyond the existing Russian pipeline network. 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
Location
Location: Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Geographic Coordinates: 40 00 N, 60 00 E
Area
Total Area: 488,100 sq km Rank: 52
Land Area: 469,930 sq km
Water Area: 18,170 sq km
Comparison: slightly larger than California
Land Boundaries: 3,736 km
Bordering 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)
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
Elevations
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)
Renewable Water Resources: 60.9 cu km (1997)
Total Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural): 24.65 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)
Freshwater Withdrawal Per Capita: 5,104 cu m/yr (2000)
Environment
Natural Hazards: NA
Environmental 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
Environmental Agreements: Party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
Geography Notes
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
Population: 4,884,887 (July 2010 est.) Rank: 114
Age Structure
0-14 years: 28.9% (male 713,698/female 697,222)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,618,678/female 1,646,992)
65 years and over: 4.3% (male 90,352/female 117,945) (2010 est.)
Median Age: 24.4 years
Population Growth
Growth Rate: 1.141% (2010 est.) Rank: 115
Birth Rate: 19.69 births/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 105
Death Rate: 6.31 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.) Rank: 153
Net Migration Rate: -1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.) Rank: 132
Urbanization
Urban Population: 49% of total population (2008)
Rate of Urbanization: 2.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Life and Death
Infant Mortality Rate: 45.36 deaths/1,000 live births Rank: 58
Life Expectancy at Birth: 67.87 years Rank: 153
Fertility Rate: 2.19 children born/woman (2010 est.) Rank: 117
Health and Disease
HIV/AIDS - Adult Prevalence Rate: less than 0.1% (2007 est.) Rank: 154
People living with HIV/AIDS: fewer than 200 (2007 est.) Rank: 157
HIV/AIDS Deaths: fewer than 100 (2004 est.) Rank: 147
Nationality and Culture
Noun: Turkmen(s)
Adjective: Turkmen
Ethnic Groups: Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)
Religion: Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Languages: Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Education
Literacy (Meaning, age 15 and over can read and write): 98.8% Male: 99.3% Female: 98.3% (1999 est.)
Education expenditures: 3.9% of GDP (1991) Rank: 109
Government
Country Name
Conventional Long Form: none
Conventional Short Form: Turkmenistan
Local Long Form: none
Local Short Form: Turkmenistan
Formerly: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Government Type: defines itself as a secular democracy and a presidential republic; in actuality displays authoritarian presidential rule, with power concentrated within the executive branch
Capital: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) Geographic Coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E
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 26 September 2008
Legal system: transitioning to civil law system and influenced by Islamic law tradition; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive Branch
Chief of State: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of Government: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (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 February 2012)
Election Results: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW elected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 89.2%, Amanyaz ATAJYKOW 3.2%, other candidates 7.6%
Legislative Branch
unicameral parliament known as the National Assembly (Mejlis) (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
Elections: last held on 14 December 2008 (next to be held in December 2013)
Election Results: 100% of elected officials are members of either the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or its pseudo-civil society parent organization, the Revival Movement, and are preapproved by the president
Note: in 26 September 2008, a new constitution of Turkmenistan abolished a second, 2,507-member legislative body known as the People's Council and expanded the number of deputies in the National Assembly from 65 to 125; the powers formerly held by the People's Council were divided up between the president and the National Assembly
Judicial branch
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Politics
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW]
Note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist abroad; the three most prominent opposition groups-in-exile are the National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT), the Republican Party of Turkmenistan, and the Watan (Fatherland) Party; the NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 attack on President NYYAZOW's motorcade
Political Pressure Groups and Leaders: none
International Organization Participation: ADB, CIS (associate member, has not ratified the 1993 CIS charter although it participates in meetings), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, 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
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; five white stars and a white crescent moon appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe; the green color and crescent moon represent Islam, the five stars symbolize the regions or welayats of Turkmenistan
Economy
Economy Overview: Turkmenistan is largely a desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and sizeable 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 2003-08, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. New pipelines to China and Iran, that began operation in late 2009 or early 2010, will give Turkmenistan additional export routes for its gas. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, endemic corruption, a poor educational system, government misuse of oil and gas revenues, and Ashgabat's reluctance to adopt market-oriented reforms. In addition, the global recession and a contract dispute with Russia that had virtually stopped exports via this major export route for about 9 months slowed Turkmenistan's economy in 2009. 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 unified the country's dual currency exchange rate, ordered the redenomination of the manat, reduced state subsidies for gasoline, and initiated development of a special tourism zone on the Caspian Sea. Although foreign investment is encouraged, numerous bureaucratic obstacles impede international business activity.
Gross Domestic Product
GDP (purchasing power parity): $32.56 billion (2009 est.) Rank: 102
GDP - real growth rate: 6.1% (2009 est.) Rank: 18
GDP - per capita (PPP): $6,700 (2009 est.) Rank: 127
GDP - Composition by Sector: Agriculture: 10.1% Industry: 30.5% Services: 59.4% (2009 est.)
Labor Force
Labor Force: 2.3 million (2008 est.) Rank: 113
Labor force - by occupation: Agriculture: 48.2% Industry: 14% Services: 37.8% (2004 est.)
Unemployment Rate: 60% (2004 est.) Rank: 195
Poverty
Population below poverty line: 30% (2004 est.)
Transnational Issues
International Disputes: 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); less than 1,000 (Afghanistan) (2007)
