Statistical information Turkmenistan 1993

Turkmenistan in the World
top of pageBackground: 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.
top of pageLocation:
South Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and
Uzbekistan
Geographic coordinatesMap reference:
Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian
States, Standard Time Zones of the World
AreaTotal: 488,100 km²
Land: 488,100 km²
Land boundaries:
total 3,736 km, Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km,
Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km
Coastline: 0 km; Turkmenistan does border the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)
Maritime claims:
landlocked, but boundaries in the Caspian Sea with
Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Iran will have to be negotiated
Climate: subtropical desert
Terrain: flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; borders Caspian Sea in west
ElevationNatural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulphur, salt
Land usePermanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 69%
Forest and woodland: 0%
Other: 28%
Irrigated land: 12,450 km² (1990)
Major riversMajor watersheds area km²Total water withdrawalTotal renewable water resourcesNatural hazardsGeographytop of pagePopulation: 3,914,997 (July 1993 est.)
Growth rate: 2.04% (1993 est.)
NationalityNoun: Turkmen(s)
Adjective: Turkmen
Ethnic groups: Turkmen 73.3%, Russian 9.8%, Uzbek 9%, Kazakhs 2%, other 5.9%
Languages: Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Religions: Muslim 87%, Eastern Orthodox 11%, unknown 2%
Demographic profileAge structureDependency ratiosMedian agePopulation growth rate: 2.04% (1993 est.)
Birth rate: 30.91 births/1000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate: 7.6 deaths/1000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.87 migrant(s)/1000 population (1993 est.)
Population distributionUrbanizationMajor urban areasEnvironmentCurrent issues: contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salinization, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods
Current issues note: landlocked
Air pollutantsSex ratioMothers mean age at first birthMaternal mortality ratioInfant mortality rate: 71.2 deaths/1000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birthTotal population: 64.93 years
Male: 61.4 years
Female: 68.62 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.82 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Contraceptive prevalence rateDrinking water sourceCurrent health expenditurePhysicians densityHospital bed densitySanitation facility accessHiv/AidsMajor infectious diseasesObesity adult prevalence rateAlcohol consumptionTobacco useChildren under the age of 5 years underweightEducation expendituresLiteracy: age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
Total population: 100%
Male: 100%
School life expectancy primary to tertiary educationYouth unemploymenttop of pageCountry nameConventional long form: Republic of Turkmenistan
Conventional short form: Turkmenistan
Local long form: Tiurkmenostan Respublikasy
Local short form: Turkmanistan
Former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type: republic
Capital: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)
Administrative divisions5 velayets:Balkan (Nebit Dag), Doshkhovuz (formerly Tashauz), Lebap (Charjev), Mary, Akhal (Ashgabat)
all oblasts have the same name as their administrative center except
Balkan Oblast, centered at Nebit-Dag
Dependent areasIndependence: 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holidayIndependence Day 27 October 1991 ruling party: Democratic Party (formerly Communist), chairman vacant
Opposition:Party for Democratic Development, Durdymurat HOJA-MUHAMMET, chairman ; Agzybirlik, Nurberdy NURMAMEDOV, cochairman,
Hubayberdi HALLIYEV, cochairman
Constitution: adopted 18 May 1992
Legal system: based on civil law system
International law organization participationCitizenshipSuffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: president, prime minister, nine deputy prime ministers,
Legislative branch: under 1992 constitution there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council (Halk Maslahaty - having more than 100 members and meeting infrequently) and a 50-member unicameral Assembly (Majlis)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leadersInternational organization participation: CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, IMF, NACC, UN, UNCTAD
Diplomatic representationIn the us chief of mission: NA
In the us chancery: NA
In the us telephone: NA
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph S. HULINGS III
From the us embassy: Yubilenaya Hotel, Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)
From the us mailing address: APO AE 9,862
From the us telephone: 7 36,320 24-49-08
Flag description
: green field, including a vertical stripe on the hoist side, with a claret veritcal stripe in between containing five white, black, and orange carpet guls (an assymetrical design used in producing rugs) associated with five different tribes; a white crescent and five white stars in the upper left corner to the right of the carpet guls
National symbolsNational anthemNational heritagetop of pageEconomy overview: Like the other 15 former Soviet republics, Turkmenistan faces enormous problems of economic adjustment - to move away from Moscow-based central planning toward a system of decisionmaking by private entrepreneurs, local government authorities, and, hopefully, foreign investors. This process requires wholesale changes in supply sources, markets, property rights, and monetary arrangements. Industry - with 10% of the labor force - is heavily weighted toward the energy sector, which produced 11% of the ex-USSR's gas and 1% of its oil. Turkmenistan ranked second among the former Soviet republics in cotton production, mainly in the irrigated western region, where the huge Karakumskiy Canal taps the Amu Darya. The general decline in national product accelerated in 1992, principally because of inability to obtain spare parts and disputes with customers over the price of natural gas.
Real gdp purchasing power parityReal gdp growth rate: -10% (1992 est.)
Real gdp per capitaGross national savingGdp composition by sector of origin
Gdp composition by end useGdp composition by sector of originAgriculture products: cotton, fruits, vegetables
Industries: oil and gas, petrochemicals, fertilizers, food processing, textiles
Industrial production growth rate: growth rate -17% (1992 est.)
Labor force: 1.542 million
By occupation agriculture and forestry: 42%
By occupation industry and construction: 21%
By occupation other: 37% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 15%-20% (1992 est.)
Youth unemploymentPopulation below poverty lineGini indexHousehold income or consumption by percentage shareDistribution of family income gini indexBudget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Taxes and other revenuesPublic debtRevenueFiscal year: calendar year
Inflation rate consumer pricesCentral bank discount rateCommercial bank prime lending rateStock of narrow moneyStock of broad moneyStock of domestic creditMarket value of publicly traded sharesCurrent account balanceExports: $100 million to outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992)
Commodoties: natural gas, oil, chemicals, cotton, textiles, carpets
Partners: Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
Imports: $100 million from outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992)
Commodoties: machinery and parts, plastics and rubber, consumer durables, textiles
Partners: mostly other than former Soviet Union
Reserves of foreign exchange and goldDebt externalStock of direct foreign investment at homeStock of direct foreign investment abroadExchange rates: rubles per US$1 - 415 (24 December 1992) but subject to wide fluctuations
top of pageElectricityProduction: 2,920,000 kW capacity; 13,100 million kWh produced, 3,079 kWh per capita (1992)
CoalPetroleumCrude oilRefined petroleumNatural gasCarbon dioxide emissionsEnergy consumption per capitatop of pageTelephonesTelephone systemBroadcast mediaInternetBroadband fixed subscriptionstop of pageMilitary expendituresPercent of gdp: exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
Military and security forcesMilitary service age and obligationSpace programTerrorist groupstop of pageNational air transport systemCivil aircraft registration country code prefixAirportsHeliportsPipelines: crude oil 250 km, natural gas 4,400 km
RailwaysRoadwaysWaterwaysMerchant marinePorts and terminalstop of pageDisputes international: none
Refugees and internally displaced personsIllicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and opium; mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment points for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia to Western Europe