Background: Present-day Turkmenistan covers territory that has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. The area was ruled in antiquity by various Persian empires, and was conquered by Alexander the Great, Muslim armies, the Mongols, Turkic warriors, and eventually the Russians. In medieval times, Merv (located in present-day Mary province) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia in the late 1800s, Turkmenistan later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia. In 1924, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic; it achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President for Life Saparmyrat NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a deputy chairman under NYYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president. BERDIMUHAMEDOW won Turkmenistan's first multi-candidate presidential election in February 2007, and again in 2012 and in 2017 with over 97% of the vote in both instances, in elections widely regarded as undemocratic.Turkmenistan has sought new export markets for its extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves, which have yet to be fully exploited. As of late 2019, Turkmenistan exported the majority of its gas to China and small levels of gas were also being sent to Russia. Turkmenistan's reliance on gas exports has made the economy vulnerable to fluctuations in the global energy market, and economic hardships since the drop in energy prices in 2014 have led many Turkmenistanis to emigrate, mostly to Turkey.

Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 60 00 E

Map reference: Asia

Area
Total: 488,100 km²
Land: 469,930 km²
Water: 18,170 km²
Rank: 54
Comparative: slightly more than three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
Total: 4,158 km
Border countries: (4) Afghanistan 804 km; , Iran 1148 km; , Kazakhstan 413 km; , Uzbekistan 1793 km

Coastline: 0 km
Note: (landlocked); note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1768 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
Mean elevation: 230 m
Lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya (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) -81 m
Highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

Land use
Agricultural land: 72% (2011 est.)
Forest: 8.8% (2011 est.)
Other: 19.2% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 19,950 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: earthquakes; mudslides; droughts; dust storms; floods

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

Population
Distribution: the most densely populated areas are the southern, eastern, and northeastern oases; approximately 50% of the population lives in and around the capital of Ashgabat:
Rank: 119
Growth rate: 1.1% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 100
Below poverty line: 0.2% (2012 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Turkmenistani(s)
Adjective: Turkmenistani

Ethnic groups: Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)

Languages: Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%

Religions: Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%

Age structure
0-14 years: 25.66% (male 704,067 /female 684,581)
15-24 years: 17.71% (male 482,094 /female 476,080)
25-54 years: 43.52% (male 1,169,965 /female 1,185,159)
55-64 years: 8.17% (male 208,328 /female 233,902)
65 years and over: 4.93% (male 116,218 /female 150,618) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 52.7 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 46.5 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 6.2 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 16.1 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 28.3 years (2018 est.)
Male: 27.8 years
Female: 28.8 years
Rank: 139

Population growth rate: 1.1% (2018 est.)
Rank: 100

Birth rate: 18.9 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 85

Death rate: 6.1 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 162

Net migration rate: -1.8 migrant(s)/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 161

Population distribution: the most densely populated areas are the southern, eastern, and northeastern oases; approximately 50% of the population lives in and around the capital of Ashgabat

Urbanization
Urban population: 52% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.46% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 828,000 ASHGABAT (capital) (2019)

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; soil erosion; desertification
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-24 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
25-54 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
55-64 years: 0.89 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
Total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2018 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 33.1 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 39.8 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 26 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 55

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 70.7 years (2018 est.)
Male: 67.6 years
Female: 73.9 years
Rank: 159

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 107

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 50.2% (2015/16)

Drinking water source
Urban: 10.9% of population
Rural: 46.3% of population
Total: 28.9% of population (2012 est.)

Current health expenditure: 6.6% (2016)

Physicians density: 2.22 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 7.4 beds/1000 population (2013)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 0% of population (2012 est.)
Rural: 1.8% of population (2012 est.)
Total: 0.9% of population (2012 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate note: NA
People living with hivaids note: NA
Deaths note: NA

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 18.6% (2016)
Rank: 117

Children under the age of 5 years underweight: 3.2% (2015)
Rank: 98

Education expenditures: 3.1% of GDP (2012)
Rank: 138

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 99.7%
Male: 99.8%
Female: 99.6% (2015)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years (2014)

Country name
Conventional long form: none
Conventional short form: Turkmenistan
Local long form: none
Local short form: Turkmenistan
Former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Etymology: the suffix -stan means place of or country, so Turkmenistan literally means the Land of the Turkmen [people]

Government type: presidential republic; authoritarian

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): etymology: derived from the Persian words 'eshq' meaning 'love' and 'abad' meaning 'inhabited place' or 'city,' and so loosely translates as 'the city of love' 

Administrative divisions:

Independence: 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Constitution
History: several previous; latest adopted 14 September 2016
Amendments: proposed by the National Assembly; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of the total Assembly membership or absolute majority approval in a referendum; amended 2017 (2019)

Legal system: civil law system with Islamic (sharia) law influences

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: at least one parent must be a citizen of Turkmenistan
Dual citizenship recognized: yes
Residency requirement for naturalization: 7 years

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both 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
Electionsappointments: president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 7-year term (no term limits); election last held on 12 February 2017 (next to be held in February 2024)
Election results: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (DPT) 97.7%, other 2.3%

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral National Assembly or Mejlis (125 seats; members directly elected from single-seat constituencies by absolute majority vote; members serve 5-year terms)
Elections: last held on 25 March 2018, although interim elections are held on an ad hoc basis to fill vacant sets
Election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DPT 55, APT 11, PIE 11, independent 48 (individuals nominated by citizen groups); composition - men 94, women 31, percent of women 24.8%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: Supreme Court of Turkmenistan (consists of the court president and 21 associate judges and organized into civil, criminal, and military chambers)
Judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president for 5-year terms
Subordinate courts: High Commercial Court; appellate courts; provincial, district, and city courts; military courts

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: ADB, CIS (associate member, has not ratified the 1993 CIS charter although it participates in meetings and held the chairmanship of the CIS in 2012), 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, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chancery: 2,207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Matthew S. KLIMOW (since 26 June 2019)
From the us telephone: [993] (12) 94-00-45
From the us embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 744,000
From the us mailing address: 7,070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20,521-7,070
From the us FAX: [993] (12) 94-26-14

Flag description:

National symbols: Akhal-Teke horse; national colors: green, white

National anthem
Name: Garassyz, Bitarap Turkmenistanyn (Independent, Neutral, Turkmenistan State Anthem)
Lyricsmusic: collective/Veli MUKHATOV: note: adopted 1997, lyrics revised in 2008, to eliminate references to deceased President Saparmurat NYYAZOW

Economy overview: Turkmenistan is largely a desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and significant natural gas and oil resources. The two largest crops are cotton, most of which is produced for export, and wheat, which is domestically consumed. Although agriculture accounts for almost 8% of GDP, it continues to employ nearly half of the country's workforce. Hydrocarbon exports, the bulk of which is natural gas going to China, make up 25% of Turkmenistan’s GDP. Ashgabat has explored two initiatives to bring gas to new markets: a trans-Caspian pipeline that would carry gas to Europe and the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. Both face major financing, political, and security hurdles and are unlikely to be completed soon.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 84

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 30

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 97

Gross national saving:
Rank: 70

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 50% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 10% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 28.2% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 0% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 26.2% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -14.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 7.5% (2017 est.)
Industry: 44.9% (2017 est.)
Services: 47.7% (2017 est.)

Agriculture products: cotton, grain, melons; livestock

Industries: natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing

Industrial production growth rate: 1% (2017 est.)
Rank: 160

Labor force: 2.305 million (2013 est.)
Rank: 116
By occupation agriculture: 48.2%
By occupation industry: 14%
By occupation services: 37.8% (2004 est.)

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 149

Population below poverty line: 0.2% (2012 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)
Rank: 62

Budget
Revenues: 5.657 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 6.714 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -2.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 126

Taxes and other revenues: 14.9% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 197

Public debt:
Rank: 167

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 198

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 83

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 17

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 148

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 82

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 82

Market value of publicly traded shares: NA

Current account balance:
Rank: 181

Exports:
Rank: 100
Partners: China 83.7%, Turkey 5.1% (2017)
Commodities: gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, textiles, cotton fiber

Imports:
Rank: 135
Commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
Partners: Turkey 24.2%, Algeria 14.4%, Germany 9.8%, China 8.9%, Russia 8%, US 6.6% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 56

Debt external:
Rank: 177

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 115

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access electrification total population: 100% (2016)
Production: 21.18 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 74
Consumption: 15.09 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 80
Exports: 3.201 billion kWh (2015 est.)
Exports rank: 41
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 212
Installed generating capacity: 4.001 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 88
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 20
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 200
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 207
Generation sources other renewable sources: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 210

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 244,000 bbl/day (2018 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 32
Crude oil exports: 67,790 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 38
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 206
Crude oil proven reserves: 600 million bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 43

Refined petroleum
Products production: 191,100 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 52
Products consumption: 160,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 63
Products exports: 53,780 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 53
Products imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 214

Natural gas
Production: 77.45 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 11
Consumption: 39.31 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 27
Exports: 38.14 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 10
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 203
Proven reserves: 7.504 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 5

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 100.5 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 44

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 5.315 million
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 132 (January 2019 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 27
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 8.575 million
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 160 (July 2016 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 95

Telephone system
General assessment: telecommunications network is gradually improving for the former Soviet republic; state control over most economic activities has not helped growth; mobile market will see slow growth; some rural areas are still without telephones; mobile broadband is in the early stages of development (2018)
Domestic: Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign partners, has installed high-speed fiber-optic lines and has upgraded most of the countrys telephone exchanges and switching centers with new digital technology; fixed-line 13 per 100 and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 160 per 100 persons; Russias Mobile TeleSystems (MTS), the only foreign mobile-cellular service provider in Turkmenistan, suspended operations in September 2017 due to the state-owned telecom company cutting MTS access to international and long-distance communication services and Internet; Turkmenistans first telecommunication satellite was launched in 2015 and is expected to greatly improve connectivity in the country (2018)
International: country code - 993; linked by fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; an exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat (2018)

Broadcast media: broadcast media is government controlled and censored; 7 state-owned TV and 4 state-owned radio networks; satellite dishes and programming provide an alternative to the state-run media; officials sometimes limit access to satellite TV by removing satellite dishes

Internet
Country code: .tm
Users total: 951,925 (2019 est.)
Users percent of population: 24% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 132

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 4,000 (2017 est.)
Rank: 177

Military and security forces: Armed Forces of Turkmenistan: National Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2019)

Military service age and obligation: 18-27 years of age for compulsory male military service; 2-year conscript service obligation; 20 years of age for voluntary service; males may enroll in military schools from age 15 (2013)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 1 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 23 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 2,138,389 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 0
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: EZ (2016)

Airports: 26 (2013)
Rank: 127
With paved runways total: 21 (2013)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1 (2013)
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 9 (2013)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 9 (2013)
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways total: 5 (2013)
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 4 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: 7,500 km gas, 1501 km oil (2013)

Railways
Total: 5,113 km (2017)
Broad gauge: 5,113 km
Note: 1.520-m gauge (2017)
Rank: 38

Roadways
Total: 58,592 km (2002)
Paved: 47,577 km (2002)
Unpaved: 11,015 km (2002)
Rank: 77

Waterways: 1300 km
Note: (Amu Darya River and Kara Kum Canal are important inland waterways) (2011)
Rank: 55

Merchant marine
Total: 72
By type: general cargo 9, oil tanker 8, other 55 (2018)
Rank: 101

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Caspian Sea - Turkmenbasy

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; bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 4,714 (2018)

Illicit drugs: transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan