Turkmenistan Population: 5,113,040
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| 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 crusaders, the Mongols, Turkic warriors, and eventually the Russians. 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 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. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves, which have yet to be fully exploited, have begun to transform the country. Turkmenistan is moving to expand its extraction and delivery projects. The Government of Turkmenistan is actively working to diversify its gas export routes beyond the still important Russian pipeline network. In 2010, new gas export pipelines that carry Turkmen gas to China and to northern Iran began operating, effectively ending the Russian monopoly on Turkmen gas exports. President for Life Saparmurat NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential election in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a deputy cabinet chairman under NYYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president; he was chosen as president again in February 2012, in an election that the OSCE said lacked the freedoms necessary to create a competitive environment. |
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| Geography | |
| 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 | |
| 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: 469,930 sq km water: 18,170 sq km Size comparison: 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 |
| Current Environment 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 |
| International Environment 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 |
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| People | |
| Population: | 5,113,040 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 26.7% (male 690,673/female 673,271) 15-24 years: 20.8% (male 535,131/female 528,473) 25-54 years: 41.8% (male 1,058,811/female 1,079,697) 55-64 years: 6.5% (male 157,474/female 176,088) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 92,891/female 120,531) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 25.8 years male: 25.4 years female: 26.3 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 1.143% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 19.55 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 6.21 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | -1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 40.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 48.77 deaths/1,000 live births female: 32.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 68.84 years male: 65.87 years female: 71.96 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 2.12 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | fewer than 200 (2007 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 100 (2004 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmen |
| Ethnic groups: | Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003) |
| Religions: | Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2% |
| Languages: | Turkmen (official) 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.) |
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| Government | |
| 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: | defines itself as a secular democracy and a presidential republic; in actuality displays authoritarian presidential rule, with power concentrated within the presidential administration |
| 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 26 September 2008 |
| Legal system: | civil law system with Islamic law influences |
| 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 (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term; election last held on 12 February 2012 (next to be held February 2017) election results: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW reelected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 97.1%, Annageldi YAZMYRADOW 1.1%, other candidates 1.8% |
| 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 the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan 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); High Commercial Court |
| Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, Chairman; Kasymguly BABAYEW, DPT Political Council First Secretary]; Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs or PIE [Orazmammet MAMMEDOW] (party registered 21 August 2012) note: a law authorizing the registration of political parties went into effect in January 2012; 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 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: | chief of mission: Ambassador Mered Bairamovich ORAZOW chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 280-1003 |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Robert E. PATTERSON embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 744000 mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070 telephone: [993] (12) 94-00-45 FAX: [993] (12) 94-26-14 |
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| Economy | |
| Turkmenistan is largely a desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and sizeable 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 roughly 8% of GDP, it continues to employ nearly half of the country's workforce. Turkmenistan's authoritarian regime has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton export revenues to sustain its inefficient and highly corrupt 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. Additional pipelines to China, that began operation in early 2010, and increased pipeline capacity to Iran, have expanded Turkmenistan's export routes for its gas. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of endemic corruption, a poor educational system, government misuse of oil and gas revenues, and Ashgabat's reluctance to adopt market-oriented reforms. The majority of Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets. The present government established a State Agency for Statistics, but GDP numbers and other publicized 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, and some improvements in macroeconomic policy have been made, numerous bureaucratic obstacles impede international business activity. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $47.55 billion (2012 est.) $44.04 billion (2011 est.) $38.41 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $33.47 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 8% (2012 est.) 14.7% (2011 est.) 9.2% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $8,500 (2012 est.) $8,000 (2011 est.) $7,100 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 7.6% industry: 24.4% services: 68% (2012 est.) |
| Labor force: | 2.3 million (2008 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 48.2% industry: 14% services: 37.8% (2004 est.) |
| Unemployment rate: | 60% (2004 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 30% (2004 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): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.5% (2012 est.) 12% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 9.3% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $26.4 billion expenditures: $26.9 billion (2012 est.) |
| Agriculture - products: | cotton, grain, melons; livestock |
| Industries: | natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing |
| Industrial production growth rate: | 7.3% (2010 est.) |
| Electricity - production: | 15.02 billion kWh (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 82 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 11.22 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - exports: | 1.568 billion kWh (2009 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2009 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 59.5 billion cu m (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 25 billion cu m (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 34.5 billion cu m (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 24.3 trillion cu m (June 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | $1.496 billion (2012 est.) $1.005 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $16.16 billion (2012 est.) $14.78 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, textiles, cotton fiber |
| Exports - partners: | China 59.2%, Turkey 5%, Italy 4.7%, UAE 4.3% (2011) |
| Imports: | $10.43 billion (2012 est.) $9.604 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs |
| Imports - partners: | Turkey 21%, Russia 14%, China 11.1%, UAE 7.9%, Germany 5.8% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $20.68 billion (31 December 2012 est.) $19.4 billion (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $429.1 million (31 December 2012 est.) $452.9 million (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $NA |
| Exchange rates: | Turkmen manat (TMM) per US dollar - 2.85 (2012 est.) 2.85 (2011 est.) 2.85 (2010 est.) 2.85 (2009) 14,250 (2008) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 547,000 (2011) country comparison to the world: 94 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 3.511 million (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: telecommunications network remains underdeveloped and progress toward improvement is slow; strict government control and censorship inhibits liberalization and modernization domestic: Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign partners, has installed high-speed fiber-optic lines and has upgraded most of the country's telephone exchanges and switching centers with new digital technology; combined fixed-line and mobile teledensity is about 80 per 100 persons; Russia's Mobile Telesystems, the only foreign mobile-cellular service provider in Turkmenistan, had its operating license suspended in December 2010 but was able to resume operations in September 2012 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 (2012) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .tm |
| Internet hosts: | 714 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 80,400 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 26 (2012) country comparison to the world: 126 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 21 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2012) |
| Airports (unpaved runways): | total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 1 (2012) |
| Pipelines: | gas 7,352 km; oil 1,457 km (2010) |
| Railways: | total: 2,980 km broad gauge: 2,980 km 1.520-m gauge (2008) |
| Roadways: | total: 58,592 km paved: 47,577 km unpaved: 11,015 km (2002) |
| Waterways: | 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal are important inland waterways) (2011) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 11 by type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1 (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Turkmenbasy |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2010) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2009) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,380,794 females age 16-49: 1,387,211 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 1,066,649 females age 16-49: 1,185,538 (2010 est.) |
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