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World > Middle East > Turkmenistan
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Turkmenistan |
Introduction:
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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 BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a former NIYAZOV aide, emerged as the country's new president.
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| Official name: |
Turkmenistan |
| 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) |
| Government type: |
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch |
| Population: |
5,097,028 (July 2007 est.) |
| Languages: |
Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7% |
| Official Currency: |
TMM |
| Currency code: |
TMM |
| Area: |
total: 488,100 sq km
land: 488,100 sq km
water: NEGL |
| Climate: |
subtropical desert |
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Map of Turkmenistan
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