India

Turkmenistan


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.

Other Information

Natural Resources

petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

Land Use

arable land: 3.89%
permanent crops: 0.12%
other: 95.98% (2011)

Population

5,171,943 (July 2014 est.)
country comparison to the world: 120

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: 99.6%
male: 99.7%
female: 99.5% (2011 est.)

Capital

Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)

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

Independence

27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)