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| Turkmenistan |

Introduction | Turkmenistan

Background: | 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.

Geography | Turkmenistan

Location: | Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Geographic coordinates: | 40 00 N, 60 00 E
Map references: | Asia
Area: | total: 488,100 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 488,100 sq km
Area - comparative: | 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, coal, sulfur, salt
Land use: | arable land: 3.47% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 96.39% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: | 17,500 sq km (2003 est.)
Natural hazards: | NA
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; desertification
Environment - international 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
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

People | Turkmenistan

Population: | 4,775,544 (July 2003 est.)
Age structure: | 0-14 years: 36.8% (male 899,954; female 855,293) 15-64 years: 59.2% (male 1,386,606; female 1,438,333) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 74,958; female 120,400) (2003 est.)
Median age: | total: 21.1 years male: 20.2 years female: 22 years (2002)
Population growth rate: | 1.82% (2003 est.)
Birth rate: | 28.02 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Death rate: | 8.87 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Net migration rate: | -0.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Infant mortality rate: | total: 73.17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 69.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 61.19 years male: 57.72 years female: 64.84 years (2003 est.)
Total fertility rate: | 3.5 children born/woman (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | less than 100 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2001 est.)
Nationality: | noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmen
Ethnic groups: | Turkmen 77%, Uzbek 9.2%, Russian 6.7%, Kazakh 2%, other 5.1% (1995)
Religions: | Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Languages: | Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Literacy: | definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97% (1989 est.)

Government | Turkmenistan

Country name: | conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic local short form: Turkmenistan
Government type: | republic
Capital: | Ashgabat
Administrative divisions: | 5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (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 18 May 1992
Legal system: | based on civil law system
Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: | chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held NA); note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the Assembly on 28 December 1999); deputy chairmen of the cabinet of ministers are appointed by the president election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without opposition; percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5% note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 by the Assembly (Majlis) during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty)
Legislative branch: | under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (more than 100 seats, some of which are elected by popular vote and some of which are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Assembly or Majlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - all 50 elected officials preapproved by President NIYAZOV; most are from the DPT elections: People's Council - NA; Assembly - last held 12 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)
Judicial branch: | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders: | Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV] note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been Gundogar and Erkin; Gundogar was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHUMRADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; Erkin is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow
Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA
International organization participation: | AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Mered Bairamovich ORAZOV FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey A. JACOBSON embassy: 9 Pushkin Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45 FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14
Flag description: | green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon and five white stars appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe

Economy | Turkmenistan

Economy - overview: | Turkmenistan is largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton, making it the world's tenth-largest producer. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 1998-2003, 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 38% in 2003, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, and the unwillingness of the government to adopt market-oriented reforms. However, Turkmenistan's cooperation with the international community in transporting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan may foreshadow a change in the atmosphere for foreign investment, aid, and technological support. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In any event, GDP increased substantially in 2003 because of a strong recovery in agriculture and rapid industrial growth.
GDP: | purchasing power parity - $31.34 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: | 21.1% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita: | purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 27% industry: 50% services: 23% (2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: | 34.4% (2001 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): | 5% (2002 est.)
Labor force: | 2.34 million (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture 48%, industry 15%, services 37% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: | NA%
Budget: | revenues: $588.6 million expenditures: $658.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Industries: | natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: | 1% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production: | 10.18 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source: | fossil fuel: 99.9% hydro: 0.1% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: | 8.509 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: | 980 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: | 20 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production: | 162,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: | 63,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: | NA (2001)
Oil - imports: | NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: | 273 million bbl (37257)
Natural gas - production: | 48.2 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: | 9.6 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: | 38.6 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: | 1.43 trillion cu m (37257)
Agriculture - products: | cotton, grain; livestock
Exports: | $2.97 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities: | gas 57%, oil 26%, cotton fiber 3%, textiles 2% (2001)
Exports - partners: | Ukraine 49.7%, Italy 18%, Iran 13.1%, Turkey 6.2% (2002)
Imports: | $2.25 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities: | machinery and equipment 60%, foodstuffs 15% (1999)
Imports - partners: | Russia 19.8%, Turkey 12.8%, Ukraine 11.7%, UAE 10%, US 7.5%, China 6%, Germany 5.7%, Iran 4.4% (2002)
Debt - external: | $2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: | $16 million from the US (2001)
Currency: | Turkmen manat (TMM)
Currency code: | TMM
Exchange rates: | Turkmen manats per US dollar - 5,200 (2002), 5,200 (2001), 5,200 (2000), 5,200 (1999), 4,890.17 (1998); note - the official exchange rate has not varied for the last four years; the unofficial rate has fluctuated slightly, hovering around 21,000 manats to the dollar
Fiscal year: | calendar year

Communications | Turkmenistan

Telephones - main lines in use: | 363,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: | 4,300 (1998)
Telephone system: | general assessment: poorly developed domestic: NA international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: | AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: | 1.225 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: | 3 (much programming relayed from Russia and Turkey) (1997)
Televisions: | 820,000 (1997)
Internet country code: | .tm
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 1
Internet users: | 2,000 (2000)

Transportation | Turkmenistan

Railways: | total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2002)
Highways: | total: 24,000 km paved: 19,488 km unpaved: 4,512 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: | the Amu Darya is an important inland waterway for Turkmenistan, as is the man-made Kara Kum canal
Pipelines: | gas 6,634 km; oil 853 km (2003)
Ports and harbors: | Turkmenbasy
Merchant marine: | total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,873 GRT/8,345 DWT ships by type: combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: | 76 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways: | total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways: | total: 63 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 41 (2002)

Military | Turkmenistan

Military branches: | Ministry of Defense (Army, Air and Air Defense, Navy, Border Troops, and Internal Troops), National Guard
Military manpower - military age: | 18 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 1,239,737 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 1,005,686 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: | males: 53,825 (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $90 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 3.4% (FY99)

Transnational Issues | Turkmenistan

Disputes - international: | prolonged regional drought creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; Turkmenistan has not committed to follow either Iran or the other littoral states in the division of the Caspian Sea seabed and water column; ICJ decision expected to resolve dispute with Azerbaijan over sovereignty over Caspian oilfields; demarcation of land boundary with Kazakhstan is underway - maritime boundary not resolved
Illicit drugs: | transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; small-scale government-run eradication of illicit crops; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003