1995 Edition

Area

total area: 488,100 sq km land area: 488,100 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than California

Climate

subtropical desert

Coastline

0 km note: Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)

Environment

current issues: contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salinization, 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 natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Ozone Layer Protection

International disputes

Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined

Irrigated land

12,450 sq km (1990)

Land boundaries

total 3,736 km, Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km

Land use

arable land: 2% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 69% forest and woodland: 0% other: 29%

Location

Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan

Map references

Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States

Maritime claims

none; landlocked

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulphur, salt

Note

landlocked

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

Age structure

0-14 years: 40% (female 798,620; male 821,550) 15-64 years: 56% (female 1,155,392; male 1,128,844) 65 years and over: 4% (female 105,424; male 65,486) (July 1995 est.)

Birth rate

29.93 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate

7.34 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Turkmen 73.3%, Russian 9.8%, Uzbek 9%, Kazakh 2%, other 5.9%

Infant mortality rate

68.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Labor force

1.642 million (January 1994) by occupation: agriculture and forestry 44%, industry and construction 20%, other 36% (1992)

Languages

Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 65.35 years male: 61.85 years female: 69.02 years (1995 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1989) total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97%

Nationality

noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmen

Net migration rate

-2.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Population

4,075,316 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate

1.97% (1995 est.)

Religions

Muslim 87%, Eastern Orthodox 11%, unknown 2%

Total fertility rate

3.72 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Administrative divisions

5 welayatlar (singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Nebitdag), Dashhowuz Welayaty (formerly Tashauz), Lebap Welayaty (Charjew), Mary Welayaty note: names in parentheses are administrative centers when name differs from welayat name

Assembly (Majlis)

elections last held 11 December 1994 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (50 total) Democratic Party 45, other 5; note - all 50 preapproved by President NIYAZOV

Capital

Ashgabat

Constitution

adopted 18 May 1992

Digraph

TX

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador Khalil UGUR chancery: 1511 K Street NW, Suite 412, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 737-4800

Executive branch

chief of state: President Saparmurad NIYAZOV (since NA October 1990); election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held NA 2002); results - Saparmurad NIYAZOV 99.5% (ran unopposed); note - a 15 January 1994 referendum extended NIYAZOV's term an additional five years until 2002 (99.99% approval) head of government: Prime Minister (vacant); Deputy Prime Ministers Orazgeldi AYDOGDIYEV (since NA), Babamurad BAZAROV (since NA), Khekim ISHANOV (since NA), Valeriy OTCHERTSOV (since NA), Yagmur OVEZOV (since NA), Matkarim RAJAPOV (since NA), Abad RIZAYEVA (since NA), Rejep SAPAROV (since NA), Boris SHIKHMURADOV (since NA), Batyr SARJAYEV (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers

FAX

[1] (202) 737-1152

[7] (3632) 25-53-79

Flag

green field, including a vertical stripe on the hoist side, with a claret vertical stripe in between containing five white, black, and orange carpet guls (an assymetrical design used in producing rugs) associated with five different tribes; a white crescent and five white stars in the upper left corner to the right of the carpet guls

Independence

27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Legal system

based on civil law system

Legislative branch

under 1992 constitution there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council (Halk Maslahaty - having more than 100 members and meeting infrequently) and a 50-member unicameral Assembly (Majlis)

Member of

CCC, CIS, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IDB, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Names

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none local short form: Turkmenistan former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, Saparmurad NIYAZOV; Party for Democratic Development, Durdymurat HOJA-MUKHAMMED, chairman; Agzybirlik, Nurberdy NURMAMEDOV, cochairman, Hubayberdi HALLIYEV, cochairman note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Type

republic

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph S. HULINGS III embassy: 6 Teheran Street, Yubilenaya Hotel, Ashgabat mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (3632) 24-49-25, 24-49-22

Agriculture

cotton, grain, animal husbandry

Budget

revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Currency

Turkmenistan introduced its national currency, the manat, on 1 November 1993

Economic aid

recipient: Turkmenistan has received about $200 million in bilateral aid credits

Electricity

capacity: 2,480,000 kW production: 10.5 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,600 kWh (1994)

Exchange rates

manats per US$1 - multiple rate system: 10 (official) and 230 (permitted in transactions between the government and individuals)

Exports

$382 million to states outside the FSU (1994) commodities: natural gas, cotton, petroleum products, electricity, textiles, carpets partners: Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Argentina

External debt

NEGL

Fiscal year

calendar year

Illicit drugs

illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia to Western Europe

Imports

$304 million from states outside the FSU (1994) commodities: machinery and parts, grain and food, plastics and rubber, consumer durables, textiles partners: Russia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey

Industrial production

growth rate -25% (1994)

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

25% per month (1994)

National product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $13.1 billion (1994 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1992)

National product per capita

$3,280 (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate

-24% (1994 est.)

Overview

Turkmenistan is largely desert country with nomadic cattle raising, intensive agriculture in irrigated oases, and huge gas and oil resources. Half its irrigated land is planted in cotton making it the world's tenth largest producer. It also has the world's fifth largest reserves of natural gas and significant oil resources. Until the end of 1993, Turkmenistan had experienced less economic disruption than other former Soviet states because its economy received a boost from higher prices for oil and gas and a sharp increase in hard currency earnings. In 1994, Russia's refusal to export Turkmen gas to hard currency markets and mounting debts of its major customers in the former USSR for gas deliveries contributed to a sharp fall in industrial production and caused the budget to shift from a surplus to a slight deficit. Furthermore, 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. With the onset of economic hard times, even cautious moves toward economic restructuring and privatization have slowed down. For 1995, Turkmenistan will face continuing constraints on its earnings because of its customers' inability to pay for their gas and a low average cotton crop in 1994. Turkmenistan is working hard to open new gas export channels through Iran and Turkey, but these may take many years to realize.

Unemployment rate

NA

Radio

broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA radios: NA

Telephone system

NA telephones; only 7.5 telephones/100 persons (1991); poorly developed local: NA intercity: NA international: linked by cable and microwave 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; 1 Orbita and 1 INTELSAT earth station

Television

broadcast stations: NA televisions: NA

Airports

total: 64 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 7 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 35

Highways

total: 23,000 km paved and graveled: 18,300 km unpaved: earth 4,700 km (1990)

Pipelines

crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,400 km

Ports

Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnowodsk)

Railroads

total: 2,120 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines broad gauge: 2,120 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)

Branches

National Guard, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), Joint Command Turkmenistan/Russia (Ground, Air, and Air Defense)

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA% of GDP ________________________________________________________________________ TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS (dependent territory of the UK)

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 993,321; males fit for military service 810,392; males reach military age (18) annually 40,430 (1995 est.)