View Intelligence Dossier Back to 1994 CSV Excel Print All Years

Communications

Airports [time series]

total: 7 usable: 7 with permanent-surface runways: 4 with runways over 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 0 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 4

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,400 km

Ports [time series]

inland - Krasnowodsk (Caspian Sea)

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

2,120 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)

Telecommunication systems (Telecommunications) [time series]

poorly developed; only 7.5 telephone circuits per 100 persons (1991); 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; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 INTELSAT

Defense Forces

Affiliation [time series]

(dependent territory of the UK)

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

$NA, NA% of GDP

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 962,987; fit for military service 787,991; reach military age (18) annually 40,079 (1994 est.)

Economy

Agricultural products (Agriculture) [time series]

cotton, grain, animal husbandry

Budget [time series]

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

Exchange rates (Currency) [time series]

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

Economic aid [time series]

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

Electricity [time series]

capacity: 2,920,000 kW production: 13.1 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,079 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates [time series]

Exports [time series]

$1.2 billion to states outside the FSU (1993) commodities: natural gas, cotton, petroleum products, textiles, carpets partners: Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Argentina

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

NEGL

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Illicit drugs [time series]

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

Imports [time series]

$490 million from states outside the FSU (1993) commodities: machinery and parts, grain and food, plastics and rubber, consumer durables, textiles partners: Russia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Turkey

Industrial production growth rate (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate 5.3% (1993)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

45% per month (1993 est.)

Real GDP (purchasing power parity) (National product) [time series]

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $13 billion (1993 estimate from the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as extrapolated to 1993 using official Turkmen statistics, which are very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)

Real GDP per capita (National product per capita) [time series]

$3,330 (1993 est.)

Real GDP growth rate (National product real growth rate) [time series]

7.8% (1993 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with nomadic cattle raising, intensive agriculture in irrigated oases, and huge gas and oil resources. Half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton; it is the world's tenth largest producer. It also is the world's fourth largest producer of natural gas and has the fifth largest reserves. Furthermore, Turkmenistan has substantial oil resources; its two oil refineries make it an exporter of refined products. Profiting from the move toward market prices for its oil and gas resources, Turkmenistan has suffered the least economic decline of the 15 states of the former USSR. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to questions of economic reform, using the profits from its gas and cotton exports to sustain a generally inefficient economy. Economic restructuring and privatization have just begun, and price liberalization and price increases have been accompanied by generous wage hikes and subsidies. At the same time, Turkmenistan faces serious constraints on its gas and oil earnings because of the inability of its traditional regional customers to pay for the current level of purchases and the lack of pipeline access to hard currency markets. Faced with financial shortfalls, rampant inflation, and the desire to ensure a stable currency, the regime has become more receptive to market reforms yet still seeks to offer widespread social benefits to its population and to retain state domination over the economy.

Unemployment rate [time series]

2.9% (1992 est.); includes only officially registered unemployed; also large number of underemployed

Geography

Area [time series]

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

Climate [time series]

subtropical desert

Coastline [time series]

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

Environment - current issues (Environment) [time series]

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 river into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Ozone Layer Protection

Disputes - international (International disputes) [time series]

Russia may dispute current de facto maritime border to midpoint of Caspian Sea from shore

Irrigated land [time series]

12,450 sq km (1990)

Land boundaries [time series]

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

Land use [time series]

arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 69% forest and woodland: 0% other: 28%

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims [time series]

landlocked, but boundaries in the Caspian Sea with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Iran are under negotiations

Natural resources [time series]

petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulphur, salt

Note [time series]

landlocked

Terrain [time series]

flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west

Government

Administrative divisions [time series]

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

Legislative branch (Assembly (Majlis)) [time series]

elections last held 7 January 1990 (next to be held late 1994 or early 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (175 total) elections not officially by party, but Communist Party members won nearly 90% of seats; note - seats to be reduced to 50 at next election

Capital [time series]

Ashgabat

Constitution [time series]

adopted 18 May 1992

Digraph [time series]

Diplomatic representation in the US (Diplomatic representation in US) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Khalil UGUR chancery: 1511 K Street NW, Suite 412, Washington, DC, 20005 telephone: NA

Executive branch [time series]

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 Batyr SARDJAEV, Valery G. OCHERTSOV, Orazgeldi AIDOGDIEV, Djourakuli BABAKULIYEV, Rejep SAPAROV, Boris SHIKHMURADOV, Abad RIZAEVA, Yagmur OVEZOV (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers

Flag [time series]

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 [time series]

27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Judicial branch [time series]

Supreme Court

Legal system [time series]

based on civil law system

Legislative branch [time series]

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)

International organization participation (Member of) [time series]

CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IDB, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NACC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Country name (Names) [time series]

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

National holiday [time series]

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Political parties (Political parties and leaders) [time series]

ruling party: Democratic Party (formerly Communist), chairman vacant opposition: 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

Suffrage [time series]

18 years of age; universal

Government type (Type) [time series]

republic

Diplomatic representation from the US (US diplomatic representation) [time series]

chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph S. HULINGS III embassy: Yubilenaya Hotel, Ashgabat mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] 36320 24-49-25 or 24-49-26

People

Birth rate [time series]

30.42 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate [time series]

7.44 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic groups (Ethnic divisions) [time series]

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

Infant mortality rate [time series]

69.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force [time series]

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

Languages [time series]

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

Life expectancy at birth [time series]

total population: 65.14 years male: 61.63 years female: 68.82 years (1994 est.)

Literacy [time series]

age 9-49 can read and write (1970) total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%

Nationality [time series]

noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmen

Net migration rate [time series]

-2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population [time series]

3,995,122 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

2.01% (1994 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.77 children born/woman (1994 est.)