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Communications

Broadcast media (Radio) [time series]

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

Telecommunication systems (Telephone system) [time series]

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

Broadcast media (Television) [time series]

broadcast stations: NA televisions: NA

Defense Forces

Military and security forces (Branches) [time series]

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

Military expenditures (Defense expenditures) [time series]

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

Manpower availability [time series]

males age 15-49 993,321; males fit for military service 810,392; males reach military age (18) annually 40,430 (1995 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: 2,480,000 kW production: 10.5 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,600 kWh (1994)

Exchange rates [time series]

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

Exports [time series]

$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

Debt - external (External debt) [time series]

NEGL

Fiscal year [time series]

calendar year

Illicit drugs [time series]

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 [time series]

$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 (Industrial production) [time series]

growth rate -25% (1994)

Industries [time series]

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices) [time series]

25% per month (1994)

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

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

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

$3,280 (1994 est.)

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

-24% (1994 est.)

Economic overview (Overview) [time series]

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 [time series]

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 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]

Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined

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

Location [time series]

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

Map references [time series]

Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States

Maritime claims [time series]

none; landlocked

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 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 [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: [1] (202) 737-4800

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 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

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

[1] (202) 737-1152

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

[7] (3632) 25-53-79

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]

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

Country name (Names) [time series]

conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none 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]

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 [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: 6 Teheran Street, Yubilenaya Hotel, Ashgabat mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (3632) 24-49-25, 24-49-22

People

Age structure [time series]

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 [time series]

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

Death rate [time series]

7.34 deaths/1,000 population (1995 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]

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

Labor force [time series]

1.642 million (January 1994) 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: 65.35 years male: 61.85 years female: 69.02 years (1995 est.)

Literacy [time series]

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

Nationality [time series]

noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmen

Net migration rate [time series]

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

Population [time series]

4,075,316 (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate [time series]

1.97% (1995 est.)

Religions [time series]

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

Total fertility rate [time series]

3.72 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Transportation

Airports [time series]

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

Roadways (Highways) [time series]

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

Pipelines [time series]

crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,400 km

Ports [time series]

Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnowodsk)

Railways (Railroads) [time series]

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