Turkmenistan

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585 (2006)

36,000 (2005)

AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)

general assessment: poorly developed domestic: NA international: country code - 993; 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

376,100 (2003)

52,000 (2004)

4 (government owned and programmed) (2004)

cotton, grain; livestock

revenues: $1.401 billion expenditures: $1.542 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)

Turkmen manat (TMM)

$236 million (2005 est.)

$2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)

40.8 (1998)

$16 million from the US (2001)

Turkmenistan is a 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; formerly it was the world's tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to an almost 50% decline in cotton exports. 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 1998-2005, 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 20% to 30% per year in 2003-2005, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. In 2005, Ashgabat sought to raise natural gas export prices to its main customers, Russia and Ukraine, from $44 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $66 per tcm. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, the government's irrational use of oil and gas revenues, and its unwillingness to adopt market-oriented reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain.

8.847 billion kWh (2002)

1.136 billion kWh (2004)

0 kWh (2002)

11.41 billion kWh (2004 est.)

in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 24,000 to 25,000 Turkmen manats to the dollar; the official rate has consistently been 5,200 manat to the dollar

$4.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles

Ukraine 43.5%, Iran 15%, Hungary 5.4% (2005)

calendar year

$13.99 billion (2005 est.)

$39.14 billion (2005 est.)

agriculture: 20.9% industry: 38% services: 41.1% (2005 est.)

$7,900 (2005 est.)

IMF estimate: 6% note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates are widely regarded as unreliable (2005 est.)

lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)

$4.175 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

UAE 12.4%, Azerbaijan 10.9%, US 9.4%, Russia 8.9%, Ukraine 7.4%, Turkey 7.2%, Iran 6.1%, Germany 5.3%, Kazakhstan 4.2% (2005)

22% (2003 est.)

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

10.5% (2005 est.)

35.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

2.32 million (2003 est.)

agriculture: 48.2% industry: 13.8% services: 37% (2003 est.)

15.5 billion cu m (2004 est.)

38.6 billion cu m (2004 est.)

0 cu m (2004 est.)

54.6 billion cu m (2004 est.)

2.01 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

80,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

NA bbl/day

NA bbl/day

203,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)

273 million bbl (1 January 2002)

58% (2003 est.)

$2.963 billion (2005 est.)

60% (2004 est.)

total: 488,100 sq km land: 488,100 sq km water: NEGL

slightly larger than California

subtropical desert

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

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) 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

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

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

40 00 N, 60 00 E

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

18,000 sq km (2003)

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

arable land: 4.51% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 95.35% (2005)

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

Asia

none (landlocked)

NA

petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

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

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)

name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

adopted 18 May 1992

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

chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jennifer L. BRUSH embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000 mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070 telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45 FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14

chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOV chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697

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) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty); in November 2005, the People's Council voted down NIYAZOV's suggestion to hold presidential elections in 2009 elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992; note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the People's Council 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%

green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the regions or velayats of Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe

republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch

27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

based on civil law system

under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular vote and some of whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms); membership is scheduled to be increased to 65 seats elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2008) election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President NIYAZOV note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of government

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

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 National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; UDPT is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow

NA

18 years of age; universal

Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President Saparmurat 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 were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes in order to break Russia's pipeline monopoly.

males age 18-49: 1,132,833 females age 18-49: 1,162,569 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49: 759,978 females age 18-49: 940,179 (2005 est.)

males age 18-49: 56,532 females age 18-49: 55,413 (2005 est.)

Ground Forces, Artillery and Rocket Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2006)

3.4% (FY99)

18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - two years (2004)

0-14 years: 35.2% (male 913,988/female 863,503) 15-64 years: 60.7% (male 1,501,486/female 1,557,155) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 79,227/female 127,561) (2006 est.)

27.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)

less than 0.1% (2004 est.)

less than 100 (2004 est.)

less than 200 (2003 est.)

total: 72.56 deaths/1,000 live births male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births female: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

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

total population: 61.83 years male: 58.43 years female: 65.41 years (2006 est.)

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.3% female: 98.3% (1999 est.)

total: 21.8 years male: 20.9 years female: 22.7 years (2006 est.)

noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmen

-0.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

5,042,920 (July 2006 est.)

1.83% (2006 est.)

Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 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 (2006 est.)

3.37 children born/woman (2006 est.)

cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; demarcation of land boundary with Kazakhstan has started but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled

transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan

refugees (country of origin): 12,085 (Tajikistan) (2005)

29 (2006)

total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)

total: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2006)

1 (2006)

total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,870 GRT/25,801 DWT by type: cargo 4, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2006)

gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2006)

Turkmenbasy

total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2005)

total: 24,000 km paved: 19,488 km unpaved: 4,512 km (1999)

1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006)