Turkmenistan

republicIndependence 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union

Turkmenistan as the 1992 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 75 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalAshgabat (Ashkhabad)

Area488,100 km2

Populationas each edition published it

3.84 million July 1992 · 5.74m in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 2.04% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 21.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 64.93 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

4.5 children per woman 1992 · 2.02 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

94 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 35 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $3,330 in 1994

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition -10% in 1993

Geography

13 fields

Total area

488,100km2

Comparative area: slightly larger than California

Coastline

0km

note: Turkmenistan does border the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)Maritime claims: none - landlocked

Land boundaries

3,736km total

Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km

Terrain

flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; borders Caspian Sea in west

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulphur, salt, magnesium

Land use

NA% arable land;
NA% permanent crops;
NA% meadows and pastures;
NA% forest and woodland;
NA% other;
includes NA% irrigated

People

14 fields

Population

3,838,108

(July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

36Death

9Net migration

-3

Ethnic divisions

Turkmen 72%Russian 9%Uzbek 9%other 10%

Religions

Islam 85%Eastern Orthodox 10%unknown 5%

Languages

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

Literacy

NA% (male NA%, female NA) age 15 and over can read and write

Labor force

1,542,000; agriculture and forestry 42%, industry and construction 21%, other 37% (1990)

Government

Republic

20 fields

Administrative divisions

4 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast');
Balkan (Nebit-Dag), Chardzhou, Mary, Tashauz;
note - the rayons around Ashgabat are under direct republic jurisdiction;
all oblasts have the same name as their administrative center except Balkan Oblast, centered at Nebit-Dag

Independence

27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union; formerly Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic)

Executive branch

president, prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Saparmurad NIYAZOV (since 21 June 1992)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister (vacant), Deputy Prime Ministers V. G. OCHERTSOV and Atta CHARYYEV (since NA 1991)

Political parties and leaders

Democratic Party (formerly Communist), Saparmurad NIYAZOV, chairman; opposition: Democratic Party, Durdymorad KHODZHA Mukhammed, chairman

Elections

President:: last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held NA June 1997); results - Saparmurad NIYAZOV 99.5% (ran unopposed)
Majlis:: last held 7 January 1990 (next to be held NA 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

Communists

renamed Democratic Party, 16 December 1990

Other political or pressure groups

Agzybirlik (Unity) Movement

Diplomatic representation

US:: Ambassador-designate Joseph HULINGS;
Embassy at Yubilenaya Hotel, Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) (mailing address is APO; AE 09862);
telephone [8] (011) 7-3630-24-49-08

Flag

green field with five claret carpet gels (that is, a repeated carpet pattern) on the hoist side;
a white crescent and five white stars in the upper left corner to the right of the carpet gels

Economy

17 fields

Inflation, consumer prices

85%

(1991)

External debt

$650million

(end of 1991 est.)

Like the other 15 former Soviet republics, Turkmenistan faces enormous problems of economic adjustment - to move away from Moscow-based central planning toward a system of decisionmaking by private enterpreneurs, local government authorities, and, hopefully, foreign investors. This process requires wholesale changes in supply sources, markets, property rights, and monetary arrangements.

Industry - with 10% of the labor force - is heavily weighted toward the energy sector, which produced 11% of the ex-USSR's gas and 1% of its oil. Turkmenistan ranked second among the former Soviet republics in cotton production, mainly in the irrigated western region, where the huge Karakumskiy Canal taps the Amu Darya.

GDP

purchasing power equivalent - NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate -0.6% (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate

20-25% (1991 est.)

Budget

Exports

$239 million (1990)

commodities:: natural gas, oil, chemicals, cotton, textiles, carpets
partners:: Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Imports

$970 million (1990)

commodities:: machinery and parts, plastics and rubber, consumer durables, textiles
partners:: NA

Industrial production

growth rate 4.1% (1991)

Electricity

3,170,000 kW capacity; 14,900 million kWh produced, 4,114 kWh per capita (1990)

Industries

oil and gas, petrochemicals, fertilizers, food processing, textiles

Agriculture

cotton, fruits, vegetables

Illicit drugs

illicit producers of cannabis and opium;
mostly for domestic consumption;
status of government eradication programs unknown;
used as transshipment points for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Economic aid

Currency

As of May 1992, retaining ruble as currency

Exchange rates

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

8 fields

Networkskm

Highways

23,000Railroads

2,120

Highways: (1990); 18,300 km hard surfaced, 4,700 km earth

Highways

23,000 km total (1990); 18,300 km hard surfaced, 4,700 km earth

Inland waterways

NA km

Pipelines

Ports

inland - Krasnovodsk

Civil air

Airports

Telecommunications

poorly developed;
telephone density NA;
linked by landline or microwave to other CIS member states and Iran, and by leased connections via the Moscow international gateway switch to other countries;
satellite earth stations - Orbita and INTELSAT (TV receive only)