Turkmenistan

Republic of TurkmenistanTiurkmenostan Respublikasy

republicIndependence 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Turkmenistan as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 77 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

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

Populationas each edition published it

3.91 million July 1993 est. · 3.84m in 1992

Population growth% a year

2.04% 1993 est. · 0.88% in 2025

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 21.1 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

64.93 years 1993 est. · 72.4 yrs in 2025

Fertility ratechildren per woman

3.82 children per woman 1993 est. · 4.5 in 1992

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

71.2 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 94 in 1992

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $3,330 in 1994

GDP real growth% a year

-10% 1992 est. · 2.3% in 2025

Geography

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

14 fields

Land useshare of 488,100 km2

arable land 3%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 69%forest and woodland 0%other 28%irrigated 12,450 km2 (1990)

Area

488,100km2

land area: 488,100 km2 comparative area: slightly larger than California

Coastline

0km

note: Turkmenistan does border the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)Maritime claims: landlocked, but boundaries in the Caspian Sea with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Iran will have to be negotiated

Land boundaries

3,736km

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

Location

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

Map references

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

Terrain

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

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulphur, salt

Environment

contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salinization, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods

People

14 fields

Population

3,914,997

(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 2.04% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth

30.91Death

7.6Net migration

-2.87

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years64.93

61.4 · 68.62

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy100%

100% · 100%

MaleFemaleLiteracy age 9-49 can read and write (1970)

Ethnic divisions

Turkmen 73.3%Russian 9.8%Uzbek 9%Kazakhs 2%other 5.9%

Religions

Muslim 87%Eastern Orthodox 11%unknown 2%

Labor force

1.542million

by occupation: agriculture and forestry 42%, industry and construction 21%, other 37% (1990)

Infant mortality rate

71.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Turkmen(s)
adjective:: Turkmen

Languages

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

Government

Republic

20 fields

Names

conventional long form:: Republic of Turkmenistan
conventional short form:: Turkmenistan
local long form:: Tiurkmenostan Respublikasy
local short form:: Turkmanistan
former:: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

5 velayets: Balkan (Nebit Dag), Doshkhovuz (formerly Tashauz), Lebap (Charjev), Mary, Akhal (Ashgabat) note: 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)

Constitution

adopted 18 May 1992

Legal system

based on civil law system

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Political parties and leaders

ruling party:: Democratic Party (formerly Communist), chairman vacant
opposition:: Party for Democratic Development, Durdymurat HOJA-MUHAMMET, chairman ; Agzybirlik, Nurberdy NURMAMEDOV, cochairman, Hubayberdi HALLIYEV, cochairman

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

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;
note - seats to be reduced to 50 at next election

Executive branch

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

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)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State:: President Saparmurad NIYAZOV (since NA October 1990)
Head of Government:: Prime Minister (vacant);
Deputy Prime Ministers Valery G. OCHERTSOV, Orazgeldi AYDOGDYEV, Yagmur OVEZOV, Jourakuli BABAKULIYEV, Matkarim RAJAPOV, Rejep SAPAROV, Boris SHIKHMURADOV (since NA);
Chairman of the People's Council Sakhat MURADOV (since NA)

Member of

CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, IMF, NACC, UN, UNCTAD

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:: NA
chancery:: NA
telephone:: NA

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:: Ambassador Joseph S. HULINGS III
embassy:: Yubilenaya Hotel, Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)
mailing address:: APO AE 09862
telephone:: [7] 36320 24-49-08

Flag

green field, including a vertical stripe on the hoist side, with a claret veritcal 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

Economy

19 fields

Real growth rate

-10%

(1992 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate -17% (1992 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

53%per month

(first quarter 1993)

Unemployment rate

15%

-20% (1992 est.)

External debt

$650million

(end 1991 est.)

Overview

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 entrepreneurs, 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.

The general decline in national product accelerated in 1992, principally because of inability to obtain spare parts and disputes with customers over the price of natural gas.

National product

GDP $NA

National product per capita

$NA

Budget

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

Exports

$100 million to outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992)

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

Imports

$100 million from outside the successor states of the former USSR (1992)

commodities:: machinery and parts, plastics and rubber, consumer durables, textiles
partners:: mostly other than former Soviet Union

Electricity

2,920,000 kW capacity; 13,100 million kWh produced, 3,079 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

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

Agriculture

cotton, fruits, vegetables

Illicit drugs

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

Economic aid

$280 million offical aid commitments by foreign donors (1992)

Currency

retaining Russian ruble as currency; planning to establish own currency, the manat, but no date set (May 1993)

Exchange rates

rubles per US$1 - 415 (24 December 1992) but subject to wide fluctuations

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Networkskm · (1990)

Highways

23,000Railroads

2,120

Highways: ; 18,300 km hard surfaced, 4,700 km earth · Railroads: ; does not include industrial lines

Railroads

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

Highways

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

Pipelines

crude oil 250 km, natural gas 4,400 km

Ports

inland - Krasnovodsk (Caspian Sea)

Airports

total:: 7
useable:: 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

Telecommunications

poorly developed;
only 65 telephones per 1000 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 direct telephone link from Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) to Iran has been established;
satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 INTELSAT for TV receive-only service;
a newly installed satellite earth station provides TV receiver-only capability for Turkish broadcasts

Defense Forces

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

4 fields

Branches

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