Turkmenistan

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

• the most densely populated areas are the southern, eastern, and northeastern oases;
• approximately 50% of the population lives in and around the capital of Ashgabat

• earthquakes;
• mudslides;
• droughts;
• dust storms;
• floods

• 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

noun:

Turkmenistani(s)

adjective:

Turkmenistani

• the most densely populated areas are the southern, eastern, and northeastern oases;
• approximately 50% of the population lives in and around the capital of Ashgabat

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.01 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.99 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.88 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.77 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

• 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;
• soil erosion;
• desertification

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

particulate matter emissions:

19.02 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

70.63 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

52.09 megatons (2020 est.)

urban population:

53% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

2.23% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

municipal:

755 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

839 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

26.36 billion cubic meters (2017 est.)

conventional long form:

none

conventional short form:

Turkmenistan

local long form:

none

local short form:

Turkmenistan

former:

Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

the suffix "-stan" means "place of" or "country," so Turkmenistan literally means the "Land of the Turkmen [people]"

name:

Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)

geographic coordinates:

37 57 N, 58 23 E

time difference:

UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

etymology:

derived from the Persian words "eshq" meaning "love" and "abad" meaning "inhabited place" or "city," and so loosely translates as "the city of love"

history:

several previous; latest adopted 14 September 2016

amendments:

• proposed by the Mejlisi;
• passage requires two-thirds majority vote or absolute majority approval in a referendum;
• amended several times, last in 2020 (changed legislature to bicameral)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Turkmenistan

dual citizenship recognized:

yes

residency requirement for naturalization:

7 years

chief of state:

President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007)

cabinet:

Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 7-year term (no term limits);
• election last held on 12 February 2017 (next to be held in February 2024)

election results:

2017: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (DPT) 97.7%, other 2.3%; 2012: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW reelected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 97.1%, Annageldi YAZMYRADOW 1.1%, other candidates 1.8%

highest courts:

Supreme Court of Turkmenistan (consists of the court president and 21 associate judges and organized into civil, criminal, and military chambers)

judge selection and term of office:

judges appointed by the president for 5-year terms

subordinate courts:

• High Commercial Court;
• appellate courts;
• provincial, district, and city courts;
• military courts

• Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan or APT [Basim ANNAGURBANOW]
• Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Ata SERDAROW]
• Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs or PIE [Saparmyrat OWGANOW]

note: all of these parties support President BERDIMUHAMEDOW; a law authorizing the registration of political parties went into effect in January 2012; unofficial, small opposition movements exist abroad

ADB, CIS (associate member, has not ratified the 1993 CIS charter although it participates in meetings and held the chairmanship of the CIS in 2012), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), WHO, WIPO, WMO

chief of mission:

Ambassador Meret ORAZOW (since 14 February 2001)

chancery:

2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 588-1500

FAX:

[1] (202) 588-1500

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://usa.tmembassy.gov.tm/en

chief of mission:

Ambassador Matthew S. KLIMOW (since 26 June 2019)

embassy:

9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat 744000

mailing address:

7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070

telephone:

[993] (12) 94-00-45

FAX:

[993] (12) 94-26-14

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://tm.usembassy.gov/

• 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;
• five white, five-pointed stars and a white crescent moon appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe;
• the green color and crescent moon represent Islam;
• the five stars symbolize the regions or welayats of Turkmenistan;
• the guls reflect the national identity of Turkmenistan where carpet-making has long been a part of traditional nomadic life

note: the flag of Turkmenistan is the most intricate of all national flags

name:

"Garassyz, Bitarap Turkmenistanyn" (Independent, Neutral, Turkmenistan State Anthem)

lyrics/music:

collective/Veli MUKHATOV

note: adopted 1997, lyrics revised in 2008, to eliminate references to deceased President Saparmurat NYYAZOW

agriculture:

48.2%

industry:

14%

services:

37.8% (2004 est.)

lowest 10%:

2.6%

highest 10%:

31.7% (1998)

• broadcast media is government controlled and censored;
• 7 state-owned TV and 4 state-owned radio networks;
• satellite dishes and programming provide an alternative to the state-run media;
• officials sometimes limit access to satellite TV by removing satellite dishes

number of registered air carriers:

1 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 27

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

2,457,474 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

16.92 million mt-km (2018)

total:

5,113 km (2017)

broad gauge:

5,113 km 1.520-m gauge (2017)

total:

58,592 km (2002)

paved:

47,577 km (2002)

unpaved:

11,015 km (2002)

total:

73

by type:

general cargo 6, oil tanker 8, other 59 (2021)

• the inventory for Turkmenistan's military is comprised almost entirely of older Russian and Soviet-era weapons systems, although in recent years, Turkmenistan has purchased some equipment, including aircraft and air defense systems, from other countries;
• since 2010, China, Russia, and Turkey are the leading arms suppliers to Turkmenistan (2021)

• 18-30 years of age for compulsory male military service;
• 2-year conscript service obligation (2.5 years for the Navy);
• 20 years of age for voluntary service;
• males may enroll in military schools from age 15 (2021)

• cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states;
• field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005;
• bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian

current situation:

• Turkmenistan is a source, and to a much lesser degree, destination country for men, women, and children who are subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking;
• Turkmen in search of work in other countries are forced to work in textile sweatshops, construction, and domestic service;
• some Turkmen women and girls are sex trafficked abroad;
• Turkey is the primary trafficking destination, followed by Russia, India, and other countries in the Middle East, South and Central Asia, and Europe;
• labor trafficking occurs within Turkmenistan, particularly in the construction industry;
• government officials require employees in private sector institutions, soldiers, and public sector workers to pick cotton without payment under the threat of penalty, such as dismissal, reduced work hours, or salary deductions to meet government-imposed quotas for the cotton harvest

tier rating:

• Tier 3 — Turkmenistan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so;
• the government approved the 2020-2022 national action plan, continued anti-trafficking awareness campaigns, worked with international organizations on combating trafficking, provided training to its diplomatic corps on human trafficking, and identified potential trafficking victims at the international airport;
• however, the government used forced labor in the cotton harvest and public works projects;
• no officials were held accountable for their role in trafficking crimes;
• authorities did not prosecute or convict any traffickers;
• no victims were identified and offered protection or assistance programs (2020)

• transit country for Afghan opiates to Turkish, Russian, and European markets, either directly from Afghanistan or through Iran;
• not a major producer or source country for illegal drugs or precursor chemicals