Country Guide

Turkmenistan Facts

Geography People and Society Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues

Geography

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


Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 60 00 E


Map references:
Asia


Area:
total:488,100 sq kmcountry comparison to the world: 53
land:469,930 sq km
water:18,170 sq km


Area - comparative:
slightly larger than California


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


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


Maritime claims:
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)
highest point:Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m


    Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt


Land use:
arable land:3.89%
permanent crops:0.12%
other:95.98% (2011)


Irrigated land:
19,910 sq km (2006)


Total renewable water resources:
24.77 cu km (2011)


Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
24.77 cu km (2011)

Natural hazards:
NA


Environment - current issues:
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


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


Geography - note:
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

People and Society

Nationality:
noun: Turkmen(s)
adjective:Turkmen


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


Languages:
Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%


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


Population:
5,171,943 (July 2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 120


Age structure:
0-14 years:26.4% (male 691,076/female 673,310)
15-24 years:20.2% (male 526,027/female 519,474)
25-54 years:42.3% (male 1,082,821/female 1,102,716)
55-64 years:6.9% (male 168,543/female 188,742)
65 years and over:4.2% (male 95,391/female 123,843) (2014 est.)


Dependency ratios:
total dependency ratio:48.2 %
youth dependency ratio:42.1 %
elderly dependency ratio:6.1 %
potential support ratio:16.4 (2014 est.)


Median age:
total:26.6 years
male:26.2 years
female:27.1 years (2014 est.)


Population growth rate:
1.14% (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 104


Birth rate:
19.46 births/1,000 population (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 89


Death rate:
6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 160


Net migration rate:
-1.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 164


Urbanization:
urban population:48.7% of total population (2011)
rate of urbanization:1.91% annual rate of change (2010-15 est.)


Major urban areas - population:
ASHGABAT (capital) 683,000 (2011)


Sex ratio:
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:0.98 male(s)/female
55-64 years:0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over:0.77 male(s)/female
total population:0.98 male(s)/female (2014 est.)


Mother's mean age at first birth:
24.6 (2006 est.)


    Maternal mortality rate:
67 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)


Infant mortality rate:
total:38.13 deaths/1,000 live birthscountry comparison to the world: 60
male:45.63 deaths/1,000 live births
female:30.26 deaths/1,000 live births (2014 est.)


Life expectancy at birth:
total population:69.47 yearscountry comparison to the world: 155
male:66.48 years
female:72.61 years (2014 est.)


Total fertility rate:
2.1 children born/woman (2014 est.)country comparison to the world: 108


Contraceptive prevalence rate:
61.8% (2000)


Health expenditures:
2.7% of GDP (2011)


Physicians density:
2.44 physicians/1,000 population (2007)


Hospital bed density:
4.1 beds/1,000 population (2011)


Drinking water source:
improved:
urban: 89.1% of population
rural: 53.7% of population
total: 71.1% of population
unimproved:
urban: 10.9% of population
rural: 46.3% of population
total: 28.9% of population (2012 est.)


Sanitation facility access:
improved:
urban: 100% of population
rural: 98.2% of population
total: 99.1% of population
unimproved:
urban: 0% of population
rural: 1.8% of population
total: 0.9% of population (2012 est.)


HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2007 est.)country comparison to the world: 149


HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.)country comparison to the world: 161


HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2004 est.)country comparison to the world: 146


Obesity - adult prevalence rate:
13.2% (2008)country comparison to the world: 125


Children under the age of 5 years underweight:
10.5% (2000)country comparison to the world: 68


Education expenditures:
NA

Literacy:
definition:age 15 and over can read and write
total population:99.6%
male:99.7%
female:99.5% (2011 est.)

Government

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


Government type:
defines itself as a secular democracy and a presidential republic; in actuality displays authoritarian presidential rule with power concentrated within the presidential administration


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


Administrative divisions:
5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat) and 1 independent city*: Ahal Welayaty (Anew), Ashgabat*, Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty


Independence:
27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)


National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 October (1991)


Constitution:
adopted 18 May 1992; amended several times, last in 2008; note - sources disagree on whether the changes in 2008 are amendments or reflect a new constitution (2012)


Legal system:
civil law system with Islamic law influences


International law organization participation:
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt


Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal


Executive branch:
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:president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term; election last held on 12 February 2012 (next to be held in February 2017)
election results:Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW reelected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 97.1%, Annageldi YAZMYRADOW 1.1%, other candidates 1.8%


Legislative branch:
unicameral parliament known as the National Assembly (Mejlis) (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections:last held on 15 December 2013 (next to be held in December 2018)
election results:percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 47, Organization of Trade and Unions of Turkmenistan 33, Women's Union of Turkmenistan 16, Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs 14
note:in 26 September 2008, a new constitution of Turkmenistan abolished a second, 2,507-member legislative body known as the People's Council and expanded the number of deputies in the National Assembly from 65 to 125; the powers formerly held by the People's Council were divided up between the president and the National Assembly


Judicial branch:
highest court(s):Supreme Court of Turkmenistan (consists of the court president and 21 associate judges)
judge selection and term of office:judges appointed by the president; judge tenure NA
subordinate courts:provincial, district, and city courts; High Commercial Court; military courts


    Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Kasymguly BABAYEW]
Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs or PIE [Orazmammet MAMMEDOW] (party registered 21 August 2012)
note:a law authorizing the registration of political parties went into effect in January 2012; unofficial, small opposition movements exist abroad; the three most prominent opposition groups-in-exile are the National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT), the Republican Party of Turkmenistan, and the Watan (Fatherland) Party; the NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 attack on President NYYAZOW's motorcade


Political pressure groups and leaders:
none


International organization participation:
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


Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Mered Bairamovich ORAZOW (since 14 February 2001)
chancery:2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:[1] (202) 588-1500
FAX:[1] (202) 280-1003


Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission:Ambassador Robert E. PATTERSON (since 26 April 2011)
embassy:No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 744000
mailing address:7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070
telephone:[993] (12) 94-00-45
FAX:[993] (12) 94-26-14


Flag description:
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 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


National symbol(s):
Akhal-Teke horse


National anthem:
name:'Garassyz, Bitarap Turkmenistanyn' (Independent, Neutral, Turkmenistan State Anthem)

lyrics/music:collective/Veli MUKHATOV
note:adopted 1997, lyrics revised 2008; following the death of the President Saparmurat NYYAZOW, the lyrics were altered to eliminate references to the former president

Economy

Economy - overview:
Turkmenistan is largely a desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and sizeable gas and oil resources. The two largest crops are cotton, most of which is produced for export, and wheat, which is domestically consumed. Although agriculture accounts for roughly 7% of GDP, it continues to employ nearly half of the country's workforce. Turkmenistan's authoritarian regime has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton export revenues to sustain its inefficient and highly corrupt economy. The government introduced a privatization plan in 2012, but the implementation of this initiative has been slow. Privatization goals remain limited. From 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 an average of roughly 15% per year from 2003-08, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. Additional pipelines to China, that began operation in early 2010, and increased pipeline capacity to Iran, have expanded Turkmenistan's export routes for its gas. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of endemic corruption, a poor educational system, government misuse of oil and gas revenues, and Ashgabat's reluctance to adopt market-oriented reforms. The majority of Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets. The present government established a State Agency for Statistics, but GDP numbers and other publicized figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain. Since his election, President BERDIMUHAMEDOW unified the country's dual currency exchange rate, ordered the redenomination of the manat, reduced state subsidies for gasoline, and initiated development of a special tourism zone on the Caspian Sea. Although foreign investment is encouraged, and some improvements in macroeconomic policy have been made, numerous bureaucratic obstacles impede international business activity.


GDP (purchasing power parity):
$55.16 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 95
$49.18 billion (2012 est.)
$44.27 billion (2011 est.)
note:data are in 2013 US dollars


GDP (official exchange rate):
$40.56 billion (2013 est.)


GDP - real growth rate:
12.2% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
11.1% (2012 est.)
14.7% (2011 est.)


GDP - per capita (PPP):
$9,700 (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
$8,800 (2012 est.)
$8,000 (2011 est.)
note:data are in 2013 US dollars


Gross national saving:
12.6% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 122
12.9% of GDP (2012 est.)
10.6% of GDP (2011 est.)


GDP - composition, by end use:
household consumption:50%
government consumption:12.8%
investment in fixed capital:11.6%
investment in inventories:0%
exports of goods and services:56.4%
imports of goods and services:-30.8%
(2013 est.)


GDP - composition, by sector of origin:
agriculture:7.2%
industry:24.4%
services:68.4% (2013 est.)


Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain, melons; livestock


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


Industrial production growth rate:
8% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27

Labor force:
2.3 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 116


    Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture:48.2%
industry:14%
services:37.8% (2004 est.)


Unemployment rate:
60% (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 199

Population below poverty line:
30% (2004 est.)


Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%:2.6%
highest 10%:31.7% (1998)


Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40.8 (1998)
country comparison to the world: 55

Budget:
revenues:$5.93 billion
expenditures:$5.474 billion (2013 est.)


Taxes and other revenues:
14.6% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195

Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-):
1.1% of GDP (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26


Fiscal year:
calendar year


Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 204
8.5% (2012 est.)


Stock of narrow money:
$577.2 million (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 157
$526.3 million (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of broad money:
$1.199 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
$1.058 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Stock of domestic credit:
$2.912 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
$2.561 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA


Current account balance:
$285.9 million (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
$622.7 million (2012 est.)


Exports:
$17.13 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
$19.99 billion (2012 est.)


Exports - commodities:
gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, textiles, cotton fiber


Exports - partners:
China 69.6%, Italy 4.7% (2012)


Imports:
$12.48 billion (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 92
$14.14 billion (2012 est.)


Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs


Imports - partners:
China 19.5%, Turkey 17%, Russia 12.6%, UAE 6.8%, Ukraine 6%, Germany 4.7%, UK 4.2% (2012)


Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$22.35 billion (31 December 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56
$20.71 billion (31 December 2012 est.)


Debt - external:
$428.9 million (31 December 2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
$451.5 million (31 December 2011 est.)


Exchange rates:
Turkmen manat (TMM) per US dollar -
2.85 (2013 est.)
2.85 (2012 est.)
2.85 (2010 est.)
2.85 (2009)
14,250 (2008)

Energy

Electricity - production:
19.97 billion kWh (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75


Electricity - consumption:
17.08 billion kWh (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 74


Electricity - exports:
2.885 billion kWh (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35


Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210


Electricity - installed generating capacity:
2.852 million kW (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 90


Electricity - from fossil fuels:
100% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 38


Electricity - from nuclear fuels:
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 192


Electricity - from hydroelectric plants:
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 205


Electricity - from other renewable sources:
0% of total installed capacity (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131


Crude oil - production:
244,100 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 36


Crude oil - exports:
67,000 bbl/day (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 44


Crude oil - imports:
0 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131


    Crude oil - proved reserves:
600 million bbl (1 January 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 46


Refined petroleum products - production:
143,200 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 63


Refined petroleum products - consumption:
145,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)
country comparison to the world: 68


Refined petroleum products - exports:
64,360 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 56


Refined petroleum products - imports:
2,542 bbl/day (2010 est.)
country comparison to the world: 176


Natural gas - production:
64.4 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 13


Natural gas - consumption:
23.3 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 33


Natural gas - exports:
41.1 billion cu m (2012 est.)
country comparison to the world: 11


Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 139


Natural gas - proved reserves:
17.5 trillion cu m (1 January 2013 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4


Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy:
51.85 million Mt (2011 est.)

Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
575,000 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 94


Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.953 million (2012)
country comparison to the world: 123


Telephone system:
general assessment:telecommunications network remains underdeveloped and progress toward improvement is slow; strict government control and censorship inhibits liberalization and modernization
domestic:Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign partners, has installed high-speed fiber-optic lines and has upgraded most of the country's telephone exchanges and switching centers with new digital technology; combined fixed-line and mobile teledensity is about 80 per 100 persons; Russia's Mobile Telesystems, the only foreign mobile-cellular service provider in Turkmenistan, had its operating license suspended in December 2010 but was able to resume operations in September 2012; Turkmenistan's first telecommunication satellite is scheduled to be launched by the end of 2014; once in orbit, it is expected that the satellite will greatly improve connectivity in the country
international:country code - 993; linked by fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; an exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat (2012)



    Broadcast media:
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 (2007)


Internet country code:
.tm


Internet hosts:
714 (2012)
country comparison to the world: 176


Internet users:
80,400 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 166

Transportation

Airports
26 (2013)
country comparison to the world: 126


Airports - with paved runways
total:21
over 3,047 m:1
2,438 to 3,047 m:9
1,524 to 2,437 m:9
914 to 1,523 m:2 (2013)


Airports - with unpaved runways
total:5
1,524 to 2,437 m:1
under 914 m:
4 (2013)


Heliports
1 (2013)


Pipelines
gas 7,500 km; oil 1,501 km (2013)


Railways
total:2,980 kmcountry comparison to the world: 57
broad gauge:2,980 km 1.520-m gauge (2008)


    Roadways
total:58,592 kmcountry comparison to the world: 72
paved:47,577 km
unpaved:11,015 km (2002)


Waterways
1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal are important inland waterways) (2011)
country comparison to the world: 56


Merchant marine
total:11country comparison to the world: 112
by type:cargo 4, chemical tanker 1, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1 (2010)



Ports and terminals
major seaport(s):Turkmenbasy

Military

Military branches
Turkmen Armed Forces: Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2013)


Military service age and obligation
18-27 years of age for compulsory male military service; 2-year conscript service obligation, or 1 year for university students; 20 years of age for voluntary service; males may enroll in military schools from age 15 (2013)


Manpower available for military service
males age 16-49:1,380,794
females age 16-49:1,387,211 (2010 est.)


    Manpower fit for military service
males age 16-49:1,066,649
females age 16-49:1,185,538 (2010 est.)


Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually
male:53,829
female:52,988 (2010 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international
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, but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran, and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate the sea's waters and seabed; bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian


    Refugees and internally displaced persons
stateless persons:8,947 (2012)


Trafficking in persons



Illicit drugs
transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan
 Information/ Data by CIA - The World Factbook