Present-day Turkmenistan covers territory that has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. The area was ruled in antiquity by various Persian empires, and was conquered by Alexander the Great, Muslim crusaders, the Mongols, Turkic warriors, and eventually the Russians. In medieval times Merv (today known as Mary) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia in the late 1800s, Turkmenistan later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia. In 1924, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic; it achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves, which have yet to be fully exploited, have begun to transform the country. Turkmenistan is moving to expand its extraction and delivery projects. The Turkmen Government is actively working to diversify its gas export routes beyond the still important Russian pipeline network. In 2010, new gas export pipelines that carry Turkmen gas to China and to northern Iran began operating, effectively ending the Russian monopoly on Turkmen gas exports. President for Life Saparmurat NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential election in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a deputy cabinet chairman under NYYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president; he was reelected in February 2012.

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

slightly larger than California

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

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

petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

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

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

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

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

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

5,054,828 (July 2012 est.)

19.55 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

6.21 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

-1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

ASHGABAT (capital) 637,000 (2009)

67 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

2.14 children born/woman (2012 est.)

2.438 physicians/1,000 population (2007)

4.06 beds/1,000 population (2007)

less than 0.1% (2007 est.)

fewer than 200 (2007 est.)

fewer than 100 (2004 est.)

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

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

27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

adopted 26 September 2008

civil law system with Islamic law influences

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

unicameral parliament known as the National Assembly (Mejlis) (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president); High Commercial Court

Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW is chairman; Kasymguly BABAYEW is DPT Political Council First Secretary]

ADB, CIS (associate member, has not ratified the 1993 CIS charter although it participates in meetings and will hold 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, WHO, WIPO, WMO

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

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 10% 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. 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 and Iran, that began operation in early 2010, have expanded Turkmenistan's export routes for its gas, although these new routes have not completely offset the sharp drop in export revenue since early 2009 from decreased gas exports to Russia. 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.

$43.91 billion (2011 est.)

$38.29 billion (2010 est.)

$35.05 billion (2009 est.)

$25.74 billion (2011 est.)

2.3 million (2008 est.)

6% of GDP (2011 est.)

16.2% of GDP (2011 est.)

0.4% of GDP (2011 est.)

$471.9 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$435.1 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$5.565 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$480.7 million (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.158 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$1.263 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

cotton, grain; livestock

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

$1.087 billion (2011 est.)

-$1.346 billion (2010 est.)

$14.78 billion (2011 est.)

$10.55 billion (2010 est.)

gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, textiles, cotton fiber

China 59%, Turkey 4.9%, Italy 4.6%, UAE 4.3% (2011)

$9.557 billion (2011 est.)

$8.313 billion (2010 est.)

machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

Turkey 21.1%, Russia 14.1%, China 11.1%, UAE 8%, Germany 5.8% (2011)

$19.26 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$17.5 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$524.7 million (31 December 2011 est.)

$518 million (31 December 2010 est.)

Turkmen manat (TMM) per US dollar -

15.02 billion kWh (2009 est.)

11.22 billion kWh (2009 est.)

1.568 billion kWh (2009 est.)

2.852 million kW (2009 est.)

100% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

222,200 bbl/day (2011 est.)

40,160 bbl/day (2009 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

600 million bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

160,300 bbl/day (2008 est.)

145,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

74,430 bbl/day (2008 est.)

2,542 bbl/day (2008 est.)

45.3 billion cu m (2010 est.)

20.4 billion cu m (2010 est.)

24.9 billion cu m (2010 est.)

7.504 trillion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

62.05 million Mt (2010 est.)

3.511 million (2011)

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)

gas 7,352 km; oil 1,457 km (2010)

1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal are important inland waterways) (2011)

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2010)

18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2009)

3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

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

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