Turkmenistan

§1. Turkmenistan Introduction

Background:
  Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet
  republic in 1924. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the
  USSR in 1991. President Saparmurat NIYAZOV retains absolute control over
  the country and opposition is not tolerated. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural
  gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if
  extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan
  Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum
  transportation routes in order to break Russia's pipeline monopoly.

§2. Turkmenistan 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 km²
  land: 488,100 km²
  water: NEGL

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:
  none (landlocked)

Climate:
  subtropical desert

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

Elevation extremes:
  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)
  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: 4.51%
  permanent crops: 0.14%
  other: 95.35% (2005)

Irrigated land:
  17,500 km² (2003 est.)

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

§3. Turkmenistan People

Population:
  5,042,920 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
  0-14 years: 35.2% (male 913,988/female 863,503)
  15-64 years: 60.7% (male 1,501,486/female 1,557,155)
  65 years and over: 4.1% (male 79,227/female 127,561) (2006 est.)

Median age:
  total: 21.8 years
  male: 20.9 years
  female: 22.7 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
  1.83% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
  27.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
  8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
  -0.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
  at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
  under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
  15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
  65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
  total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
  total: 72.56 deaths/1,000 live births
  male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births
  female: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
  total population: 61.83 years
  male: 58.43 years
  female: 65.41 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
  3.37 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
  less than 0.1% (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
  less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
  less than 100 (2004 est.)

Nationality:
  noun: Turkmen(s)
  adjective: Turkmen

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

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

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

Literacy:
  definition: age 15 and over can read and write
  total population: 98.8%
  male: 99.3%
  female: 98.3% (1999 est.)

§4. Turkmenistan 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:
  republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the
  executive branch

Capital:
  Ashgabat

Administrative divisions:
  5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat),
    Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty
    (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty
  note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative
    centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in
    parentheses)

Independence:
  27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday:
  Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Constitution:
  adopted 18 May 1992

Legal system:
  based on civil law system

Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
  chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers
    Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct
    presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief
    of state and head of government
  head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers
    Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct
    presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief
    of state and head of government
  cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
  note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December
    1999 during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty); in
    November 2005 the People's Council voted down NIYAZOV's suggestion to
    hold presidential elections in 2009
  elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election
    last held 21 June 1992; note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved
    as president for life by the People's Council on 28 December 1999; deputy
    chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers are appointed by the president
  election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without opposition;
    percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5%

Legislative branch:
  under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a
  unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of
  up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular vote and some of
  whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Parliament or
  Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year
  terms); membership is scheduled to be increased to 65 seats
  elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held
    December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held
    December 2008)
  election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all 50
    elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and
    are preapproved by President NIYAZOV
  note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of the
    Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative organ; the
    Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and the president is
    now able to participate in the Mejlis as its supreme leader; the Mejlis
    can no longer adopt or amend the constitution, or announce referendums or
    its elections; since the president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the
    Halk Maslahaty and the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the
    effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and
    legislative branches of government

Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:
  Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV]
  note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition
    movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most
    prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National Democratic
    Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic Party of
    Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris
    SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25
    November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; UDPT is led by
    former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow

Political pressure groups and leaders:
  NA

International organization participation:
  AsDB, CIS (associate), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB,
  IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO
  (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
  UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOV
  chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
  telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500
  FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697

Diplomatic representation from the US:
  chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey A. JACOBSON
  embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat,
    Turkmenistan 774000
  mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-7070
  telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45
  FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14

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 similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white
  crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the
  regions or velayats of Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of the field
  just to the fly side of the red stripe

§5. Turkmenistan Economy

Economy - overview:
  Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive agriculture in
  irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated
  land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's tenth-largest
  producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to an almost 50% decline
  in cotton exports. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a
  tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach
  to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its
  inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 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 20% to 30% per year in
  2003-2005, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. In
  2005, Ashgabat sought to raise natural gas export prices to its main
  customers, Russia and Ukraine, from $44 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to
  $66 per tcm. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because
  of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, the
  government's irrational use of oil and gas revenues, and its unwillingness
  to adopt market-oriented reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are
  state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of
  error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
  $30.02 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
  $14.13 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
  IMF estimate: 11%
  note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates
    are widely regarded as unreliable (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
  $6,100 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
  agriculture: 26.9%
  industry: 39.5%
  services: 33.6% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
  2.32 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
  agriculture 48.2%, industry 13.8%, services 37% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
  60% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
  58% (2003 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)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  10% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
  25.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
  revenues: $1.401 billion
  expenditures: $1.542 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005
    est.)

Agriculture - products:
  cotton, grain; livestock

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

Industrial production growth rate:
  22% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
  11.41 billion kWh (2004 est.)

Electricity - consumption:
  8.847 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
  1.136 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
  0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
  203,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
  80,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
  NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
  273 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
  54.6 billion m³ (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
  15.5 billion m³ (2004 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
  38.6 billion m³ (2004 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
  0 m³ (2004 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
  2.01 trillion m³ (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
  $-204.3 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
  $4.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
  Ukraine 46.6%, Iran 17.3%, Turkey 4.2%, Italy 4.1% (2004)

Imports:
  $4.175 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
  machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
  US 11.8%, Russia 9.7%, UAE 9.2%, Ukraine 9%, Turkey 8.6%, Germany 8%,
  France 5%, Georgia 4.6%, Iran 4.5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
  $3.358 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
  $2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
  $16 million from the US (2001)

Currency (code):
  Turkmen manat (TMM)

Exchange rates:
  in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 24,000 to 25,000
  Turkmen manats to the dollar; the official rate has consistently been 5,200
  manat to the dollar

Fiscal year:
  calendar year

§6. Turkmenistan Communications

Telephones - main lines in use:
  376,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
  52,000 (2004)

Telephone system:
  general assessment: poorly developed
  domestic: NA
  international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave radio
    relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections
    to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from
    Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat
    switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite
    earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
  AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)

Television broadcast stations:
  4 (government owned and programmed) (2004)

Internet country code:
  .tm

Internet hosts:
  557 (2005)

Internet users:
  36,000 (2005)

§7. Turkmenistan Transportation

Airports:
  39 (2005)

Airports - with paved runways:
  total: 22
  over 3,047 m: 1
  2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
  914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2005)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
  total: 17
  1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
  914 to 1,523 m: 1
  under 914 m: 14 (2005)

Heliports:
  1 (2005)

Pipelines:
  gas 6,549 km; oil 1,395 km (2004)

Railways:
  total: 2,440 km
  broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2004)

Roadways:
  total: 24,000 km
  paved: 19,488 km
  unpaved: 4,512 km (1999)

Waterways:
  1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006)

Merchant marine:
  total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,870 GRT/25,801 DWT
  by type: barge carrier 1, cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1
    (2005)

Ports and terminals:
  Turkmenbasy

§8. Turkmenistan Military

Military branches:
  Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (2004)

Military service age and obligation:
  18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
  obligation - two years (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
  males age 18-49: 1,132,833 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
  males age 18-49: 759,978 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
  males: 56,532 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
  $90 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
  3.4% (FY99)

§9. Turkmenistan Transnational Issues

Disputes - international:
  cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing
  difficulties for Amu Darya river states; bilateral talks continue with
  Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of
  the Caspian; demarcation of land boundary with Kazakhstan has started but
  Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
  refugees (country of origin): 12,085 (Tajikistan) (2005)

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


<Factbook 2006>
