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Turkmenistan is a Central Asian country. Bathed by the
Caspian Sea in the west, it borders Kazakhstan in the
north, Uzbekistan in the north and east, Afghanistan in
the southeast, and Iran in the southwest. It covers an
area of 488 100 km2. Its main cities are
Ashgabat, the capital, with 744 300 inhabitants (2004),
Chärjew (216 700 inhab.), Dashhovuse (162 900 inhab.),
Mary (115 700 inhab.) And Nebitdag (87 800 inhab.). It
is a practically desert country, mainly the Karakum
area, one of the largest desert extensions in the world,
where vegetation and agriculture are only possible in
oases, of which the Kopet Dag, in the South, stands out.
Most rivers are located in the eastern part. The main
river is Amudária, along which several canals have been
built, such as Karakum.
Climate
It has a desert or semi-desert climate, with hot summers
and severe winters.
Economy
Turkmenistan has considerable reserves of oil and
natural gas. The country is also rich in salt and
potassium and has the best cotton in the world and the
famous wool from yarn. Turkmenistan's main trading
partners are Russia, the United States of America,
Ukraine and Turkey. Environmental indicator: the value
of carbon dioxide emissions, per capita (metric
tons, 1999), is 6.4.
Population
The population is 5 042 920 inhabitants (2006), which
corresponds to a population density of 10.15 inhab./km2. The
birth and death rates are respectively 27.61% and
8.6%. Average life expectancy is 61.83 years. The value
of the Human Development Index (HDI) is 0.748 and the
value of the Gender-adjusted Development Index (IDG) was
not assigned (2001). It is estimated that, in 2025, the
population will be 7 053 000 inhabitants. The main
ethnic groups are Turkmen (77%), Uzbeks (9%), Russians
(7%), Kazakhs (2%) and Tatars (1%). The most important
religions are Sunni Islam (87%) and Russian Orthodox
Christianity (6%). The official language is Turkmen.
History
The Turkmen were a nomadic people who dedicated
themselves to pastoralism and were conquered by the
Russians in the 19th century. With Soviet domination,
they were forced to sedentarize and from 1930 the
economy was rebuilt and cotton plantations and gas
extraction emerged. It is a Muslim country that grants
its people Russian nationality. It became independent
from the former Soviet Union on October 27, 1991. To
better define its autonomy, it adopted a Latin alphabet.
Turkmenistan is part of the Commonwealth of
Independent States, but it was the only country in
Central Asia to refuse to sign the military integration
agreement. Without officially breaking with the CIS, it
keeps an autonomous policy to itself. He also refused to
participate in the pool of forces designed to maintain
peace in Tajikistan. The economic and political decision
system depends on the direct authorization of the
president. The Constitution, adopted in 1992, instituted
a presidential system reinforced by the cult of
personality. The president's name was given to the
airport and several streets in the country. In January
1994 a referendum extended the term of President
Saparmourad Nyazov.
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| 1UpTravel.com - Maps of Turkmenistan |
| Check out the political and shaded relief maps of
Turkmenistan, a central Asian country, bordering the
Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan. |
| http://www.1uptravel.com/worldmaps/turkmenistan.html |
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| Turkmenistan - Maps of Russia and the FSU Republics |
| Directory profiling all regions within the former Soviet
Union offers a country map and shaded-relief map of
Turkmenistan. |
| http://users.aimnet.com/~ksyrah/ekskurs/maps.html#Turk |
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| Turkmenistan - Maps.com |
| User-friendly color map of this former Soviet Union
country includes cities, waterways and neighboring
countries. |
| http://media.maps.com/magellan/Images/TURKME-W1.gif |
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| Turkmenistan - Merriam-Webster Atlas |
| Detailed color map of this Asian country also includes
country facts, illustration of the nation's flag, and a
historical summary. |
| http://www.m-w.com/maps/turkmenistan.html |
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| Turkmenistan - National Geographic |
| Check out a satellite created map of this Asian country
with zooming ability. Plus, find cities, land features,
and bordering countries. |
| http://plasma.nationalgeographic.com/mapmachine/index.html?i... |
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