Turkmenistan

President-for-Life: Saparmurad A. Niyazov (1990)

Total area: 188,455 sq mi (488,100 sq km)

Population (2006 est.): 5,042,920 (growth rate: 1.8%); birth rate: 27.6/1000; infant mortality rate: 72.6/1000; life expectancy: 61.8; density per sq mi: 27

Capital and largest city (2003 est.): Ashgabat, 727,700

Other large cities: Chardzhou, 213,500; Tashauz, 160,400

Monetary unit: Manat

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

Ethnicity/race: Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)

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

Literacy rate: 98% (1989 est.)

Economic summary: GDP/PPP (2005 est.): $30.02 billion; per capita $6,100. Real growth rate: 11% (IMF est.). Inflation: 10%. Unemployment: 60% (2004 est.). Arable land: 4%. Agriculture: cotton, grain; livestock. Labor force: 2.32 million (2003 est.); agriculture 48.2%, industry 13.8%, services 38% (2003 est.). Industries: natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing. Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt. Exports: $4.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles. Imports: $4.175 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.): machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs. Major trading partners: Ukraine, Iran, Turkey, Italy, U.S., Russia, UAE, Germany, France, Georgia (2004).

Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 363,000 (1997); mobile cellular: 4,300 (1998). Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998). Radios: 1.225 million (1997). Television broadcast stations: 3 (much programming relayed from Russia and Turkey) (1997). Televisions: 820,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): n.a. Internet users: 2,000 (2000).

Transportation: Railways: total: 2,440 km (2002). Highways: total: 24,000 km; paved: 19,488 km; unpaved: 4,512 km (1999 est.). Waterways: the Amu Darya is an important inland waterway. Ports and harbors: Turkmenbasy Airports: 76 (2002).

International disputes: prolonged regional drought creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; Turkmenistan has not committed to follow either Iran or the other littoral states in the division of the Caspian Sea seabed and water column; ICJ decision expected to resolve dispute with Azerbaijan over sovereignty over Caspian oilfields; demarcation of land boundary with Kazakhstan is underway—maritime boundary not resolved.

 

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