Turkmenistan

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

NA

Internet country code

.tm

Internet users

2,000 (2000)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios

1.225 million (1997)

Telephone system

general assessment: poorly developed domestic: NA international: 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

Telephones - main lines in use

363,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular

4,300 (1998)

Television broadcast stations

3 (much programming relayed from Russia and Turkey) (1997)

Televisions

820,000 (1997)

Agriculture - products

cotton, grain; livestock

Budget

revenues: $588.6 million expenditures: $658.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) (1999 est.)

Currency

Turkmen manat (TMM)

Currency code

TMM

Debt - external

$2.3 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index

41 (1998)

Economic aid - recipient

$16 million from the US (2001)

Economy - overview

Turkmenistan is largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and huge gas (fifth largest reserves in the world) and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton, making it the world's tenth largest producer. Until the end of 1993, Turkmenistan had experienced less economic disruption than other former Soviet states because its economy received a boost from higher prices for oil and gas and a sharp increase in hard currency earnings. In 1994, Russia's refusal to export Turkmen gas to hard currency markets and mounting debts of its major customers in the former USSR for gas deliveries contributed to a sharp fall in industrial production and caused the budget to shift from a surplus to a slight deficit. 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 1998-2001, Turkmenistan has 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 have risen sharply because of higher international oil and gas prices. Prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, and the unwillingness of the government to adopt market-oriented reforms. However, Turkmenistan's cooperation with the international community in transporting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan may foreshadow a change in the atmosphere for foreign investment, aid, and technological support. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error.

Electricity - consumption

7.708 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - exports

900 million kWh (2000)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2000)

Electricity - production

9.256 billion kWh (2000)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%

Exchange rates

Turkmen manats per US dollar - 5,200 (January 2002-January 2000), 5,350 (January 1999), 4,070 (January 1997)

Exports

$2.7 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)

Exports - commodities

gas 33%, oil 30%, cotton fiber 18%, textiles 8% (1999)

Exports - partners

Ukraine 27%, Iran 14%, Turkey 11%, Italy 9%, Switzerland 5% (1999)

Fiscal year

calendar year

GDP

purchasing power parity - $21.5 billion (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 27% industry: 45% services: 28% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $4,700 (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

10% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share

lowest 10%: 3% highest 10%: 32% (1998) (1998)

Imports

$2.3 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.)

Imports - commodities

machinery and equipment 60%, foodstuffs 15% (1999)

Imports - partners

Turkey 17%, Ukraine 12%, Russia 11%, UAE 8%, France 6% (1999)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

10% (2001 est.)

Labor force

2.34 million (1996) (1996)

Labor force - by occupation

agriculture 48%, industry 15%, services 37% (1998 est.)

Population below poverty line

34% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total: 488,100 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 488,100 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly larger than California

Climate

subtropical desert

Coastline

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

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) highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m

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

Geographic coordinates

40 00 N, 60 00 E

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

Irrigated land

18,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Land boundaries

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

Land use

arable land: 3.47% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 96.39% (1998 est.)

Location

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

Map references

Asia

Maritime claims

none (landlocked)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt

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

Administrative divisions

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

Capital

Ashgabat

Constitution

adopted 18 May 1992

Country name

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

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Laura E. KENNEDY embassy: 9 Pushkin Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45 FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14

Diplomatic representation in the US

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

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: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held NA); note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the Assembly 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% note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 by the Assembly (Majlis) during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty)

Flag description

green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon and five white stars appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe

Government type

republic

Independence

27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

International organization participation

AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Legal system

based on civil law system

Legislative branch

under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (more than 100 seats, some of which are elected by popular vote and some of which are appointed; meets infrequently) and a unicameral Assembly or Majlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - all 50 elected officials preapproved by President NIYAZOV; most are from the DPT elections: People's Council - NA; Assembly - last held 12 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

National holiday

Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

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

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Background

Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1925. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President 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 can be worked out.

Military branches

Ministry of Defense (Army, Air and Air Defense, Navy, Border Troops, and Internal Troops), National Guard

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$90 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

3.4% (FY99)

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 1,206,920 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 979,282 (2002 est.)

Military manpower - military age

18 years of age (2002 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually

males: 48,292 (2002 est.)

Age structure

0-14 years: 37.3% (male 895,536; female 853,301) 15-64 years: 58.6% (male 1,350,142; female 1,399,879) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 72,784; female 117,321) (2002 est.)

Birth rate

28.27 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Death rate

8.92 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Ethnic groups

Turkmen 77%, Uzbek 9.2%, Russian 6.7%, Kazakh 2%, other 5.1% (1995)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.01% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

less than 100 (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate

73.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)

Languages

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

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 61.1 years female: 64.8 years (2002 est.) male: 57.57 years

Literacy

definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97% (1989 est.)

Nationality

noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmen

Net migration rate

-0.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)

Population

4,688,963 (July 2002 est.)

Population growth rate

1.84% (2002 est.)

Religions

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

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 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 (2002 est.)

Total fertility rate

3.54 children born/woman (2002 est.)

Disputes - international

Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan wrestle with sharing limited water resources and regional environmental degradation caused by the shrinking of the Aral Sea; multilaterally-accepted Caspian Sea seabed and maritime boundaries have not yet been established in the Caspian - Iran insists on division of Caspian Sea into five equal sectors while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan have generally agreed upon equidistant seabed boundaries; Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan await ICJ decision to resolve sovereignty dispute over oil fields in the Caspian Sea

Illicit drugs

transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; small-scale government-run eradication of illicit crops; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan

Airports

76 (2001)

Airports - with paved runways

total: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways

total: 63 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 41 (2002)

Highways

total: 22,000 km paved: 18,000 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads) unpaved: 4,000 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1996)

Merchant marine

total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,600 GRT/5,000 DWT ships by type: petroleum tanker 1 (2002 est.)

Pipelines

crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,400 km

Ports and harbors

Turkmenbasy

Railways

total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2001)

Waterways

the Amu Darya is an important inland waterway for Turkmenistan