Click Map to Enlarge
Central Asia, bordering the
Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
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
Capital: Ashgabat (Ashgabat
Hotels)
Religion: Muslim 89%, Eastern
Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Languages Spoken: Turkmen 72%,
Russian
12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
See also: Languages
spoken in Asia, Languages of the
world
Information & Brief History
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 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.
|
Turkmenistan
