Turkmenistan flag
Basic facts of Turkmenistan
Official : Turkmenistan
Capita:l Ashgabat
Area: 488,100 sq km,188,500 sq mi
Population: 5,179,571 (2008 estimate)
Population growth rate: 1.60 percent (2008 estimate)
Population density: 11 persons per sq km, 27 persons per sq mi (2008 estimate)
Urban/rural distribution:
Share urban 46 percent (2005 estimate)
Share rural 54 percent (2005 estimate)
Largest cities: Ashgabat, Chärjew, Dashhowuz
Religious affiliations:
Muslim (mostly Sunni Muslim) 87 percent
Nonreligious 9 percent
Orthodox Christian 2 percent
Atheist 1 percent Other 1 percent
Life expectancy:
Total 68.6 years (2008 estimate)
Female 71.8 years (2008 estimate)
Male 65.5 years (2008 estimate)
Form of government:Republic
Total number of military personnel: 26,000 (2004)
Introduction:
Turkmenistan, republic in the southwestern portion of Central Asia, bordered on the north by Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan, on the east by Uzbekistan and Afghanistan, on the south by Afghanistan and Iran, and on the west by the Caspian Sea. Ashgabat is Turkmenistan’s capital and largest city.
In Turkmen, the official language, the name of the republic is Turkmenistan Respublikasy (Republic of Turkmenistan). Turkmens constitute the dominant ethnic group. Turkmenistan was formerly the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (SSR) of the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR). It became an independent country in 1991 and adopted its first post-Soviet constitution in 1992.
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan
Gardens and fountains fill a square in the center of Ashgabat, the capital of Turkmenistan.
Horse Farm
This horse farm is located near Ashgabat, in Turkmenistan. The raising and selling of horses is an important industry in Turkmenistan.