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Following the end of the Cold War and the breakup of the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan declared its independence on October 27, 1991. Saparmurat Niyazov became the first president of the new republic and still remains the supreme decision-maker. On December 28, 1999, Niyazov's term was extended indefinitely by the Majlis (parliament), which itself had...
Turkmenistan was an important supplier of raw materials, especially cotton, oil, and natural gas, during the Soviet era. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton, making it at one time the world's 10th-largest producer. However, poor crops in recent years have led to a decline in overall cotton production. Turkmenistan possesses the world's...
This energy-rich Central Asian country, once a patchwork of nomadic tribes, is reviving its most ancient rituals and customs and rediscovering old taboos that were thinly papered over during Communist rule. Many marriages are arranged, but marriages-of-love are becoming more popular. Muslims in Turkmenistan are of the Sunni faith, and do not share the...
The territory of Turkmenistan has been populated since ancient times, as armies from one empire to another decamped on their way to more prosperous territories. Tribes of horse-breeding Turkmen drifted into the territory of Turkmenistan from ancient times, possibly from the Altay Mountains, and grazed along the outskirts of the Karakum Desert into Persia,...
Location: Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakstan Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 60 00 E Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States Area: total area: 488,100 sq km land area: 488,100 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than California Land boundaries: total: 3,736 km border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran...
The majority of Turkmenistan's citizens are ethnic Turkmen; other ethnic groups include Russian and Uzbek. Turkmen is the official language of Turkmenistan, though Russian still is widely spoken as a quot;language of inter-ethnic communication quot; (per the 1992 Constitution). Education is universal and mandatory through the secondary level, the total...
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