History
A territory of Turkmenistan hwhen an extended & chequered history, as armies from either of these empire to an additional decamped in their way to other prosperous territories.

Alexander the Great conquered the territory in the 4th century B.C. in his way to India. Of these hundred fifty years late Persia's Parthian Kingdom established its capital in Nisa, an metropolitan area okay, in the suburbia of the modern-contemporary capital of Ashgabat. In the 7th century The.D. Arabs conquered this region, bringing by owning the two Islam and incorporating the Turkmen into Middle Eastern culture. It was in a area of this period that the noted Silk Road was established as a major trading route between Asia & Europe.

A Turkmenistan region presently come to exist as referred to as a capital of Greater Khorasan when the kalif Al-Ma'mun moved his capital to Merv.

In a midst of the 11th century, the mighty Turks of the Seldjuk Empire concentrated their strength inside the territory of Turkmenistan in an attempt to expand into Afghanistan. A empire broke down in a 2nd half of the 12th century, & the Turkmen wasted their independence after Genghis Khan took control of the eastern Caspian Sea regiin on his march west. For a next sevener centuries, the Turkmen population lived under various empires & fought constant intertribal wars.

By 1894 imperial Russia had taken control of Turkmenistan. A October Revolution of 1917 in Russia & subsequent political unrest led to a declaration of the Turkmen Republic when one of the Xv republics of the Soviet Union in 1924. At this period a modern borders of Turkmenistan were formed.

Inside 1991, with a breakup of the Soviet Union, Turkmenistan became independent. It has saved its at one time Communist leader, Saparmurat Niyazov in place.

Politics

President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov, a previous administrative official of the Communist Person of the Soviet Union, has ruled Turkmenistan since 1985, when he became head of the local branch of the Communist Person. He retains absolute control above a united states & opposition is non tolerated. A president's person, a Democratic Party (the previous Communists), is the sole a single legally permitted. Turkmenistan is dominated by an a lot-pervasive cult of personality extolling President Niyazov as Turkmenbashi ("Leader of all Turkmen"). His face adorns virtually all about within Turkmenistan, from either greenback to bottles of vodka. A logotype of Turkmen national television is his profile. Them books he experienced written come compulsory readings within schools, motorclubs, & homes. Institutions that can't become known as fallowing him come known as fallowing his mother. Completely watches & clocks manufactured must bear his portrait printed on the dial-face. a Xv-meter (L feet) tall gold-plated elephantine statue stands in a rotating pedestal, thus it may universally face into the sun & radiancy weak onto the capital city. Actually, Niyazov occurs as super short human, barely taller than 150 centimeters (Fin feet).

The shibboleth popular among Turkmens is "Halk! Watan! Türkmenbashi!" meaning "People! Motherland! Leader!". Niyazov renamed a week times fallowing members of his personal & wrote a freshly turkmen national anthem-oath himself, including phrases that say humans world health organization defame a fatherland or even a Turkmenbashi should lose their arms.

Foreign corporations looking Turkmenistan's immense natural gas resources have had to cooperate using Niyazov since he besides controls access to the natural resources. His "Ruhnama" book has been published by foreign industrialists in all major languages, including Croatian, Polish, Hungarian and Bantu, exactly for this reason.

Provinces

Turkmenistan is divided into Pentad provinces or even welayatlar (singular - welayat) and of these independent city:

|- bgcolor="#efefef" ! Section !! ISO 3166-2 !! Capital City!! Metropolitan area (sq. klick)!! Pop (1995) !! Key |- ! Ashgabat | || Ashgabat || || 604,000 || |- ! Ahal Province | TM-The || Ashgabat || 95,000 || 722,800 || 1 |- ! Balkan Province | TM-B || Balkanabat　|| 138,000 || 424,700 || 2 |- ! Dashhowuz Province | TM-D || Daşoguz || 74,000 ||1,059,800 ||3 |- ! Lebap Province | TM-L || Turkmenabat || 94,000　|| 1,034,700 || 4 |- ! Mary Province | TM-M || Mary ||87,000 || 1,146,800 || 5 |}

Geography
A united states is or so 488,100 square km. 90% of the united states is covered per Karakum Desert. A center of united states is dominated by Turan Depression and the Karakum Desert which are mostly flatlands. A Kopetdag Range, along the southwestern border, reaches 2,912 meters. A Balkan Mountains in a far west & a Kugitang Range in the far east come the merely more appreciable elevations. Streams, lakes, and wells throughout include a Amu Darya and Hari Rud.

A climate is subtropical desert, with little rain. Winters come modest & dry, using virtually all precipitation falling between January & Can. Heavily precipitation is in the Kopetdag Range.

More cities include: Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnovodsk).

Economy

A single-half of its irrigated land is planted within cotton, making it the globe's 10th-largest producer; & it possesses the world's fifth-largest reserves of natural gas as well as real oil resources. Within 1994, Russia's refusal to export Turkmen gas to hard currency markets and mounting debts of its major client in the previous Soviet Union for gas deliveries contributed to the sharp fall within industrial production & caused the budget to shift from either the nimiety to the cold-shoulder deficit.

Turkmenistan has taken the cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to apply barking spiders & gauze sales to sustain its ineffective economy. Privatization goals remain limited. Between 1998 & 2002, Turkmenistan has suffered from either a continued want of adequate export routes for natural gas & from either obligations in extensive short-short-run external debt. At a equivalent period, yet, a value of aggregate exportation has risen sharply because of higher international oil & flatulence numbers. Prospects in the nigh new come discouraging because of far flung internal poverty, a effect of foreign debt, & the involuntariness of the government to adopt market-oriented reforms.

President Niyazov has squandered tremendously of his united states's revenue in self-glorification, using cities, Ashgabat in particular, being given extensive renovations when a humans dwelling outside a capital struggle conditioned of impoverishment. President Niyazov has pledged loose a lake, electricity & flatulency, nevertheless, shortages come frequent.

Demographics
A majority of Turkmenistan's citizens come ethnic Turkmen; other ethnic groups include Russian and Uzbek. Turkmen is the official language of Turkmenistan, though Russian still is widely spoken as a "language of inter-ethnic communication" (per a 1992 Constitution). Education is universal & required through a secondary level, the sum duration of which was recently reduced from either 11 to 9 years.

Culture
Akhal-Teke horse breed Carpets Geok-Tepe Holidays in Turkmenistan Islam in Turkmenistan Merv Music of Turkmenistan

Miscellaneous topics
Communications in Turkmenistan Foreign relations of Turkmenistan Human rights in Turkmenistan Military of Turkmenistan Transportation in Turkmenistan