Türkiye

Location

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

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Istanbul	15,701,602
Ankara	3,517,182	Capital
Bursa	3,101,833
İzmir	2,938,292
Gaziantep	2,130,432
Adana	1,816,750
Diyarbakır	1,791,373
Kayseri	1,434,357
Konya	1,433,861
Antalya	1,344,000

Size

• 301,382 square miles
• 780,580 square kilometers
• slightly more than three times the size of Georgia; slightly larger than California

History

Present-day Turkmenistan has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. Various Persian empires ruled the area in antiquity, and Alexander the Great, Muslim armies, the Mongols, Turkic warriors, and eventually the Russians conquered it. In medieval times, Merv (located in present-day Mary province) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia in the late 1800s, Turkmen territories later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik resistance in Central Asia. In 1924, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic; it achieved independence when the USSR dissolved in 1991. President for Life Saparmurat NIYAZOV died in 2006, and Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV, a deputy chairman under NIYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president. BERDIMUHAMEDOV won Turkmenistan's first multi-candidate presidential election in 2007, and again in 2012 and 2017 with over 97% of the vote in elections widely regarded as undemocratic. In 2022, BERDIMUHAMEDOV announced that he would step down from the presidency and called for an election to replace him. His son, Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV, won the ensuing election with 73% of the vote. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV, although no longer head of state, maintains an influential political position as head of the Halk Maslahaty (People’s Council) and as National Leader of the Turkmen People, a title that provides additional privileges and immunity for him and his family. Since Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV stepped down from the presidency, state-controlled media upgraded his honorific from Arkadag (protector) to Hero-Arkadag, and began referring to Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV as Arkadagly Serdar, which can be translated as "Serdar who has a protector to support him."Turkmenistan has sought new export markets for its extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves, which have yet to be fully exploited. Turkmenistan's reliance on gas exports has made the economy vulnerable to fluctuations in the global energy market, and economic hardships since the drop in energy prices in 2014 have led many citizens of Turkmenistan to emigrate, mostly to Turkey.

Climate

subtropical desert

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

Languages

Turkmen (official) 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%major-language sample(s): Dünýä Faktlar Kitaby – esasy maglumatlaryň wajyp çeşmesidir (Turkmen)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim 93%, Christian 6.4%, Buddhist <1%, folk religion <1%, Jewish <1%, other <1%, unspecified <1% (2020 est.)

Government

presidential republic; authoritarian

• Constitution: history: several previous; latest adopted 14 September 2016amendment process: proposed by the Assembly or Mejlis; passage requires two-thirds majority vote or absolute majority approval in a referendum
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: civil law system with Islamic (sharia) law influences
• Executive Branch: chief of state: President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022)head of government: President Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (since 19 March 2022)cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the presidentelection/appointment process: president directly elected by absolute-majority popular vote in 2 rounds, if needed, for a 7-year term (no term limits)most recent election date: 12 March 2022election results: 2022: Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV elected president; percent of vote - Serdar BERDIMUHAMEDOV (DPT) 73%, Khydyr NUNNAYEV (independent) 11.1%, Agadzhan BEKMYRADOV (IAP) 7.2%, other 8.7%2017: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV reelected president in the first round; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOV (DPT) 97.7%, other 2.3%expected date of next election: 2029note: the president is both chief of state and head of government
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court of Turkmenistan (consists of the court president and 21 associate judges and organized into civil, criminal, and military chambers)judge selection and term of office: judges appointed by the president for 5-year termssubordinate courts: High Commercial Court; appellate courts; provincial, district, and city courts; military courts
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Assembly (Mejlis)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 125 (all directly elected)electoral system: plurality/majorityscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 5 yearsmost recent election date: 3/26/2023parties elected and seats per party: Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPT) (65); Groups of citizens of Turkmenistan (28); Agrarian Party (24); Party of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (8)percentage of women in chamber: 25.6%expected date of next election: March 2028

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• upper middle-income Central Asian economy; has 10% of global natural gas reserves, exporting to Russia and China; natural resource rich; authoritarian and dominated by state-owned enterprises; major central-south Asian pipeline development
• Budget: revenues: $5.954 billion (2019 est.)expenditures: $6.134 billion (2019 est.)
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
• Industries: natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
• Agricultural Products: milk, wheat, potatoes, cotton, watermelons, tomatoes, grapes, barley, beef, lamb/mutton (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 84.3% (2022 est.)arable land: 3.4% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.1% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 80.8% (2022 est.)forest: 8.8% (2022 est.)other: 7% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: broadcasting equipment, cars, wheat, computers, iron pipes (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: Turkey 21%, UAE 21%, China 20%, Kazakhstan 8%, Germany 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: natural gas, refined petroleum, fertilizers, crude petroleum, electricity (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 63%, Turkey 11%, Greece 7%, Uzbekistan 6%, Azerbaijan 4% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports