Turkmenistan Information, Geography and History

Information

•  Full name: Turkmenistan.

•  Capital City: Ashgabat.

•  Language: Russian, Turkmen and Uzbek.

•  Currency: Turkmen Manat.

•  Religion: Muslim, Eastern Orthodox and Jews.

•  National Anthem: “Independent, Neutral, Turkmenistan State Anthem”.

•  Newspaper: Caspian Business News, TurkmenNET and Upstream - The International Oil & Gas Newspaper.

•  Places to Visit: Ashghabat, Merv, Karakum Desert, Kugitang Nature Reserve and Tolkuchka Bazaar.

•  Transport: Airways: Flights to Ashghabat; Roadways: bus routes between Mashhad in northeastern Iran and Ashghabat; Waterways: there is an option of traveling half the path in a cargo vessel.

•  Shopping: Bukhara rugs, handcrafted jewellery, traditional Turkmen handicrafts, hand crafted silverware, Turkmen sheepskin ‘Telpek' hats and other curiosities.

Introduction

Turkmenistan is named after the tribe of people inhabiting the land. They were tribal nomads called the Turkmen. So, “Turkmenistan” literally translates as the ‘land of the Turkmen'. Once a part of the USSR, it attained freedom in 1991 when the Soviet disintegrated. Ever since, President Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov has held dictatorial power over Turkmenistan.

Location of Turkmenistan : Turkmenistan is located in the central region of Asia, which is better termed as the Middle East. It is so located that parts of the country are to be found in the northern hemisphere as well as in the eastern. Its immediate political neighbors are Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Iran.

Physical Map of Turkmenistan

the first picture of Turkmenistan's landscape that comes to mind is that of vast stretches of sand and scrub punctuated by a rare oasis. The Kara Kum desert reigns supreme. Lorded over by such a landscape, the land has little propensity for agriculture. The Caspian Sea is the only single large source of water; the other lakes, like the Sarykamish Lake, and rivers, like the Amu Darya, in the country though do contribute their share too. There are mountain ranges – the Kopetdag Mountain Range – to be found in the southern region bordering Iran. To its east are the Pamir Mountain Range and the Gora Ayribaba, which is the highest point in Turkmenistan.

Climate of Turkmenistan

with the Kara Kum desert dominating all else, it is only expected that Turkmenistan should have a desert oriented sub-tropical climate. The area and also the atmosphere of Turkmenistan are extremely arid. Soaring day-time temperatures of 50°C, for instance, is not uncommon. Precipitation is almost nonexistent with annual rainfall never exceeding 25 cm. all of it received in the winter months. Winter temperature is the opposite extreme with temperatures dropping to 20°C or less. The summer months last from May to September, while winter takes over between October and March.

Flora and Fauna of Turkmenistan

given the fact that most of the country of Turkmenistan is shrouded by the arid Kara Kum desert, the presence of flora and fauna is practically negligible. If at all, the plant life comprises of cactus or thorny shrub based vegetation – in short, any plant that is capable of surviving without rainfall for long spells of time. Due to desert topography, the animals to be found around are of the useful kind. So, you get to see considerable numbers of goats, camels and sheep. The other animal the Turkmenistan is renowned for is the horse – especially the Akhal-Teke which is a sturdy breed of equine originally used for warfare. Now though it is bred as a race horse.

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