Turkmenistan Country Profile
Generic country information can be located from sources which are regularly maintained and reflect current facts and figures.
For a generic country overview, please consult the following sources:
Generic Information:
Turkmenistan, formerly also known as Turkmenia, is one of the
Turkic states in Central Asia. Turkmenistan is bordered by
Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest,
Uzbekistan to the east and northeast, Kazakhstan to the northwest
and the Caspian Sea to the west.
Present-day Turkmenistan covers territory that has been at the
crossroads of civilizations for centuries. In medieval times Merv
(today known as Mary) was one of the great cities of the Islamic
world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by the
Russian Empire in 1881, Turkmenistan later figured prominently in
the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia. In 1924, Turkmenistan
became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, Turkmen Soviet
Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR); it achieved independence upon the
dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.
Turkmenistan's GDP growth rate of 11% in 2012 comes on the back of
several years of sustained high growth, albeit from a very basic
undiversified economy powered by export of a single commodity. It
possesses the world's fourth largest reserves of natural gas
resources.Although it is wealthy in natural resources in certain
areas, most of the country is covered by the Karakum (Black Sand)
Desert.
Find the country in the generic links below:
Wikipedia Country Information Website of Wikipedia on Turkmenistan
IMF Country Information Website of the IMF on Turkmenistan
Economist Intelligence Unit Website of the Economist on Turkmenistan
(*note - this is a paid service)
Facts and Figures:
Wolfram Alpha Website of Wolframalpha on Turkmenistan
World Bank Website of the Worldbank on Turkmenistan
Population Information: Website of the Worldpopulationreview on Turkmenistan