Turkmenistan:
Geography

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Other pages in this profile of Turkmenistan:
People, Government, Economy, Communications & Transportation, Military & Transnational Issues.


Background	Definition Eastern Turkmenistan for centuries formed part of the Persian province of Khurasan; 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 Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. President for Life Saparmurat NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a vice premier under NYYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president.

Location	Definition Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Geographic coordinates	Definition 40 00 N, 60 00 E
Map references	Definition Asia
Area	Definition - World rank and map total: 488,100 sq km land: 488,100 sq km water: NEGL
Area - comparative	Definition slightly larger than California
Land boundaries	Definition total: 3,736 km border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km
Coastline	Definition 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)
Maritime claims	Definition none (landlocked)
Climate	Definition subtropical desert
Terrain	Definition flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west
Elevation extremes	Definition lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
Natural resources	Definition petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Land use	Definition - World rank and map arable land: 4.51% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 95.35% (2005)
Irrigated land	Definition 18,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources	Definition 60.9 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)	Definition total: 24.65 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%) per capita: 5,104 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards	Definition NA
Environment - current issues	Definition contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification
Environment - international agreements	Definition party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	Definition 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

Turkmenistan: Geography

Turkmenistan:
Geography