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NAVIGATION
Turkmenistan
former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
GOVERNMENT
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Country name:
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conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic local short form: Turkmenistan |
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Government type:
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republic |
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Capital:
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Ashgabat |
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Administrative divisions:
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5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses) |
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Independence:
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27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 27 October (1991) |
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Constitution:
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adopted 18 May 1992 |
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Legal system:
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based on civil law system |
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Suffrage:
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18 years of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held NA); note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the Assembly on 28 December 1999); deputy chairmen of the cabinet of ministers are appointed by the president election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without opposition; percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5% note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 by the Assembly (Majlis) during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty) |
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Legislative branch:
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under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (more than 100 seats, some of which are elected by popular vote and some of which are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Assembly or Majlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - all 50 elected officials preapproved by President NIYAZOV; most are from the DPT elections: People's Council - NA; Assembly - last held 12 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV]
note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been Gundogar and Erkin; Gundogar was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHUMRADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; Erkin is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Mered Bairamovich ORAZOV
FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief of mission: Ambassador Laura E. KENNEDY
embassy: 9 Pushkin Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45 FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14 |
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Flag description:
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green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon and five white stars appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe |
ECONOMY
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Economy - overview:
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Turkmenistan is largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and huge gas (fifth-largest reserves in the world) and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton, making it the world's tenth-largest producer. Until the end of 1993, Turkmenistan had experienced less economic disruption than other former Soviet states because its economy received a boost from higher prices for oil and gas and a sharp increase in hard currency earnings. In 1994, Russia's refusal to export Turkmen gas to hard currency markets and mounting debts of its major customers in the former USSR for gas deliveries contributed to a sharp fall in industrial production and caused the budget to shift from a surplus to a slight deficit. The sale of Turkmen gas to Russia and other CIS countries resumed in December 1999. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 1998-2002, Turkmenistan suffered from the continued lack of adequate export routes for natural gas and from obligations on extensive short-term external debt. At the same time, however, total exports rose sharply because of higher international oil and gas prices. Prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, and the unwillingness of the government to adopt market-oriented reforms. However, Turkmenistan's cooperation with the international community in transporting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan may foreshadow a change in the atmosphere for foreign investment, aid, and technological support. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power parity - $26 billion (2002 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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6% (2002 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $5,500 (2002 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 27%
industry: 50% services: 23% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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34.4% (2001 est.) |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 31.7% (1998) |
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Distribution of family income - Gini index:
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40.8 (1998) |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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5% (2002 est.) |
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Labor force:
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2.34 million (1996) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 48%, industry 15%, services 37% (1998 est.) |
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Unemployment rate:
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NA% |
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Budget:
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revenues: $588.6 million
expenditures: $658.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) |
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Industries:
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natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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1% (2002 est.) |
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Electricity - production:
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10.18 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil fuel: 99.9%
hydro: 0.1% other: 0% (2001) nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
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8.507 billion kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - exports:
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980 million kWh (2001) |
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Electricity - imports:
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20 million kWh (2001) |
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Oil - production:
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162,500 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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63,000 bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - imports:
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NA (2001) |
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Oil - proved reserves:
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273 million bbl (January 2002 est.) |
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Natural gas - proved reserves:
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1.43 trillion cu m (January 2002 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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cotton, grain; livestock |
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Exports:
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$2.97 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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gas 57%, oil 26%, cotton fiber 3%, textiles 2% (2001) |
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Exports - partners:
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Ukraine 46%, Italy 18%, Iran 11%, Russia 6%, Turkey 5%, Switzerland (2001) |
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Imports:
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$2.25 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery and equipment 60%, foodstuffs 15% (1999) |
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Imports - partners:
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Turkey 17%, Ukraine 12%, Russia 11%, UAE 8%, France 6% (2001 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$2.3 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$16 million from the US (2001) |
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Currency:
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Turkmen manat (TMM) |
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Currency code:
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TMM |
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Exchange rates:
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Turkmen manats per US dollar - 5,200 (2002), 5,200 (2001), 5,200 (2000), 5,200 (1999), 4,890.17 (1998); note - the official exchange rate has not varied for the last four years; the unofficial rate has fluctuated slightly, hovering around 21,000 manats to the dollar |
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Fiscal year:
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calendar year |