Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan ( or ; , ;), also known as Turkmenia, is a country in South-Central Asia. It has borders with Afghanistan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan. It has no ocean but it is on the Caspian Sea to the west. The capital of Turkmenistan is Ashghabat.
The majority of the country is Muslim at 93%.

Turkmenistan is a non-aligned and fully neutral country.

 History 
Turkmenistan was part of the Soviet Union since its creation, in 1922. At first, Turkmenistan was an autonomous republic within Russian SFSR. In 1925 it was promoted to a Soviet republic. Turkmenistan is an independent country since 1991, after the breakup of the Soviet Union. Saparmurat Niyazov became Turkmenistan’s first president in 1991.

Provinces
Turkmenistan is divided into five provinces and one capital city district. The provinces are divided into districts which may be either counties or cities.

 Division  ISO 3166-2  Capital city AreaStatistical Yearbook of Turkmenistan 2000-2004, National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2005.   Pop (2005) Key Turkmenistan  Ashgabat   871,500  Ahal Province TM-A  Anau    939,700  1 Balkan Province TM-B  Balkanabat　   553,500  2 Daşoguz Province TM-D  Daşoguz   1,370,400 3 Lebap Province TM-L  Türkmenabat    1,334,500  4 Mary Province TM-M  Mary   1,480,400  5

Climate
Turkmenistan is one of the driest desert areas in the world. Some places have an average annual precipitation of only . The highest temperature recorded in Ashgabat is . Kerki, an extreme inland city located on the banks of the Amu Darya river, recorded  in July 1983, but this value is unofficial. 50.1C is the highest temperature recorded at Repetek Reserve, recognized as the highest temperature ever recorded in the whole former Soviet Union.

Geography
Turkmenistan is the world's 52nd-largest country. It is slightly smaller than Spain and somewhat larger than the US state of California. Over 80% of the country is covered by the Karakum Desert.

The Turkmen shore along the Caspian Sea is  long. The Caspian Sea is entirely landlocked, with no access to the ocean.

The major cities include Aşgabat, Türkmenbaşy (formerly Krasnovodsk) and Daşoguz.

Turkmenistan has a humid climate. Annual rainfall is low, particularly in summer. Winters are dry and mild. The wettest region in Turkmenistan is Köýtendağ Range. Köýtendağ is in southeastern Turkmenistan on the borders with Uzbekistan.

 References 

 Turkmenistan
Category:Members of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
Category:Current dictatorships
Category:Totalitarian states