Turkmenistan
Turkmenistan is the second largest state in Central Asia,
after Kazakhstan, and the most southern out of five
republics of the region. The country is bordered by
Kazakhstan in the northwest, Uzbekistan in the north and
east, Afghanistan in south-east, Iran in the south as well
as the Caspian Sea in the west. The area of Turkmenistan is
188,500 square miles (491,200 square kilometers). Most of
its arid land is not good for animals and plant. Except
oases located on narrow strips at the foot of Kopetdag
Mountain and along Amudaria, Murgab and Tejen rivers, the
rest of the territory is a desert. The great Cara-Cum canal
of 1300 km long had affected the whole economic and social
development of Turkmenistan for the last fifty years. This
canal, supplied by natural flow without using pumping was
renamed as Cara-Cum river.
Turkmens are and speak a language belonging to the
south-western or Oguz branch of Turkic linguistic group.
Turkmens make 77% of the population against 66% in 1970 what
is mainly due to a relatively high rate of birth. There are
Russians, Uzbeks, Kazakhs, and Tatars as well.
The
population is spread irregularly over the territory of the
country. Most of it lives in oases and its insignificant
part lives in Karakum desert and in mountain area. Over 63%
of ethnic Turkmen population live in rural area. Urban
population mainly consists of Russian speaking migrants and
their several generations born in Turkmenistan. In census of
1995 there was a question about speaking all other languages
fluently, which means double reckoning on a good command of
a language. Nowadays the share of Turkmen population in
urban area has a tendency for growth.
In
the process of economic development during Soviet time a
large number of non-Turkmen skilled workers, engineers,
technicians and other specialists moved to Turkmenistan.
Besides, many ethnic Turkmens who were born and got higher
education outside Turkmenistan, have returned to their
native land.
Turkmenistan has adopted its new Constitution in 1992, which
has replaced the Constitution of Soviet era that had been
valid since 1978. New Constitution provides for legislative,
executive and judiciary branches of the power, the executive
branch playing a predominant role.
One
chamber parliament (Majlis) includes 50 delegates elected
according to territorial districts on a 5-years basis. The
President of the country is elected for a maximum period of
two consecutive 5-year terms. As per national referendum of
1994, the first President of Turkmenistan Mr. Saparmurat
Niyazov has been re-elected for another 5-year term, which
will end in the year 2002. High courts of the country are
Supreme Court and Supreme Arbitrage Court (for economic
claims); judges hold office for five years and are appointed
by the President.
The
People's Council (Khal Maslahaty) consists of the President,
Members of the Parliament, regional representatives,
chairmen of the supreme courts, cabinet and other officials.
This Council is entitled to convene national referenda and
approve their results, to plan and endorse political,
economic and social policy and to declare war.
Turkmenistan is specialized in cotton cultivation, oil and
natural gas extraction.
Turkmenistan represents mainly a desert country with nomadic
cattle-breeding, intensive agriculture in arid areas and
huge oil and gas resources. Half of irrigated land is
involved in cotton cultivation making the country the tenth
world cotton producer. Turkmenistan takes the fourth place
in the world for gas resources and has considerable oil
reserves as well. In Central Asia Turkmenistan is a leading
silk cocoons’ producer which is mostly developed in middle
Amudarya river’s oasis.
Major sectoral reforms of the country’s economy was
completed by 1930 when old industries (such as cotton and
oil processing and carpet-making) were continued and new
industries (such as heavy and light as well as food
production) were set up.
Imports: Total
value:
4364 million US $ (2005)
Major Items:
Machinery and parts, grains, food and beverages, plastics,
wheat, flour, textiles.
Exports: Total value:
6174 million US $ (2005)
Major Items:
natural gas, oil, cotton, petroleum products,
chemicals, processed foods, minerals,
sulfur, textiles, electricity, and hand-made carpets.
Oil
deposits and related oil industries are concentrated in
Caspian plain in the east of the country and in the Caspian
coast line to the west of Cheleken peninsula. Turkmen oil is
of high quality both as a fuel and raw material for chemical
industry. A pipeline network links oil deposits in the west
of Turkmenistan to Ashkhabad, Turkmenbashi (Krasnovodsk),
Cheleken as well as to central and northern regions of the
country.
In
the perspective territories of the Central and Eastern
Turkmenistan were striked a rich oil deposits and the oil
extracted from there along with condensate of the gas are
refined at the Refining Plant of Seidy city which is located
in the middle part of Amuderiya oasis. The extracted oil and
gas condensate of Turkmenistan have one of the top ranges in
the form of fuel oil, as well as raw material for its
processing.
The
network of the natural gas pipelines has been developed
enough and now covered the demand of the Turkmenistan’s
population by gas. Moreover, the transcontinental Central
Asia Centre Gas Pipeline, which has been laid from the
territory Eastern and Western Turkmenistan, will stimulate
the prospecting development of the huge hydro-carbon
reserves.
Turkmenistan’s land as well as sea mineral wealth contain
the huge reserves of natural gas, oil, iodine, bromine,
sulphur, potassium and different mineral salts.
