The sovereign country of Turkmenistan consists of 5 regions. The nation is situated in Central Asia with neighboring countries Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The most important regions are Mary, Dasoguz and Lebap. The country has a surface area of 491,210 square kilometers. This makes it the 15th largest country in Asia. The terrain is mostly comprised of flat to rolling sandy desert, dunes and low mountains in the south. The climate is severely continental with a cold desert type.
The overall population is over 5.36 million people, the lowest of the Central Asia republics. The capital of the country is Ashgabat, which is also the most populous city with more than 1 million inhabitants. Other major cities are Turkmenabat, Dasoguz and Mary. The largest airport is Ashgabat International Airport (ASB) with more than 1.3 million yearly passengers. Ashgabat airport has flight connections to most Russian speaking countries, Germany and the Middle East.
Turkmenistan culture has evolved from a nomad and equestrian heritage to an urbanized state. The most practiced religion by the population is the Islam. The official language is Turkmen. The legal system is the civil law with sharia influences. The government type is an authoritarian presidential republic. The chief of state and head of government is President Gurbanguly, Berdimuhamedow. The elections take place every 7 years and the president is elected directly by popular vote.
The official currency of the country is the Turkmenistan manat (TMT) with the current exchange rate being TMT 3.4 to the USD. The country has an open economy, generating a GDP of approximately $112.6 billion. Its citizens have a per capita income of $19,526. The GDP is mostly made up of 2 key sectors, which are services and industry. Turkmenistan has a strong oil and gas sector, which accounts for 25% of the GDP, most of which is exported to China. Agricultural production accounts for 8% of the overall GDP. Main export products are natural gas, oil, textiles, cotton and grains.
Turkmenistan is a relatively new tourist destination. It offers a variety of urban and natural tourism destinations and attractions. It has 3 UNESCO world heritage sites, which are all cultural. Some of the major destinations including Dashoguz, Konye Urgench, Dekhistan and the capital Ashgabat. The nation has a total of approximately 10,000 tourists visiting every year. Most tourists originate from the neighboring countries and Russia.
