TURKMENISTAN, Republic of Turkmenistan, a state in Central Asia. It borders with Kazakhstan in the north, Uzbekistan in the north and east, Iran and Afghanistan in the south. In the west it is washed by the Caspian Sea. From 1924 to 1991, Turkmenistan was part of the USSR as a union republic (Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic). The independence of Turkmenistan was declared in October 1991.

Terrain

Most of the territory of Turkmenistan is located within the Turan Lowland. The Karakum Desert (“black sands”) occupies the middle part of the republic. Rocky and gravelly deserts predominate in the west, and sandy deserts in the east. Mountains and hills are confined mainly to the southern periphery of the country. Only 3% of Turkmenistan's area is suitable for agriculture.

In the extreme south of the country there is the Kopetdag mountain system (the highest point is Mount Rize, 2942 m). Its northeastern continuation is the low remnant mountains of Maly Balkhan (up to 777 m) and Bolshoi Balkhan (Mount Arlan, 1881 m). To the north of the Kopetdag there is a piedmont plain, turning in the west into the vast Caspian lowland. Near the shore of the Caspian Sea there is a small Krasnovodsk plateau (up to 308 m). In the northwest, the southern edge of the Ustyurt Plateau with altitudes of up to 400–460 m enters the borders of Turkmenistan.

In the extreme south of the country there are the Badkhyz and Karabil hills with maximum heights of 1267 m and 984 m, respectively. These are the foothills of Paropamiz, which continue into Afghanistan. In the extreme southeast rise the Kugitangtau Mountains with the highest point of Turkmenistan, Mount Airybaba (3139 m).

Climate

The country's climate is arid continental with large temperature differences, low precipitation and high evaporation. Summers are usually hot and dry, with average July temperatures of 28–32° C. Winters are mild, with little snow, but in some years there are heavy but short-term snowfalls and temperatures can drop to –20° C. Average January temperatures range from –5° C in the northeast of the country to +4° C in the south. The average annual precipitation is approx. 80 mm in the middle reaches of the Amu Darya, 150 mm in the Karakum Desert, 200–300 mm in the foothills and intermountain valleys and over 400 mm in the mountains. Hot, dry winds and dust storms are typical for the plains.

Water resources

Almost the entire territory of Turkmenistan, with the exception of the south-eastern and south-western outskirts, does not have constant surface flow. The largest river, the Amudarya, which receives glacier-snow feeding in the Pamir Mountains, enters the territory of Turkmenistan in its middle course. The Karakum Canal (now named after Turkmenbashi) with a length of over 1000 km is diverted from this river to the west. In addition to river water, it is also fed by groundwater. In the south of the country, three significant rivers - Murghab, Tedjen and Atrek - receive snow and rain in the Paropamiz and Kopetdag mountains (in Afghanistan and Iran). A number of small rivers fed by springs and rain also flow from the Kopetdag and other mid-altitude mountains. In spring, water levels in the rivers are highest, and in some years there are severe floods. In summer, many rivers become shallow and dry up. Even such of them as Tejen and Murghab remain without water in their lower reaches. Usually rivers end in the so-called. “irrigation fans” - shallow branches and artificial channels through which water is passed to irrigation fields. The main reason for the shallowness of rivers is the large amount of water used for irrigation, but a significant part of the river flow also ends up in groundwater and is spent on evaporation. There are numerous oases along the rivers and canals.

Ministry of Science and Education of the Russian Federation

State educational institution of higher professional education

"Tambovsky State University them. G.R. Derzhavin"

Institute of Economics

Department of Political Economy and World Global Economy

Report on the topic:

Geography of Turkmenistan

Completed by: 2nd year student (group 201)

day department

specialty world economics

Annageldiev B.S.

Checked by: Cheremisina N.V.

Tambov 2014

Composition of the territory. Features of the EGP.

It is divided into 5 regions and 40 districts, has 15 cities and 73 urban-type settlements.

Ashgabat
Krasnovodskaya						Krasnovodsk
Mary
Tashauzskaya
Chardzhouskaya

Turkmenistan was originally formed as the Turkmen region within the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic on August 7, 1921; On October 27, 1924 it was transformed into the Turkmen SSR. Located in the southwest of Central Asia. It borders on Kazakhstan in the north, Uzbekistan in the northeast, Afghanistan in the southeast, and Iran in the south. In the west it is washed by the Caspian Sea. Area - 488.1 thousand. kmІ . Population - 2581 thousand people (estimated as of January 1, 1976). The capital is Ashgabat.

Natural conditions and resources

Climate sharply continental, arid, with large annual and daily temperature amplitudes, low air humidity, high evaporation and low precipitation. Characterized by hot and dry summers, mild and little snow, sometimes cold winters, short wet springs, and dry autumns. The average January temperature ranges from -5°C in the northeast to 4°C in the Atrek region; the absolute minimum is -32 °C in the Tashauz region, -29 °C in the foothill zone of the Kopetdag and -10.3 °C in the south of the Caspian Sea coast. The average July temperature is 28 °C in the northeast and 32 °C in the south; absolute maximum 49.9 °C (Repetek station). Precipitation 80 mm per year in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya, up to 150 mm in Karakum, 200-300 mm in the foothills and mountain valleys, up to 400 mm and more in the mountains (maximum in spring and winter). The snow cover is unstable, usually lasting for several days (in the northern regions and mountains). The winds are constant, north-east, north, north-west prevail; in the foothills of Kopetdag a dry hot wind blows in summer harm-sil. When the seasons change, there are dust storms. Growing season 200-270 days.

Relief. Turkmenistan is the flattest republic in Central Asia. Almost 1/5 of its territory lies within the Turanian Lowland, occupied mainly by desert Karakum. Only in the south there is a narrow strip of hills and mid-altitude mountains. On the territory of Turkmenistan, near the city of Kushka, is the southernmost point of the CIS. Mountains stretch in the southern part of the republic Kopetdag(height up to 2942 m, g. Rize); to the northwest of them there are two separate ridges: Small Balkhan (up to 777 m heights.) and Bolshoi Balkhan (until 1881 m height). Adjacent to the Kopetdag from the north is a foothill plain, which in the west merges with the Caspian lowland plain. In the southeast, the northern foothills of Paropamiz - the Badkhyz hills (until 1267) enter the borders of Turkmenistan m heights) and Karabil (up to 984 m heights), separated by the Murgab River. In the extreme southeast there is a spur of the Gissar ridge Kugitangtau (up to 3139 m heights, the highest point of the republic).

On the 3rd west - Krasnovodsk plateau (up to 308 m heights), in the north-west - the southern edge of the Ustyurt plateau. To the south of Ustyurt there is the Zauzboy folded region, which is a system of bushy flat-topped hills (Kaplankyr, Chelyunkry, etc.) and depressions separating them. And within the Caspian lowland plain the Nebitdag hills rise (39 m), Boyadag (134 m), Gumdag, Monjukly (27 m) and others. In the north and northeast of the foothill plain of the Kopetdag there are the Karakum, which are divided into Central (or Lowland) and Zaunguz. The South-Eastern Karakum Desert is located between the Amu Darya and Tedzhen rivers. These deserts are characterized by cellular-ridged and hilly semi-overgrown sands; there are areas of sand dunes; in depressions - takyrs and litter. Within Turkmenistan there is a narrow strip of the right bank of the Amu Darya (Sundukli sands).

Shores. The coastline of the Caspian Sea within Turkmenistan is slightly indented in the south, and has a winding outline in the north, forming bays (Kara-Bogaz-Gol, Krasnovodsk Bay, Turkmensky), peninsulas (Krasnovodsky, Dardzha, Cheleken) and spit (the largest is Krasnovodskaya); The shores are low-lying and sandy. Off the coast are the islands of Ogurchinsky, Kamysh-lyada and others.

Vegetation mostly deserted. In the desert, shrubs grow on the sands: white and black saxaul, kandym, cherkez, sand acacia, astragalus, with a predominance of swollen sedge in the grass cover. On the salt marshes and sors there are comb grass, sarsazan, potashnik, etc. On the Ustyurt plateau there are shrub saltworts: Karadzha-Cherkez, kevreik, biyurgun, tetir, as well as gray wormwood. In the river valleys there are island tugai forests (petta poplar, turanga poplar and oleaster). The desert lowlands and foothills of the Kopetdag are most characterized by semi-shrub vegetation of southern and gray wormwood and ephemeral herbs. On the foothill plain, in the foothills of the Kopetdag, on Karabil and Badkhyz there is herbaceous vegetation of the ephemeral type (bulbous bluegrass, desert sedge, ferula) and ephemerals. In the upper and middle mountain belts (from 1000 m high.), on mountain plateaus and gentle slopes - feather grass and wheatgrass steppes; with vy. 1500 m there are juniper trees. Gorges of the West The Kopet Dag region is rich in wild fruits (grapes, apple trees, hawthorns, cherry plums, almonds, pomegranates, walnuts, figs, pistachios). On Badkhyz there is open pistachio forest. B. ch. desert is used as year-round pasture.

Animal world. There are numerous rodents in the desert: gophers, gerbils, jerboas, etc.; inhabited by gazelle, corsac fox, wolf, sand cat, steppe cat, jackal; among birds - saxaul jay, larks, desert raven, sparrows; among reptiles - lizards, snakes (epha, arrow-snake, steppe boa, cobra, etc.), steppe tortoise; of invertebrates - beetles, scorpions, karakurt spider, phalanges. In the foothill zone, along with a rich fauna of reptiles and rodents, there is an abundant fauna of birds: crested lark, hoopoe, sandgrouse, little bustard, kite, black vulture, griffon vulture, etc. In the mountains there are wolves, foxes, leopards, argali, bezoar goats, marking goats, wild cat; of birds - pheasant, chukar, Caspian mountain turkey (sular), etc. In Badkhyz - kulan, argali, goitered gazelle, hyena. In the Amu Darya valley - wild boar, Bukhara deer (hangul); of birds - pheasant, etc. In the Amu Darya, there are thorn, barbel, asp, carp, pseudopathos, etc., in the Karakum Canal, reservoirs, and Amu Darya - introduced herbivorous fish - grass carp and silver carp. There are many waterfowl along the banks of reservoirs.

Protection of Nature. On the territory of Turkmenistan there are Krasnovodsk Reserve, Vadkhyz Reserve, Repetek Reserve Inta deserts of Turkmenistan.

Natural areas. IN Within Turkmenistan there are 10 districts, united into 3 groups. Mountain and foothills: 1) Big and Small Bal-Khan, 2) Kopetdag, 3) Paropamiz - Badkhyz and Karabil, 4) Kugitang, 5) Krasnovodsk and Zauzboy, which have a highly dissected erosion-tectonic. relief. The mountains (Kopet Dag, Kugitangtau, etc.) are characterized by high seismicity. The vegetation is varied: herbaceous - wheatgrass, feather grass, fescue, wormwood, bulbous bluegrass, ephemera, etc.; in higher zones, in addition to grasses, shrubs and woody vegetation (juniper, maple, pistachio, etc.) are common. Structural elevated plains: 1) Ustyurt plateau, 2) Zaunguz Karakum. Ustyurt is characterized by desert flat-topped hills - kyrs with gray-brown desert soils; semi-shrub hodgepodges (tethir, biyurgun) and wormwood predominate. The surface of the elevated alluvial plain of Zaunguzya is dissected by ridges (30-60 m), In interridge depressions, sandy desert soils and rarely takyrs are developed. Denudation drainless depressions are common (Akchakaya and others). In Zaunguzie there are psammophytes with ephemeral forbs (mainly sedge-silt) and ephemerals; from shrubs - saxaul, kandym, bor-dzhak, cherkez. Lowland plains: 1) Caspian, or Western Turkmen lowland, 2) Lowland Karakum, 3) valleys and river deltas. Amu Darya, Murgaba, Ted wife, as well as oases - over a large territory. under desert climate conditions, they were subjected to intense wind erosion, which created various forms of aeolian relief (ridged, ridged-cellular and hilly-ridged sands; in the east and extreme 3rd, this means that the place is occupied by dune sands). The vegetation cover of the sandy desert is represented by large shrubs, subshrubs and herbs (saxaul, kandym, cherkez, bordzhak, sand acacia, sedin, ilak). In the valleys and deltas of rivers, alluvial (floodplain) meadow and meadow-takyr-like soils are common, and oasis sands are widely developed. The landscape of river valleys and deltas has been transformed by man and represents a typical example of a cultural landscape. The main region of cotton growing, melon growing and horticulture in Turkmenistan.

Geological structure and minerals. The territory of Turkmenistan is part of Mediterranean geosynclinal belt and occupies part of two large tectonic elements - the Epipaleozoic Turan Plate and the Alpine Fold Region. The structure of the Turan Plate involves: the pre-Upper Paleozoic metamorphic foundation, the Upper Paleozoic-Triassic effusive-sedimentary complex and the Mesozoic-Cenozoic platform sedimentary cover.

The elements of the Alpine folded region are the West Turkmen depression (in the west), forming the eastern margin of the isometric South Caspian intermontane depression, and the sublatitudinal folded uplift of the Kopetdag (in the east). From the north they are limited by the South Turkmen marginal suture of northwestern strike.

Between the Kopetdag and the Turan plate there is the Pre-Kopetdag marginal trough. The pre-Alpine basement is composed of pre-Upper Paleozoic metamorphic formations and effusive-sedimentary formations of the Upper Paleozoic (?) - Triassic; the overlying complex is formed by sedimentary geosynclinal, geoanticlinal and subplatform formations of the Mesozoic - Paleogene (thickness up to 8 km), passing to the North into platform and orogenic formations of the Upper Oligocene - Anthropocene (with a thickness of several km), filling the Western Turkmen depression and the Pre-Kopet Dag trough. The eastern part of the territory of Turkmenistan, covering the mountainous block-folded uplift of the southwestern spurs of the Gissar Range, belongs to the epiplatform region; its structure includes the Paleozoic foundation and the Mesozoic-Cenozoic sedimentary cover (the bottoms of the latter are formed by platform formations of the Jurassic - Paleogene, and the tops - by orogenic formations of the Neogene - anthropogene). The southern regions of Turkmenistan are characterized by increased seismicity.

The most important minerals are oil and gas. Basic oil fields- Leninskoye (Koturdepe), Barsa-Gelmes and others - are associated with Pliocene deposits of the West Turkmen depression. The most important gas fields (Shatlyk, Achak, Naip and others) are confined to the Mesozoic deposits of the eastern platform part of Turkmenistan. In terms of proven gas reserves, Turkmenistan ranks 2nd in the CIS (after Russia). A number of small deposits of fossil coals have been identified in Jurassic deposits. Turkmenistan is rich in deposits of mineral salts, among which the main ones are chlorides (including potassium) and sulfates (anhydrite group, gypsum, mirabilite and others); The main salt reserves are associated with the Jurassic salt-bearing formation of Eastern Turkmenistan (the largest deposits are Gaurdak, Karlyuk), as well as with the newest deposits of Kara-Bogaz-Gol. There are deposits of mercury (in Kopetdag); from non-metallic minerals - sulfur, bentonite, ozokerite, building materials (including glass and cement raw materials). Valuable minerals of Turkmenistan include drinking, industrial, iodine-bromine and mineral medicinal waters. New sources of fresh water have been discovered at depths of 50- 240m(Karakum). Methods are being developed to preserve fresh rainwater through the creation of art, fresh reservoirs (khaks) on takyrs.

Inland waters. Up to 80% of the territory of Turkmenistan is deprived of permanent surface flow; rivers are found only in the southern and eastern peripheral regions. The only high-water river is Amudarya, flowing along the eastern outskirts, has 2 floods: in spring - a smaller one (from rains and melting snow in low-mountain areas) and in summer - a major one (from melting glaciers and snow in high-mountain areas). The Amu Darya carries a huge amount of sediment in its waters, which increases the fertility of irrigated lands. By Karakum Canal named after V.I. Lenin, the waters of the Amu Darya reached Bakharden - 900 km (1975).

In the south, the largest rivers are Murgab, Tedzhen and Atrek (they dry up in the lower reaches in summer) - with spring floods; The flow of Murghab and Tedzhen is regulated due to the construction of reservoirs on them and the construction of the Karakum Canal. Many short rivers flow down from the northern slope of the Kopetdag, the waters of which are almost entirely used for irrigation. Groundwater (often saline) plays an important role in grazing livestock. This means that the place in the desert water economy belongs to winter-spring surface rainwater. Along the river valleys and the Karakum Canal there are oases.

Most of the lakes are salty; they are found on the Caspian coast and in the riverbed of the Uzboy (the largest of them is Kuuli). Freshwater lakes include Yaskhan (used for water supply to the city of Nebit-Dag) and Topiatan in the Uzboy valley. In the mountains there are lakes of karst origin Kou-Ata (in the Baharden cave) and Khord-junli (in Kugitangtau).

Soils. Gray-brown soils (with a humus content of less than 1%, severe solonetzity and accumulation of gypsum) occupy the Ustyurt, Krasnovodskoe and Zaunguz plateaus; gray soils (with humus content from 1% to 3-4% and high carbonate content) - mainly the foothills and lower slopes of mountains. Light sierozems are widespread on the foothill plain; in the lower mountain belt there are typical gray soils, higher up there are dark gray soils. On the highest parts of the mountain plateaus and ridges of Kopetdag and Kugitangtau there are mountain brown soils. In the Karakum desert there are fixed sands over a large area. In the depressions there are solonchaks, takyr and takyr-like soils. In the river valleys there are meadow-gray soils and alluvial-meadow soils. Near 2 % The area of ​​Turkmenistan is occupied by irrigated soils - the main agricultural fund of the republic.

43.11. One of the countries of Central Asia (Turkmenistan)

Geographical location and basic information about the country.Turkmenistan is located in the southwestern part of Central Asia. The length from west to east is 1100 km, from north to south – 650 km. In the west, the country is washed by the waters of the Caspian Sea. In the north-west, Turkmenistan borders with Kazakhstan, in the north, north-east and east - with Uzbekistan, in the south - with Afghanistan and Iran. IN Lately, thanks to the expansion of economic ties with Iran and other countries, geographical position Turkmenistan is improving noticeably.

Territory - 488.1 thousand km 2, including the desert area - 375 thousand km 2. The capital is Ashgabat (450 thousand inhabitants). Turkmenistan consists of the following administrative-territorial entities: velayats (regions), etraps (districts), shahers, equivalent to etraps in which the organs are formed government controlled, as well as shakherіv, settlements and both, where local governments are established. The official language is Turkmen. Religion - Sunni Islam. The monetary unit is manat.

Turkmenistan is a democratic, legal and secular state in which government is carried out in the form of a presidential republic. The head of state and executive power, the president, is elected by direct popular vote for a term of 5 years. The highest representative body is the Khalk Maslahashi ( People's Council) Turkmenistan. Its members include: the president, deputies of the Majlis, the chairman of the Supreme Economic Court, the prosecutor general, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, and heads of administrations. The Halk Maslahashi considers and makes a decision on the advisability of amending the Constitution, holding referendums, developing the main directions for the country's development, ratifying and denouncing treaties on international unions and on other issues. The decisions of the Halk Maslahashi are implemented by the President, the Majlis and other government bodies.

The legislative body - the Majlis (parliament) consists of 50 deputies who are elected by territorial constituencies.

The Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (DPT) is officially registered in Turkmenistan.

Natural conditions and resources.Most of the country has flat terrain. In the east of its central part, the heights range from 100 to 200 m, in the west the territory drops below 100 m. above sea level. The coast of the Caspian Sea lies below the level of the World Ocean (up to -28 m). The same isolated decreases are also found in the southwest of Turkmenistan. In the south, the territory gradually rises to a height of more than 500 m. In the southwestern part of the country, the Kopetdag Mountains stretch (up to 2942 m).

The climate of Turkmenistan is sharply continental. Summer is hot and dry, spring is short with precipitation, autumn is dry, winter is mostly mild and with little snow. Average January temperatures range from -5 °C in the north to +4 °C in the extreme southwest near the Caspian Sea. Average July temperatures range from +28 °C in the southeast to +32 °C in the south. There is very little precipitation: in the lower reaches of the Amu Darya - 80 mm, in the Karakum Desert - 150, in the foothills - 200-300 mm.

Almost 80% of the country's territory has no permanent surface flow at all. Rivers flow only in the south, southwest, east and northeast. The only full-flowing river is the Amu Darya in the east of the country. From it, the Karakum Canal stretches almost across the entire southern part of Turkmenistan. The waters of almost all rivers flowing from the Kopetdag and southern hills are used for irrigation. The country has quite significant groundwater reserves. True, they are often salted. There are no large lakes. Small lakes, especially on the Caspian coast, are salty.

Most of the territory is covered by sands of Turkmenistan. Gray-brown soils cover the northwestern part of the country. They are sharply solonetzic and contain up to 1% humus. At the foot and on the lower slopes of the mountains, gray soils are common, and on the foothill plains - light gray soils. Mountain brown soils predominate on the mountain plateaus and ridges of the Kopetdag. In river valleys, the most common are meadow-sirozem and alluvial-meadow soils.

The vegetation in the country is predominantly desert. In the Karakum desert, shrubs grow on the sands: black and white saxaul, sand acacia, cherkez, kandym, etc. On the Ustyurt plateau, shrubby solyankas predominate.

In the river valleys there are island tugai forests from different types poplar and oleaster. On the foothill plains there is grassy vegetation and ephemeral vegetation. In the gorges in the west of Kopetdag there are many types of wild fruits (pistachio, walnut, pomegranate, figs, almonds, cherry plum, grapes, etc.).

The fauna of Turkmenistan is quite unique and quite rich. In the desert there are numerous rodents: jerboas, gophers, gerbils, etc. There are fast gazelles, sand dunes and steppe cats, foxes, wolves, jackals. There are many different reptiles, especially snakes (efa, cobra, arrow snake, steppe boa, etc.). Among the invertebrates, the most famous are scorpions, phalanges, and karakurt spiders. In the mountains you can find leopard, wolf, fox, argali, bezoar goat, guinthorned goat, etc.; of birds - pheasant, snowcock, chukar. In the extreme south of the country, in the elevated Badhizi, the kulan and hyena are found; in the Amu Darya valley - wild boar and Bukhara deer.

The most important natural resources of Turkmenistan are oil and natural gas. The main oil fields (Koturdepe, Cheleken, Kum-Dag, etc.) are located in the west of the country near the Caspian Sea. Large gas fields (Shatlyk, Achak, Nash) are located in its eastern part (reserves - 13 trillion m3). Turkmenistan is also rich in deposits of various mineral salts. There are mercury deposits in Kopetdazi. Among other minerals, one can highlight reserves of sulfur, ozokerite, building materials. There are significant sources of drinking and mineral medicinal water.

Population.Turkmenistan has a population of 4.2 million people. Urban population - 1.9 million, rural - 2.3 million. Turkmens make up 72% of the population, Russians - 9.5, Uzbeks - 9, Kazakhs - 2.5, Tatars and Ukrainians - 1 each, Azerbaijanis, Armenians and Baluchis - almost 1%. The average population density is less than 7 people per 1 km 2. The population is distributed unevenly throughout the republic. In oases its density is 260 people per 1 km 2; in desert areas it does not even reach 1 person per 10 km 2. The largest cities, besides Ashgabat, are Krasnovodsk, Chardzhev, Dashkhovuz, Nebitdag.

The active working population is approximately 1.6 million people. Of these, 55.7% are employed in state enterprises and organizations, 0.7% are employed in rental enterprises, and 0.2% are employed in public organizations; in the collective farm-cooperative sector - 26.2, in private entrepreneurship - 17.2%.

Farming.The country's economy is marked by the dominance in its structure of the fuel and energy complex, extractive industries, production of cotton, wool and astrakhan skins, as well as the production of heat-loving food products. In the near future, increasing the country's economic potential will occur in two directions: on the basis of proven reserves of mineral raw materials, increasing its integrated use with advanced processing; in agriculture, the priority will be the creation of enterprises with complete processing of products of the agro-industrial complex.

Industry.Industry, together with construction, accounts for 21% of those employed in the national economy. More than 2/3 of the cost of fixed production assets in the fuel and energy complex. In the total volume of production, products of the fuel and energy industry account for 27.5%, engineering - 5.1, chemical

- 5.4, ​​light industry - 41%. A promising industry is the fuel and energy complex. In 1992, Turkmenistan produced 5.2 million tons of oil, 60.1 billion m 3 of natural gas, and produced 13.1 billion kWh of electricity. Oil is extracted on the coast of the Caspian Sea (Cheleken, Kum-Dag), from where it is transferred through an oil pipeline for processing to Krasnovodsk. Natural gas is produced in the Karakum Desert (Shatlyk, Darvaza) and partially exported.

IN chemical industry In addition to the production of mineral fertilizers, the extraction of sulfur and potassium salts (Gaurdak), Glauber's salt (Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay) is carried out. However, the unimportant damming of the bay, which threatens its existence, has sharply reduced salt reserves.

In terms of the number of employees, the leading branches of light industry are bavovnoochisna, silk, carpet, sewing, etc. Carpets - machine-made and self made known far beyond the borders of the country. Light industry enterprises produce silk and cotton fabrics, process astrakhan fur and wool.

The food industry is represented by industries that process fish, grapes, and produce canned vegetables and fruits. The oil and meat industries and winemaking are also developing.

Agriculture.Covers 40% of employed people in the country. The area of ​​agricultural land is 39 million hectares. The land fund suitable for use in agriculture reaches 17 million hectares, including highly fertile lands - 4.5 million hectares. In Turkmenistan in 1992, 1.3 million tons of raw cotton were harvested. 450 thousand tons of cotton fibers are produced, more than a quarter of them are valuable fine-fiber varieties. In 1992, the grain harvest amounted to 447 thousand tons, vegetables - 380 thousand tons, melons - 285 thousand tons, grapes - 150 thousand tons. The Turkmen melon is considered the most delicious fruit in the world. 103 thousand tons of meat (in slaughter weight), milk - 0.4 million tons, wool - 15 thousand tons, 860 thousand astrakhan skins.

Agriculture covers only 1% of the country's territory. Cotton growing is developing on irrigated lands, in particular in the zone of the Karakum Canal, the length of which is almost 1100 km. This irrigation canal is one of the largest in the world, irrigating 200 thousand hectares. Large reservoirs were built on the Amu Darya. Irrigated lands are located in the valleys of the Tedzhen and Murghab rivers, along the Karakum Canal. On irrigated lands, in addition to cotton, feed and small grain crops (rice, corn, etc.) are grown. In the foothills of the Kopetdag, irrigated lands are under orchards, vineyards, melons and grain crops. In the lower reaches of the Amu Darya there are rice crops. Sericulture is developing in the oases.

Important industry Agriculture- pasture farming. Astrakhan sheep are raised on the desert pastures of the Eastern Karakum. In the Western Karakum desert, fine-wool sheep are bred, from whose wool the famous Turkmen carpets are produced. Camels are also bred here, and in the foothills of Kopetdag - the world famous Akhal-Teke horses.

Fertilizers for the agricultural sector are provided by the superphosphate plant in Chardzhevi, which uses Kazakhstani phosphorites, and the nitrogen fertilizer plant in Mary.

Transport.Turkmenistan has a developed transport system, which covers railway, river, sea and air transport, pipelines. The length of railways is 2120 km. The main railway line is Krasnovodsk - Chardzhev - Kungrad. Length highways- 13.2 thousand km. The most important highway is Krasnovodsk - Ashgabat - Chardzhev. The port of Krasnovodsk is located on the Caspian Sea.

Foreign economic relations.Turkmenistan has significant export potential. More than half of the country's trade turnover comes from the Russian Federation. Turkmenistan exports cotton, diesel fuel, carpets, gas, gold, astrakhan fur, etc. Imports cars, equipment, food.

Social development and social infrastructure.The country has developed the “Ten Years of Prosperity” program, aimed at significantly increasing the living standards of the population through the export of raw materials.

Scientific organizations and higher educational institutions employ 5.9 thousand scientists. There are 10 higher educational institutions in the country, they train personnel in 88 specialties and enroll 75 thousand students. Qualified workers are trained in 90 production and technical schools (39.3 thousand students).

There are 4 theaters in Ashgabat. The State Television and Radio Company operates.

The official name is the Republic of Turkmenistan. Located in Central Asia. Area 491.2 thousand km2, population, according to various estimates, from 4.6 to 5.3 million people. (2001). The official language is Turkmen. The capital is Ashgabat (Turkmen pronunciation - Ashgabat, 0.6 million people, 2002). Public holidays: National Flag Holiday of Turkmenistan (February 19, celebrated on the birthday of S. Niyazov), Independence Day of Turkmenistan (October 27-28, since 1991), Neutrality Day (December 12, since 1995). The monetary unit is manat.

Member of the UN and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, periodically participates in meetings of the CIS countries.

Sights of Turkmenistan

Geography of Turkmenistan

Located between 35°08' and 42°48' north latitude and 52°27' and 66°41' east longitude. It borders with Kazakhstan in the north, Uzbekistan in the north and east, Iran and Afghanistan in the south.

In the west it is washed by the Caspian Sea, the length of the coast is 1768 km. The coastline in the south is slightly indented, and in the north it has a winding outline, forming bays (Kara-Bogaz-Gol, Krasnovodsky), peninsulas (Krasnovodsky, Dardzha, Cheleken) and spits (the largest is Krasnovodskaya); The shores are low and sandy. The islands of Ogurchinsky, Kamyshlyada and others are located off the coast.

Most of the territory of Turkmenistan is located within the Turan Lowland. The topography is dominated by flat or hilly sandy deserts with dunes, occupying more than 80% of the area of ​​Turkmenistan. The Karakum Desert extends from west to east for 880 km, from north to south for 450 km. In the west there are low remnant mountains of the Small Balkhan (up to 777 m) and the Big Balkhan (the highest point is Mount Arlan, 1881 m), in the east are the spurs of the Gissar ridge, in the south are the foothills of the Kopetdag (the highest point is Mount Rize, 2942 m) and in the southeast - the foothills of Paropamiz (the Badkhyz and Karabil hills with maximum heights of 1267 and 984 m). In the extreme southeast rise the Kugitangtau Mountains with the highest point of Turkmenistan, Mount Airybaba (3139 m). To the north of the Kopetdag there is a piedmont plain, turning in the west into the vast Caspian lowland. Near the shore of the Caspian Sea there is a small Krasnovodsk plateau (up to 308 m). In the northwest, the southern edge of the Ustyurt plateau with altitudes of up to 400-600 m enters the borders of Turkmenistan.

Almost the entire territory of Turkmenistan, with the exception of the south-eastern and south-western outskirts, does not have constant surface flow. The largest river, the Amudarya, which receives glacier-snow feeding in the Pamir Mountains, enters the territory of Turkmenistan in its middle course. From it to the west the Karakum Canal (now named after Turkmenbashi) is diverted with a length of St. 1000 km. In the south of the country, three significant rivers - Murghab, Tedzhen and Atrek - receive snow and rain in the Paropamiz and Kopetdag mountains. Most of the lakes are salty: they are found on the Caspian coast and in the riverbed of the Uzboy (the largest of them is Kuuli). Among the freshwater lakes, Yaskhan and Topiatan in the Uzboy valley stand out. In the mountains there are lakes of karst origin Kou-Ata (in the Baharden cave) and Khorjunli (in Kugitangtau).

On the plains, the soils are predominantly gray-brown and gray soils; in addition to sands, saline and gravelly substrates are found. In the low mountains, dark gray soils predominate, above 900-1000 m - light brown soils, above 2000 m, depending on the location on the slopes, brown and dry-steppe brown soils predominate.

The flora of Turkmenistan contains many endemic species. There are 2 thousand species of higher plants in the Kopetdag, and at least 1 thousand in deserts and low mountains. The desert type of vegetation predominates. A special place is occupied by tugai - thickets of poplar, white willow, comb grass, giant grasses and other moisture-loving plants along the banks of the Amu Darya and Murghab.

The country has 91 species of mammals, 372 species of birds, 74 species of reptiles and approx. 60 species of fish. Large mammals include goitered gazelle, argali, jackal, and corsac fox; from rodents - gerbils, gophers and jerboas; from reptiles - agamas, monitor lizards, cobra, efa, viper, turtle.

The climate is arid, continental with large temperature differences, low precipitation and high evaporation. Summers are usually hot and dry, with average July temperatures of +28-32°C. Winters are mild, with little snow, but in some years the temperature can drop to –20°C. Average January temperatures range from –5°C in the northeast of the country to +4°C in the south. The average annual precipitation is approx. 80 mm in the middle reaches of the Amu Darya, 150 mm in the Karakum Desert, 200-300 mm in the foothills and intermountain valleys and St. 400 mm in the mountains. Hot, dry winds and dust storms are typical for the plains.

The territory of Turkmenistan is dominated by continental sediments, which lie in a thick layer on marine sediments and the Paleozoic foundation. Therefore, all minerals here are of sedimentary origin. In the depths of Turkmenistan (including the adjacent Caspian shelf) there are approx. 1/3 of the world's natural gas reserves (according to various estimates, from 21 trillion to 24 trillion m3) and significant oil reserves (from 6.8 billion to 12 billion tons). The resources of potassium salts in the Gaurdak region are significant. The reserves of the world's largest deposit of natural marine salts in the Kara-Bogaz-Gol Bay are exceptionally large. Mirabilite and other valuable chemical compounds are mined here. Deposits of silver, gold, lead, copper, and zinc have been explored.

Population of Turkmenistan

The population of Turkmenistan varies depending on the sources; expert estimates are somewhat lower than those from official national sources.

From the beginning 90s The population of Turkmenistan increased by more than 500 thousand people. For a long time, Turkmenistan experienced high rates of population growth, approximately 4.2% per year. However, by 2000, this indicator dropped to 1.58%. It's connected with high level migration of the mainly Russian-speaking population outside the country. Thus, by 2000, more than 250 thousand ethnic Russians left the territory of Turkmenistan, reducing the share of the Russian-speaking population from 13% in 1990 to 4.4% in 2000. In 2002, the share of ethnic Russians was 3.5%. Another reason for the decline in population growth was the increase in infant mortality.

The birth rate is 28.55‰, the infant mortality rate is 73.1 people. per 1000 newborns, average life expectancy is 61 years, incl. men 57.43 years, women 64.76 years (2001 estimate).

Population density - 8.9 people. per 1 km2 (1999). In 1999, the share of youth in the population structure was 38%.

The literacy rate of the population as a whole is 98%. Teaching in secondary schools is conducted in the Turkmen language.

The ethnic composition is diverse; citizens of approximately 40 nationalities live in the country. Turkmens make up 77% of the total population, Uzbeks - 9.2%, Russians - 6.7%, Kazakhs - 2%, others - 5.1%.

The rural population makes up approximately 55% of the total population. In addition to Turkmens and Russians, Ukrainians, Armenians, and Azerbaijanis live in the cities. Uzbeks inhabit mainly areas adjacent to Uzbekistan and are engaged in irrigated agriculture. Kazakhs live mainly in the northern and western parts of the country, mainly engaged in livestock farming or working in railway. In the southern regions there are small groups of Iranian-speaking peoples - Baluchis, Kurds. The main language for 72% of the population is Turkmen, for 12% - Russian, for 9% - Uzbek, for 2% - another.

The religion of the majority of the population is Sunni and Shiite Islam; Christian Orthodox and catholic church, a number of other religious denominations.

History of Turkmenistan

In the 1st millennium BC. The most developed areas on the territory of modern Turkmenistan were the agricultural oases of Margiana (Murghab basin), Bactria, which was part of the state, and Parthia (the southeastern coast of the Caspian Sea), which was part of the Median kingdom. From 6th to 4th century. BC. this territory came under the power of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty, to which even the nomadic tribes that made up the majority of the population were subordinate. In the 4th century. BC. these lands were conquered by Alexander the Great, and later became part of the Parthian kingdom.

In 224 AD southern Turkmenistan was captured by the Sassanid dynasty of Iranian shahs. At the same time, part of the nomadic tribes of Turkmenistan began to assimilate with the alliance of the Xiongnu tribes, the predecessors of the Huns. By 716, the lands between the Caspian Sea and the Amu Darya were under the rule of Arab Caliphate. Local Turkic tribes converted to Islam and established trade and cultural relations with the rest of the Muslim world. As the power of the Arabs weakened, the Oghuz Turks penetrated into the territory of Turkmenistan, and in 1040 the territory came under the rule of the Seljuk state (named after the Oghuz leader Seljuk and his descendants the Seljukids); the capital of this state was the city of Merv (now Mary). The Oguzes mixed with local tribes, and on this basis a people called “Turkmens” was formed. In the 12th-13th centuries. the land was under the rule of the Shahs of Khorezm, which in turn was conquered by the troops of Genghis Khan in 1219-21, and then became part of the Mongol Empire. The Turkmen nation finally emerged only in the 14th-15th centuries.

Under Genghis Khan's successors, some Turkmen tribes achieved partial independence and founded vassal feudal states. They played a prominent role in the history of the Turkmens even after Central Asia ended. 14th century was conquered by Timur (Tamerlane). After the fall of the Timurid dynasty, nominal control over this territory passed to Persia and the Khanate of Khiva.

By the late Middle Ages, the Turkmen tribes were divided between three feudal states - Iran, Khiva and Bukhara. Social system of the Turkmens in the 16th-19th centuries. historians define it as patriarchal-feudal with elements of patriarchal slavery.

In 1740, most of the territory of Turkmenistan came under the rule of the Iranian Shah Nadir. Nadir Shah, meeting stubborn resistance from the Turkmens, brutally dealt with them. However, the struggle did not stop. In 1747 Nadir Shah was assassinated, and his state quickly collapsed.

In the 1860-70s. The Emirate of Bukhara and the Khanate of Khiva became part of Russia. In 1869-85, the territory of southern Turkmenistan became part of Russia, forming the Trans-Caspian region. Since 1898, this region has become part of the Turkestan region.

After the victory October revolution in Petrograd and a successful armed uprising in Tashkent (November 1917), Soviet power was officially proclaimed in the Transcaspian region on December 2 (15), 1917 at the IV Congress of Soviets of the Transcaspian region.

On April 30, 1918, at the V Congress of Soviets of the Turkestan Territory, held in Tashkent, the Turkestan Autonomous Soviet Socialist Republic (as part of the RSFSR) was formed. It included the main part of the territory of Turkmenistan (the Trans-Caspian region, renamed the Turkmen region in August 1921).

As a result of the national-state delimitation of Central Asia, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic was formed from separate territories inhabited by Turkmen on October 27, 1924. For the first time, a single Turkmen national state was created.

State structure and political system of Turkmenistan

The Constitution of 1992 is in force. Turkmenistan is a democratic legal secular state. The form of government is a presidential republic.

Administrative division of Turkmenistan: five velayats (districts): Ahal (center - Ashgabat), Balkan (center - Nebitdag), Dashkhovuz (center - Dashkhovuz, formerly Tashauz), Lebap (center - Cherdzhev, formerly . Chardzhou) and Mary (center - the city of Mary), which includes 46 etraps and 528 gengeshliks.

Most big cities(thousand people): Ashgabat, Cherdzhev (164), Dashkhovuz (114), Mary (94), Nebitdag (89), Turkmenbashi (64).

The highest official of Turkmenistan, the head of state and executive power is the President of Turkmenistan. He heads the cabinet of ministers - the government of Turkmenistan. According to the Constitution, there are two parliamentary institutions: the unicameral Khalk Maslakhaty (People's Council) and the unicameral Mejlis (parliament). Supreme body legislative branch- The Mejlis includes 50 deputies elected on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot. The term of office of Mejlis deputies is 5 years. The work of the Mejlis is carried out in the form of sessions held in the form of meetings, as well as meetings of the Presidium of the Mejlis, committees and commissions of the Mejlis. The Majlis meets annually for autumn and spring sessions. The Khalk Maslakhaty is the highest representative body of people's power. The composition includes: the president; deputies of the Mejlis; people's representatives (khalk vekilleri), elected by the people, one from each etrap (district) and city equivalent to the etrap; Chairman of the Supreme Court, Prosecutor General, members of the Cabinet of Ministers, khyakims of velayats and the city of Ashgabat, archina cities, as well as villages that are the administrative centers of velayats and etraps. This body discusses the activities of the state - ratification of treaties, interpretation of the Constitution, foreign policy. Rarely collected.

The third body is the Council of Elders, which can be classified as part of the legislative branch, meets as needed and consists of the leaders of Turkmen tribes and heads of regional administrations.

The highest executive body - the Cabinet of Ministers - manages all executive and administrative bodies and ensures their coordinated activities. It consists of deputy chairmen and ministers. The President has the right to include in the Cabinet of Ministers heads of other central government bodies and officials exercising local executive power.

Executive power in velayats, cities and etraps is exercised by khyakims, who are local representatives of the president. In accordance with the Law of Turkmenistan “On Hyakims,” they are personally responsible to the president for providing the population with goods and services (including transport and healthcare services) that create a decent standard of living.

In accordance with the Constitution of Turkmenistan, the representative body of people's power in the territory of the city in the etrap, town and village, carrying out the functions of local self-government, is the gengesh - the primary link in the chain of relationships between the state and the individual. Gengeshi are elected on the basis of universal, equal and direct suffrage by secret ballot for a period of 5 years. From among their members, the members of the gengesh elect an Archin, who manages the work of the gengesh and is accountable to it, by a simple majority of votes.

Since the founding of the Republic of Turkmenistan, S. Niyazov, who was unanimously elected to this post, has always held the post of president. On December 28, 1999, the Halk Maslakhaty of Turkmenistan decided to grant the President of Turkmenistan the right to exercise powers without a term limit.

The main ruling party of Turkmenistan is the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, whose leader is S. Niyazov. Formally, opposition parties are outlawed. There is information about the creation of the Agrarian Party of Turkmenistan in 1992. Its tasks included protecting the interests of peasants, farmers and agricultural workers, as well as rural intelligentsia (doctors, veterinarians, teachers, engineers), creating a free economy, defending the rights of peasants to cultivated lands and their inheritance. This is the only opposition party in the country that takes a rather passive position.

The activities of the Agzibirlik (Unity) movement and the Party for Democratic Development were banned. The Islamic Renaissance Party and the conservative Islamic Political Party are also banned.

Public organizations in Turkmenistan are created in accordance with the Constitution and the law “On public associations in Turkmenistan”. There are other parties in the country other than the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan. National Center of Trade Unions, Magtymguly Youth Union, Humanitarian Association of Turkmen of the World, etc.

Socio-political organizations that advocate opposition points of view operate mainly underground or abroad.

The activities of the People's Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (PDMT) (the leader of the movement is Boris Shikhmuradov) and the Socio-political movement “Vatan” are well known.

The peculiarities of the internal political structure of Turkmen society go back to the Middle Ages. Tribal and clan ties have always played an important role in Turkmenistan. The largest tribes are: Teke (Tekins), Yomut (Yomut), Ersari, Saryks, Salyrs, Goklen, etc. The traditionally established system of power provides for maintaining a balance between the elite of the main territorial-tribal clans.

In foreign policy Turkmenistan follows the principle of neutrality and non-interference in the internal affairs of other states.

After the collapse of the USSR, the material and technical means remaining from the Soviet Army became the basic basis of the new army. This mainly concerned armored vehicles, artillery, combat aircraft and helicopters, as well as air defense systems. There are 50 thousand military personnel in Turkmenistan. The number of armored vehicles (tanks, infantry fighting vehicles, armored personnel carriers) is approximately 2,300 units. In the Ground Forces: 4 motorized rifle divisions, an artillery brigade and 2 air defense brigades; in service - about 700 T-32 tanks, at least 1.5 thousand infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers. Turkmenistan has 520 units. combat aviation. In the Air Force: 4 air regiments of 24 MiG-29 fighters and MiG-25 interceptors, up to 300 obsolete MiG-23 bombers and 100 Su-17 and Su-25 attack aircraft. Weapons are purchased mainly from the CIS countries, in particular from Ukraine and Belarus. Military expenditures in dollar equivalent - 90 million (1999).

Diplomatic relations between the Russian Federation and Turkmenistan were established on April 8, 1992. The Treaty of Friendship and Cooperation was concluded (July 31, 1992). Signed approx. 60 agreements in various fields.

Economy of Turkmenistan

Economic development of Turkmenistan in transition period aimed at creating a modern petrochemical and light industry and developing agriculture.

In 2002, the volume of GDP in current prices was 63.8 trillion manats, which is 21.2% higher than in 2001. Agriculture contributed 20% of GDP, private sector(successfully developing in trade, construction and agriculture) amounted to 40% of total GDP; the share of the construction industry is 8%.

GDP per capita (purchasing power parity) US$4,300 (2000 estimate).

According to official data, the inflation rate in Turkmenistan was 8% (2000). Calculations by experts and representatives of the World Bank and the EBRD show that inflation fluctuated at 16-20%. Its further growth is predicted. Consumer price inflation 14% (2000 estimate). Unemployment in Turkmenistan as a whole is 40%.

Industry structure The economy has undergone some changes, as the share of industry in GDP has increased - from 32% in 1999 to 38% in 2000 (the increase was achieved due to the development of the oil and gas sector, which accounts for 60% of the total volume of industrial output).

Employment structure: agriculture and forestry 44%, industry and construction 19%, other sectors - 37%.

Height industrial production in 2002 - 21.7%. The most dynamically developing industry, besides the fuel and energy complex, is textile. The growth of production in light industry was 24% in 2002; growth in the production of knitted fabric - 60%, fabrics - 20%. It is in this industry that there is a relatively widespread introduction of new technologies.

Agricultural products: cotton, grain; livestock. In 2002 (despite the low cotton harvest - 500 thousand tons), the volume of agricultural production increased by 15.5% compared to 2001 and amounted to 12.9 trillion manats.

According to the Law “On the State Budget of Turkmenistan for 2003,” budget revenues are 52 trillion 523 billion 997 million manats, expenses are 53 trillion 32 billion 997 million manats. Budget expenditures, most of which are planned to be spent on social needs, amount to 12 trillion 489 billion 929 million manats. The law provides for covering the costs of providing the population with free gas, electricity and water. The minimum income tax rate is set at 8%, the maximum rate of 12% is set for a salary of 2.9 million manat.

The total external debt of Turkmenistan, according to experts, exceeded $5 billion. S. Niyazov named the figure as $1.6 billion, noting that a significant part of the debt - $1.1 billion - consists of payments on loans provided for the reconstruction of the oil refinery in Turkmenbashi.

Gold and foreign exchange reserves are 2 billion in dollar equivalent.

According to official data, when calculated at the bank dollar exchange rate, the average per capita income is $820, at the market rate - $203. The share of the population below the poverty line is 58% (1999, estimate).

In 2003, the average monthly salary was 1.760 million manat. Promotion wages employees budgetary institutions, pensions and benefits occurs 1-2 times a year. The minimum pension since May 1, 2003 is 1.5 million manats.

Railways - 2440 km; roads - 22,000 km, of which 19,488 km are paved, 4,512 km are unpaved; pipelines - for crude oil 250 km, for natural gas 4400 km.

There are 64 airports in the country, of which 22 have a hard runway.

The main inland waterway is the Amu Darya River. Port on the Caspian Sea - Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnovodsk). There is an international line on the Caspian Sea between the ports of Anzali (Iran), Turkmenbashi (Turkmenistan) and Olya ( Russian Federation).

Merchant fleet - 1 oil tanker. In 2003, it is planned to complete the construction of a new telecommunications line Ashgabat - Balkanabat - Turkmenbashi. The section from Ashgabat to Turkmenabat was commissioned in 1998 as part of the 708 km Trans-Asian-European fiber optic communication line. The length of the western branch will be 618 km. Along the way, dedicated digital streams will allow organizing up to 7560 telephone channels.

During 1990-98, up to 18 billion US dollars were invested in the national economy to create infrastructure, which was practically absent before, up to 18 billion US dollars, of which 7 billion were invested in industry, 4 billion in the agricultural sector. In 2000, in the total volume of capital investments utilized, funds from foreign investors amounted to 11%.

According to the Central Bank of Turkmenistan, the volume of bank loans in national currency at the beginning. 2002 amounted to 5 trillion 135.1 billion manat, which is 46% higher than the amount of loans on the same date in 2001. The largest increase was in short-term loans - by 53%. Sectoral structure of short-term lending: loans to industrial enterprises - 48.1%, to enterprises in the procurement sector - 25.8%, to trade enterprises - 4.4%, to agriculture - 2.6%, to construction - 1.6%, to transport and communications - 0.2%.

The share of short-term loans provided to enterprises in the non-state sector of the economy amounted to 15.2% of the total amount.

The volume of long-term credit investments in 2001 compared to the previous year increased by 35% and as of January 2002 amounted to 1 trillion 783.1 billion manats.

At the end of 2001, Turkmenistan's foreign trade turnover amounted to 4.969 billion US dollars, which is 16% higher than in 2000. At the same time, the positive balance of foreign trade was 271 million US dollars.

Exports in 2001: $2.620 billion. Products were exported to 57 countries. The largest partners: Ukraine (46%), Italy (18%), Iran (11%), Russian Federation (6%), Turkey (5%).

In the commodity structure of exports, 57% of the total volume is occupied by natural gas, 26% by oil and petroleum products. The supply of cotton fabrics increased by 15%, clothing by 1.3 times, carpets and rugs by 1.5 times, carbon black by 1.5 times, and vegetables by 1.4 times.

Imports in 2001 amounted to $2.349 billion, an increase of 32% compared to the previous year. 80 countries around the world have become partners. Among them are the largest: Russian Federation (17%), Ukraine (11%), USA (9%), Germany (8%), etc.

In the total volume of imports, the share of supplies of equipment, vehicles, raw materials and supplies amounted to 72%. The volume of purchases of consumer goods remained at the level of the previous year.

One of the important areas of foreign economic activity is the development of free economic zones (FEZ). By 2002, 8 free enterprise economic zones and 2 SEZs had been opened.

Science and culture of Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is characterized by almost complete literacy of the population. Both scientific research and the education system in Turkmenistan are headed by the Academy of Sciences, founded in 1951. It runs a number of scientific institutes, including the world-famous Institute of Deserts. The reduction in government funding and the outflow of the Russian-speaking population affected the quality scientific research and the level of specialist training.

The Turkmen State University is located in Ashgabat. Teaching in higher education is conducted in Turkmen and Russian; in the primary and secondary education system there are classes taught in Kazakh, Russian and Uzbek languages. Teaching in secondary schools is conducted in the Turkmen language. The number of classes where children of other nationalities (Russians, Uzbeks, Kazakhs) can study is steadily decreasing. As a result of the reform of higher education carried out in late 1990s, the period of study of students in higher education educational institutions was reduced to 4 years, and two of them were in practice.

The diversity of the ethnogenesis of the Turkmen people, formed from the most ancient Iranian-speaking and alien Turkic-speaking tribes, determined the nature of the Turkmen culture. It distinguishes two directions: Turkic and Iranian.

From epic genres folk art the most artistically developed is dastan. Turkmen dastans are divided into heroic and romantic. The heroic epic has exclusively Turkic (Oghuz) themes. Romantic dastans are the author's adaptation of famous stories from oriental literature. Literature and folklore of Turkmenistan up to the 20th century. spread mainly by word of mouth. Many people came from the Turkmen environment famous poets and philosophers, representatives of early Seljuk poetry in Asia Minor, writing in Persian (Chelebi Husameddin). And later, Turkmen by origin wrote in Farsi - Hilali Chagatai (16th century), Bayramkhan Khanhannan (who also wrote in Turkic), etc. Until mid. 16th century Turkmen literature was dominated by didactic poetry, reflecting Islamic-Sufi dogma.

From the 2nd half. 18th century polemical poems appeared - epistolary form - correspondence of poets on various topics (for example, correspondence between the poets Magtymguly and Durdy Shahir, 18th century). Magtymguly was the first in Turkmen literature to use the form “goshgy” - a quatrain characteristic of the folklore of all Turkic-speaking peoples.

Among the artistic crafts, ceramics, decorated with ornaments (before the 8th century), glazed (from the 8th century), monochrome (10th-12th centuries), spotted or decorated with engraving or polychrome painting (from the 12th century), became widespread. The ornamentation of stamped ceramics and artistic metal products is close to Iranian.

During the late Middle Ages, among the Turkmen tribes there was a highly developed ancient art carpet weaving. Patterns on carpets 18 - early. 20th centuries (Tekin, Salor, Yomud, Ersarin, etc.) - traditional compositions worked out over centuries with pronounced tribal characteristics. Many elements of carpet patterns date back to ancient eras. The Turkmen carpet as a whole is distinguished by a clear geometric pattern and a dominant deep red-brown color tone.

The artistic originality of the works of Turkmen jewelers is the combination of a mass of silver with softly glowing grains of carnelian, as well as the completion of the main composition of the product with a “fringe” or a cascade of rustling and ringing pendants, bells, and coins.

Turkmen carpets And Akhal-Teke horses, Sunday markets and countless ancient monuments: the ruins of ancient fortresses of the Achaemenid dynasty and settlements of the Parthian kingdom, ancient cities Merv, Koneurgench, Nisa, medieval castles, forts, kavaran-sarai, mosques, mausoleums and tombs - this is what attracts tourists to hot Turkmenistan. Numerous studies and excavations have proven that people lived on the territory of Turkmenistan 3 million years ago!

Of the modern attractions that are definitely worth visiting in Turkmenistan, we can highlight the main ones: cyclopean in size mosque « Turkmenbashi Rukhy", the Turkmenbashi and Rukhyet palaces, the Independence Monument and the Arch of Neutrality, and, of course, Carpet Museum, where among many ancient artifacts a modern giant carpet with an area of ​​301 sq. m- “The Golden Age of the Great Saparmurat Turkmenbashi.”

In addition to the most interesting historical and modern monuments, Turkmenistan has many natural attractions: huge Karakum desert with its classic dunes, the Baharden cave and the underground sulfur lake Kou-Ata, burning Darvaza gas crater, dinosaur plateau - Khojapil, Yangikala canyons, National parks Repetek, Kugitang and Kopetdag and other interesting natural sites.

Turkmenistan can in fact be compared to the traditional oriental beauty, which, due to established habits and religious national foundations, does not have the right to keep her face open to everyone she sees in front of her, or to those who themselves have an irresistible desire to admire her extraordinary beauty. Her appearance is the silhouette that appears before our eyes when a woman in a hijab appears, and her inner world is unknown to almost anyone. However, if a person has exceptionally noble and serious intentions towards her, she can open up to him and show all the beauty that has been heard so much about, but until a certain moment remained hidden from view.

Turkmenistan today, despite the strict visa regime, it is one of the popular tourist destinations Central Asia. And although the government of Turkmenistan does not strive to make life within the country public and, in fact, is rather stingy in the development of foreign policy relations, the state welcomes tourists, there are a number of modern hotels of the world's leading hotel chains, many private mini-hotels, etc. .

Turkmenistan surprises and delights, provides delicious food and celebrates holidays in a colorful way - this country has been making connoisseurs of Asian culture fall in love with it for many years. The Turkmen themselves say that their land is sacred like the Turkmen hearth, pure like the conscience of a Turkmen, great like his pride and strong like his faith!

Useful information for traveling around Turkmenistan:

General information about Turkmenistan.

Location. Turkmenistan, which during its long history has been under the rule of almost all the major rulers of the East, is now a sovereign state. Located in Central Asia, it shares borders with Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Afghanistan and Iran. The country has no access to the World Ocean, but the Caspian Sea provides local residents with the opportunity to listen to the sound of the surf without leaving their homeland.

Square. The country's territory covers 491,200 square meters. km. The lands of Turkmenistan are 80% deserts. Much less fertile than its neighbors, they nevertheless make the state one of the world leaders in natural gas production.

Population Turkmenistan - 5,169,660 people.

National composition. The indigenous people of Turkmenistan are the Turkmens, they make up 91% of the country's population, 3% are Uzbeks and 2% are Russians. Teaching in secondary schools is conducted in the Turkmen language. A significant number of Uzbeks live along the Amudarya River valley near the Turkmen-Uzbek border. Kazakhs are concentrated mainly in the north of Turkmenistan and along the coast of the Caspian Sea.

Political structure. The country is governed by a president. The past decade has changed quite a lot political system states. If until 2006 S. Niyazov was the permanent president, then the current head should be elected for a term of up to five years. Legislation in the country is carried out by the parliament and the Majlis. Before the death of S. Niyazov, the People’s Council, the Khalk Maslakhaty, also functioned in the country, which was also involved in the preparation of bills. Relatively recently, parties began to appear.

Administrative division. Turkmenistan is divided into 5 regions/velayats and one city with regional rights - the capital.

Capital- Ashgabat city with a population of approx. 900,000 people, holding the Guinness Book record for the most buildings made of white marble. This material, as well as a mixture of elements of Eastern and European architecture, make the capital one of the most magnificent cities in Central Asia.

Official language. The only one state language is Turkmen, which is natural, since the population consists of more than 77 percent Turkmen. However, many locals have a good command of both Russian and Uzbek languages.

Currency unit- manat Payments in the country can only be made in manats, consisting of 100 tenge. The use of other currencies is officially prohibited.

Religions. The vast majority of the population - 89% profess Sunni Islam, 9% - Christianity. Only 2 percent come from representatives of other religions.

The residence of the head of the Muslims of Turkmenistan - the Qazi - is located in the city of Chardzhev. There are several Muslim shrines in Turkmenistan, where pilgrimages are made quite often. These are mainly Muslim cemeteries and tombs from the Middle Ages. Among them, the most revered are Ag-Ishan near Bakharden northwest of Ashgabat, two religious buildings Babagammar (Gammarbaba) near Yolotan and Kushka, and the Serakhsbaba mausoleum, built on the site of the tomb of Sheikh Abul-Fazl near Serakhs.

Standard time zone. Clocks in Turkmenistan do not change. It is constantly different from Greenwich by five hours.

Electricity. The sockets are of standards B and F. The voltage in them is 220 volts with a current frequency of 50 hertz.

Climate of Turkmenistan.

The climate of Turkmenistan is continental, arid, with large temperature differences, low precipitation and high evaporation. Summers are usually hot and dry, with average July temperatures of 28-32° C. Winters are mild, with little snow, but in some years there are heavy but short-term snowfalls and the temperature can drop to -20° C. Average January temperatures range from -5°C in the northeast of the country to +4°C in the south. Of course, maximum indicators can scare anyone, but they are recorded extremely rarely. The presence of the sea has a positive softening effect on coastal regions, making holidays in them very comfortable.

A characteristic feature of the local climate is the almost constantly blowing winds of the northern component, bringing cold air masses from the steppe regions of Kazakhstan in winter, and hot winds and runoff air masses from mountain slopes in summer, causing sandstorms and hot winds.

Best time to visit Turkmenistan- spring ( from March to May) and autumn ( from September to November). From March to May, Turkmenistan is painted with fresh greenery and a sweet aroma is in the air flowering trees. September and October can also give a lot of pleasant sensations, when the summer heat has subsided, but nature still does not think of falling asleep. The capital of Turkmenistan has particularly comfortable climatic conditions for recreation.

How to dress in Turkmenistan.

As in most secular states Central Asia, in Turkmenistan there are no official prohibitions regarding the styles and colors of clothing. On the streets you can often meet people in national dress, but local residents do not condemn the wearing of European trousers, dresses and other outfits.

The only thing you should avoid is visiting shrines in inappropriate and excessively revealing clothing. The hot climate of the country requires wearing the lightest possible clothes, mainly made of cotton and other natural fabrics.

In nature, you should not use T-shirt styles where the shoulders and part of the back are open, as there is a risk of getting sunburn. It is also better not to neglect hats.

City footwear may be limited to light sandals or flip-flops, but outside populated areas, especially in desert areas, you should wear sneakers, as the region is rife with poisonous insects.

Cuisine of Turkmenistan.

Despite their nomadic roots, which are present to one degree or another in most Central Asian republics, the people of Turkmenistan did not reduce their culinary traditions to just types of fried meat. Undoubtedly, meat played and continues to play an important role in cooking national dishes, but in this country it is not so much second courses that are common as first courses.

Nowhere in Central Asia are there so many species soups, as in Turkmenistan. This is flour stew umpach-zashi, And pea soup gaynatma, and tomato gara-chorba, and many other options. What unites all this diversity is that the basis for each type of soup is chorba - lamb broth. This is the same broth that the Kazakhs usually drink and which, seasoned with vegetables, is served to the table by the Uzbeks (shurpa).

The aromatic kosushki of Turkmen soup are often superior in nutritional value to similar stews of their neighbors, and the limited amount of spices allows the taste of meat and other ingredients to be fully revealed. After such first courses, Europeans sometimes have no time for second courses.

Although, you shouldn’t rush to refuse, because the splendor of second courses in Turkmenistan will also not leave a true gourmet indifferent. What is it worth just alone? Govurlan-et- fried lamb with tomatoes, where the balance of vegetables and meat is so well chosen that the former saturate the latter with delicate sourness, and the latter with a fragrant spicy aroma and fat.

Don't bypass and Turkmen types of pilaf, even if he has already become quite boring during his trips to other countries of Central Asia. This dish is prepared completely differently here. Very often, in addition to rice, meat, onions and carrots, various dried and fresh fruits are added, enhancing the remaining components and adding a touch of freshness and unusual piquancy. Only here you can taste the most unusual pilaf, where instead of meat it is used fish. It is impossible not to single out such pilaf from among similar dishes of the East.

It is worth noting that in Turkmenistan the use in cooking seafood much more developed than in other countries in the region. This is due to the presence Caspian Sea- a reliable supplier of this type of product to local markets. That's why dishes like balyk-gavordak- fish baked in pots are an integral element of the feast of local residents.

You can also enjoy the unusual taste of a number of dairy products in Turkmenistan. Moreover, many of them - started, teleme, agarana and others are made from camel milk. Another culinary highlight of the country is the region's favorite Turkmen pastries. Cookie writing or pies shilekli- all of them will appeal to both adherents of oriental cuisine and lovers of European cuisine.

Cost of food in Turkmenistan.

Guests will also be pleasantly surprised by the prices for local dishes in restaurants and cafes. Food products in the country are relatively cheap, which ensures fairly affordable prices. In order to eat to your heart's content in a capital cafe, it will be enough to have 10-15 US dollars with you, and in smaller towns you can spend 8 dollars on this.

Visa and registration.

For all the richness of its tourism potential, Turkmenistan has a rather inconvenient visa policy for travelers.

To visit the country, you must obtain visa to Turkmenistan(more details). Turkmen visas are issued on the basis of invitations issued by the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan. You can obtain a Turkmen visa either directly at the international airport in Ashgabat (with the collection of consular fees necessary in such cases for the urgency of registration, there is also the possibility of refusal with subsequent deportation to your homeland at your own expense), or in advance at the consular department of the Embassy of Turkmenistan.

Due to internal politics In Turkmenistan, at present, the issuance of positive decisions on obtaining visas at the request of travel agencies for CIS citizens is extremely rare. A refusal without explanation is issued in 95 out of 100 applications.

Registration. Foreign citizens Those arriving in Turkmenistan for a period of more than three working days, no later than the third working day from the moment of entry into the country, must register with the State Migration Service of Turkmenistan. The hotel staff also registers arrivals and provides them with relevant documents. The certificate data must be saved in otherwise problems may arise when leaving the country. Staying at visiting points (stopping points) without registration is permitted for a period of no more than 3 days.

Visiting border areas requires special permission.

Customs regulations of Turkmenistan.

Just like everywhere else, travelers are prohibited from carrying weapons, drugs, ammunition, pornographic materials and materials that pose a potential threat to the constitutional order of the state. Foreigners are also prohibited from importing and exporting local currency.

Currency from other countries you can import in any quantities subject to mandatory declaration, but upon departure the amount must be less. Customs declaration should be filled out in as much detail as possible and saved until leaving Turkmenistan. If any products were purchased in the country, then appropriate certificates should be issued for them, confirming that they do not have historical value.

Large souvenir shops prepare the documents necessary for export for the goods they sell in advance, so purchases made at such retail outlets will significantly save time and nerves.

It is strictly forbidden to export from the country fish and black caviar. Also prohibited for export from Turkmenistan jewelry without hallmarks, precious and semi-precious stones and their semi-finished products; bee and snake venom, mumiyo, propolis; meat of all types and products of its processing; plants and animals listed in the Red Book of Turkmenistan; carpets and carpet products without the appropriate permission from the State Association “Turkmenhaly”.

When paying for any purchases and services, it is advisable to keep receipts.

Currency of Turkmenistan.

In Turkmenistan, it is prohibited to make payments in foreign currency. To exchange it, you should contact banks and official exchange offices. Banks in the country rarely work after 17.00, but exchange offices at hotels and airports often operate around the clock.

They generally only accept new US dollars. The banknotes must not have any defects, otherwise the point or bank employees may refuse to exchange. It is strictly not recommended to deal with market money changers and illegal dealers, because... there is a risk of being deceived or caught by the police in conducting illegal currency transactions.

Bank cards, issued outside the state, are practically not in circulation on the territory of Turkmenistan. They can be used only in large hotels and shopping centers in the capital.

Internet in Turkmenistan.

The Internet in Turkmenistan is limited (not all sites are accessible), communications are not of very high quality, traffic speed is low, and prices are quite high. IN last years The Internet situation in Turkmenistan is improving, but universal high-quality Wi-Fi is still a long way off.

Photography in Turkmenistan.

In Turkmenistan, it is allowed to capture on film everything except military and some government facilities. It is also not recommended to take photographs or video at airports and border areas.

Souvenirs of Turkmenistan.

In addition to numerous photographs from Turkmenistan, it would be nice to bring some souvenirs reminiscent of this wonderful country. The most popular and world-famous Turkmen products are, of course, carpets.

Craftswomen make them exclusively by hand, using tools and machines that have not changed at all over hundreds of years. The subtlety of the ornament of Turkmen carpets is amazing! Looking at them, one gets the impression of amazing volume. The only disadvantage of such a souvenir will be its price.

Turkmens know the value not only of their carpets, but also of horses. So, for example, take out of the country argamaka(Ahal-Teke horse) will not be possible for any money. But on store shelves you can find a large number of figurines of this and other horse breeds. Ceramic or wooden, it will become a worthy decoration for your desktop.

From ceramics Funny whistles are made here. The sounds produced with their help resemble the flow of streams, the whistle of the desert wind and the sound of the surf. Not only a child, but also an adult will be happy with such a gift from a distant country.

If you want to protect a loved one from the evil eye, then the artisans of Turkmenistan are ready to offer a variety of carnelian products. Jewelry made using this material wards off evil spirits and brings happiness to its owner. For a guest who does not believe in either evil or good spirits, hot Turkmenistan gives him the opportunity to take away a piece of his warmth, placed in a telpak - a national headdress made of white sheep fur.

National characteristics, norms of behavior and local customs.

IN Everyday life and in everyday life, Turkmens are friendly and hospitable, calm and self-possessed people. Local customs and traditions are based on ancient Turkic culture and Islamic religion. In past times, Iran, then the Russian Empire, had a strong influence on the region.

In addition to official laws, there are well-established traditions and unspoken principles for resolving everyday issues: tribal relations are still strong here; Turkmen society is of a patriarchal type, the dominant position is occupied by men; Elderly people are especially respected by Turkmens; aksakals (elders) have unquestioned authority.

National holidays in Turkmenistan.

.	January 1 - New Year.
.	January 12 is Memorial Day.
.	January 27 is Defenders of the Fatherland Day.
.	February 19 - Holiday of the State Flag of Turkmenistan.
.	March 8 is International Women's Day.
.	March 21-22 - Novruz; National spring holiday.
.	1st Sunday of April - Holiday “A drop of water is a grain of gold.”
.	The last Sunday in April is Akhal-Teke Horse Day.
.	May 9 - Victory Day.
.	May 18 is the Day of Revival, Unity and Poetry of Magtymguly in Turkmenistan.
.	The last Sunday in May is Turkmen Carpet Day.
.	2nd Sunday of August - Turkmen Melon Day.
.	1 September is the day of knowledge.
.	October 6 is the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of the 1948 Earthquake.
.	October 27 is Independence Day of Turkmenistan.
.	1st Saturday of November - Health Day.
.	December 12 is the Day of Neutrality of Turkmenistan.

State symbols of Turkmenistan: flag, coat of arms and anthem.

Flag.
The flag of Turkmenistan was adopted on 02/19/1992 and is a green rectangular panel with a vertical red-burgundy stripe, which depicts five national hels, with a white crescent and five stars. Each of the gels is framed with a carpet ornament, the outer edge of which is aligned with the edges of the strip. At the bottom of the red-burgundy stripe there are two olive branches intersecting at the base and directed upward in different directions, symbolizing the status of permanent neutrality of Turkmenistan. They form a single composition together with carpet gels. Each olive branch consists of ten leaves, decreasing towards the ends, arranged in pairs, except for the lower and upper ones. The larger green part in the upper left corner features a crescent moon and five five-pointed stars in white.
Five national carpet gels, each of which is framed by a carpet ornament, also symbolize the velayats. The symbolism of carpet gels has a deep philosophical meaning. The word “gel” itself has different interpretations: gul (flower) or kel (lake). All gels are built according to the principle of the golden ratio, in proportions 21 by 34. At the bottom of the red-burgundy stripe, one-sixth the width of the flag, are two intersecting olive branches, a symbol of the independence and neutrality of the nation. February 19 - Day national flag Turkmenistan.