Tur Coun Summa Turkmen Turkmen Uzbekist west. Pre for centu Histori In medie the Silk R in the an republic union rep President Soviet U the Turkm rkmen ntry Pro ary nistan, forme nistan is bor tan to the ea esent-day Tu uries. cal Overv val times M Road. Annex nti-Bolshevik of the Sovie public), Turk t for Life S Union, ruled men SSR, un nistan ofile erly also kno rdered by A ast and north urkmenistan view Merv was one xed by the R k movement et Union. Af kmenistan de Saparmurat N Turkmenista ntil his death n own as Turk Afghanistan heast, Kazak covers terri e of the great Russian Emp t in Central fter 69 years eclared its in Niyazov, a an from 198 h in 2006. H kmenia, is o to the south khstan to th itory that ha t cities of the pire in 1881, Asia. In 19 s as part of th ndependence former bure 5, when he He retained ab one of the T heast, Iran t he northwest as been at th e Islamic wo , Turkmenis 924, Turkme he Soviet Un e on 27 Octo eaucrat of t became hea bsolute cont Turkic states to the south t and the Ca he crossroad orld and an i tan later figu enistan beca nion (includ ober 1991. the Commun d of the Com trol over the in Central h and south aspian Sea t ds of civiliza important sto ured promin ame a consti ding 67 years nist Party o mmunist Par country afte Asia. hwest, to the ations op on nently ituent s as a of the rty of er the
Transcript
Tur
Coun
Summa
TurkmenTurkmenUzbekistwest. Prefor centu
Histori
In mediethe Silk Rin the anrepublic union rep
PresidentSoviet Uthe Turkm
rkmen
ntry Pro
ary
nistan, formenistan is bortan to the eaesent-day Tuuries.
cal Overv
val times MRoad. Annexnti-Bolshevikof the Sovie
public), Turk
t for Life SUnion, ruled
men SSR, un
nistan
ofile
erly also knordered by Aast and northurkmenistan
view
Merv was onexed by the Rk movementet Union. Afkmenistan de
Saparmurat NTurkmenistantil his death
n
own as TurkAfghanistanheast, Kazakcovers terri
e of the greatRussian Empt in Central fter 69 yearseclared its in
Niyazov, a an from 198h in 2006. H
kmenia, is oto the southkhstan to thitory that ha
t cities of thepire in 1881,
Asia. In 19s as part of thndependence
former bure5, when he
He retained ab
one of the Theast, Iran t
he northwestas been at th
e Islamic wo, Turkmenis924, Turkmehe Soviet Une on 27 Octo
eaucrat of tbecame heabsolute cont
Turkic statesto the southt and the Cahe crossroad
orld and an itan later figuenistan becanion (includ
ober 1991.
the Commund of the Comtrol over the
in Central h and southaspian Sea tds of civiliza
important stoured promin
ame a constiding 67 years
nist Party ommunist Parcountry afte
Asia. hwest, to the ations
op on nently ituent s as a
of the rty of er the
dissolution of the Soviet Union. On 28 December 1999, Niyazov was declared President for Life of Turkmenistan by the Mejlis (parliament).
Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was elected the new president on 11 February 2007. He repealed some of Niyazov's most idiosyncratic policies, including banning opera and the circus for being "insufficiently Turkmen". In education, Berdimuhamedow's government had increased basic education to ten years from nine years, and higher education had been extended from four years to five. He has also increased contacts with the West, which is eager for access to the country's natural gas riches.
Political System
The government has three branches: Executive — President and the Council of Ministers, Legislative — Mejlis (Parliament), and Judicial — Supreme Court. The legal system is based on the civil law system.
The politics of Turkmenistan take place in the framework of a presidential republic, with the President both head of state and head of government. Under Niyazov, Turkmenistan had a single-party system; however, in September 2008, the People's Council unanimously passed a resolution adopting a new Constitution. The latter resulted in the abolition of the Council and a significant increase in the size of Parliament in December 2008. The new Constitution also permits the formation of multiple political parties.
Memberships
Turkmenistan's declaration of "permanent neutrality" was formally recognized by the United Nations in 1995. Former President Niyazov stated that the neutrality would prevent Turkmenistan from participating in multi-national defense organizations, but allows military assistance.
Turkmenistan is a member of the United Nations, the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Economic Cooperation Organization, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Islamic Development Bank, the Commonwealth of Independent States, Asian Development Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Basic Facts
Capital City Ashgabat
Population 5 million
Total Area 440 km² (169.9 sq miles)
Languages Turkmen Language, Russian, Uzbek
Religion 89% Muslim, and 9% Eastern Orthodox
Political System Presidential system, Republic
Current President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow
Currency Turkmenistan manat
Health
In the post-Soviet era, reduced funding has put the health system in poor condition. In rural Turkmenistan communities face huge health challenges, ranging from clean water shortages and drug abuse to a lack of first aid skills or knowledge about diseases and maternal health. Poor diet, polluted drinking water, and industrial wastes and pesticides cause or exacerbate many medical problems, which are especially acute in the northeastern areas of the country near the Amu Darya and Aral Sea.
Health Indicators 2012
Under 5 mortality rate (per 1000) 56
Life expectancy at birth (years) 65.2
Expenditure on Health ( % of GDP)(2010) 1.5
Number of Hospitals beds (Per 1000) 4
Turkmen85%
Uzbeks5%
Russians4%
Kazakhs, Tatars, Other6%
Ethnicity in Turkmenistan
Number of Physicians (Per 1000) 2.44
People living with HIV (2009) 200
Number of HIV Deaths (2009) 100
Education
In the Soviet era, Turkmenistan’s population was considered to be well educated. Since independence a serious deterioration of the education system has depleted the overall skill level of the working population. The government has limited curricula by eliminating a wide variety of studies that are considered dangerous or useless. Funding has not matched the growing population, teacher salaries have been reduced, and the infrastructure is in poor condition. The dismissal of many ethnic Russian teachers also has damaged the system.
Education is free of charge, although introduction of fees is being considered by selected institutions. Formal schooling begins with kindergarten and primary school. School attendance is compulsory through the eighth grade. At this point, students are tested and directed into technical, continuing, and discontinuing tracks. Some students graduate to the workforce after completing the tenth grade, while others leave in the ninth grade to enter a trade or technical school.
Education Indicators 2012
Public Expenditure on Education (% of GDP) 4.3
Expected Years of Schooling 12.6
Adult Literacy Rate (% aged 15 and above) 99.6
Number of Teachers (000) 66
Number of Schools 1800
Number of Students (000) 831
Number of Universities 11
Economy
Although Turkmenistan's economic situation has deteriorated somewhat since 1990, the overall standard of living has not dropped as dramatically as it has in other former Soviet republics. Economic reforms have been modest, and the majority of businesses remain state-owned. Thanks to government subsidies, basic food products continue to be relatively affordable despite inflation. One of the most important modifications in economic policy took effect in early 1993 when President Niyazov decreed that natural gas, water, and electricity would be supplied virtually free of charge to all homes in Turkmenistan for an indefinite period. Gasoline and other fuels also remain cheap, relative to neighboring republics. Such economic stability has been
possible because Turkmenistan has a comparatively small population and it is rich in important resources such as natural gas and oil.
Business Environment
Since independence, the Turkmenistan government has sought to build a business environment that would attract foreign investment as well as facilitate the growth and privatization of its own businesses. Since 1992, Turkmenistan has developed several joint-ventures with international companies involved in the oil and gas industry, transportation, and agriculture. The government continues to look for interested parties who could build business relations with Turkmenistan in other industries such as agriculture, infrastructure, communication, food processing and packaging and many others.
Turkmenistan’s economic freedom score is 43.8, making its economy the 168th freest in the 2012 Index. Its score is 0.2 points higher than last year, reflecting improved fiscal and monetary freedom.
The country possesses the world's fourth-largest reserves of natural gas and substantial oil resources. Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its economy. As of May 2011, the South Yoloten gas field has the second-largest volume of gas in the world, after the South Pars field in the Persian Gulf. Reserves at South Yoloten are estimated at around 21 trillion cubic meters. Estimated reserves of Oil in Turkmenistan are around 700 million tons (12 billion barrels).
Half of the country's irrigated land is planted with cotton, making the country the world's ninth-largest cotton producer. During 2011 season, Turkmenistan produced around 1.1 million tons of raw cotton.
Imports
Main import commodities of Turkmenistan include machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs. The total value of imports in 2012 was $10.19 billion.
Exports
Between 1998 and 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, the value of total exports has risen sharply because of increases in international oil and gas prices. Turkmenistan is a net exporter of electrical power to Central Asian republics and southern neighbors. The country traditionally exports raw cotton to Russia, Iran, South
China; 20%
UAE; 14.5 %
China; 12.3%
India; 11.3%
Germany; 4.8%UK; 4.4%
Korea, Bvalue of
Foreign
In OctobTurkmenremainedenterprisinvestmetransportimprove Turkmenlack of internatio
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
Million Dollars
Britain, Chinexports in 20
Investment
ber 2012 thenistan came d the largeses (22 perc
ent was cotation (14 p
investmentnistan has ad
established onal busines
0
500
000
500
000
500
000
500
000
na, Indonesia012 was $15
t
e Chairman from forei
t domestic cent). Accoroncentrated percent) sect conditionsdopted legal
rule of las norms are
Ukraine; 7
131
2000
a, Turkey, U5.4 billion.
of the Centgn sources investor (40ding to govon the entors. Presids, and sincreforms on
aw, inconsismajor disinc
%
Italy; 4.5%
418
2005
Ukraine, Sin
tral Bank reand that w
0 percent), vernment sonergy (57 pdent Berdimce the begforeign inv
stent regulacentives to f
%
ngapore and
eported that while the Go
sizeable invources, in 20percent), ch
muhamedov hginning of vestment andatory practicforeign inves
China; 66 %
3631
2010
the Baltic n
21 percent overnment ovestment cam012 the majhemical (27has express2008, the
d licensing. Nces, and unstment.
%
31
20
nations. The
of investmeof Turkmenme from pr
ajority of fo7 percent), sed his inte
GovernmenNeverthelessnfamiliarity
186.
011
total
ent in nistan rivate
oreign and
nt to nt of s, the with
Turkmenistan Trade Profile 2012
Turkmenistan Tariff Profile 2012
No available data.
Turkmenistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry
Name Turkmenistan Chmaber of Commerce and Industry
![IATP Presentation [Turkmenistan June 08]](https://static.documents.pub/doc/80x56/55a1c12c1a28ab410e8b464b/iatp-presentation-turkmenistan-june-08.jpg)
