Turkmenistan - Country information


		Turkmenistan	Population Government Economy Geography Communication Transportation

Population		Top of page

Inhabitants		Life expectancy
5,097,028 (July 2007 est.)		total population: 68.3 years male: 65.23 years female: 71.54 years (2007 est.)

Ethnic groups		Religions
Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)		Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%

Languages		Literacy
Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%		definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.3% female: 98.3% (1999 est.)

Government		Top of page

Government type		Capital
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch		Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)

Independance		National day
27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)		Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Constitution		Legal system
adopted 18 May 1992		based on civil law system

Economy		Top of page

GDP (purchasing power parity)		Growth rate
$16.16 billion (2006 est.)		IMF estimate: 13%

GDP per inhabitant		Unemployment rate
$8,900 (2006 est.)		60% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line		Inflation rate
58% (2003 est.)		11% (2006 est.)

Exports		Imports
$5.421 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)		$3.936 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold		Currency
$3.518 billion (2006 est.)		Turkmen manat (TMM)

Military expenditures
3.4% (2005 est.)

Geography		Top of page

Location		Area
Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan		488,100 sq km

Climate		Natural resources
subtropical desert		petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

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