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Compare Mongolia (2003) - Turkmenistan (2005)

Compare Mongolia (2003) z Turkmenistan (2005)

 Mongolia (2003)Turkmenistan (2005)
 MongoliaTurkmenistan
Administrative divisions 21 provinces (aymguud, singular - aymag) and 1 municipality* (singular - hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor, Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan Uul, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan, Govi-Altay, Govi-Sumber, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Orhon, Ovorhangay, Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs 5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty


note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Age structure 0-14 years: 30.7% (male 423,081; female 408,119)


15-64 years: 65.7% (male 890,482; female 892,140)


65 years and over: 3.6% (male 42,292; female 56,201) (2003 est.)
0-14 years: 35.7% (male 909,113/female 860,128)


15-64 years: 60.2% (male 1,462,198/female 1,516,836)


65 years and over: 4.1% (male 78,119/female 125,687) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, potatoes, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses cotton, grain; livestock
Airports 50 (2002) 53 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 10


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
total: 23


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 10


1,524 to 2,437 m: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 40


over 3,047 m: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 13


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 12 (2002)
total: 30


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.)
Area total: 1.565 million sq km


land: 1,555,400 sq km


water: 9,600 sq km
total: 488,100 sq km


land: 488,100 sq km


water: negl.
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Alaska slightly larger than California
Background The Mongols gained fame in the 13th century when under Genghis KHAN they conquered a huge Eurasian empire. After his death the empire was divided into several powerful Mongol states, but these broke apart in the 14th century. The Mongols eventually retired to their original steppe homelands and came under Chinese rule. Mongolia won its independence in 1921 with Soviet backing. A Communist regime was installed in 1924. During the early 1990s, the ex-Communist Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party (MPRP) gradually yielded its monopoly on power to the Democratic Union Coalition (DUC), which defeated the MPRP in a national election in 1996. Over the next four years, the DUC put forward a number of key reforms to modernize the economy and to democratize the political system. The former Communists were a strong opposition that stalled additional restructuring and made implementation difficult. In 2000, the MPRP won an overwhelming victory in the legislature - with 72 of the 76 seats - and completely reshuffled the government. While it continues many of the reform policies, the MPRP has focused on social welfare and public order priorities. Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President NIYAZOV retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not tolerated. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes in order to break Russia's pipeline monopoly.
Birth rate 21.39 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) 27.68 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $386 million


expenditures: $427 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.)
revenues: $3.05 billion


expenditures: $3.05 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital Ulaanbaatar Ashgabat
Climate desert; continental (large daily and seasonal temperature ranges) subtropical desert
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)
Constitution 12 February 1992 adopted 18 May 1992
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Mongolia


local long form: none


local short form: Mongol Uls


former: Outer Mongolia
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Turkmenistan


local long form: none


local short form: Turkmenistan


former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency togrog/tugrik (MNT) -
Death rate 7.18 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) 8.78 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $913 million (2001 est.) $2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela J. Slutz


embassy: Micro Region 11, Big Ring Road, C.P.O. 1021, Ulaanbaatar 13


mailing address: PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002


telephone: [976] (11) 329095


FAX: [976] (11) 320776
chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey A. JACOBSON


embassy: 9 Pushkin (1984) Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000


mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-7070


telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45


FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Ravdangiyn BOLD


chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007


telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117


FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227


consulate(s) general: New York
chief of mission: Ambassador Mered Bairamovich ORAZOV


chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500


FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697
Disputes - international none cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; demarcation of land boundary with Kazakhstan has started but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled
Economic aid - recipient $208.7 million (1999 est.) $16 million from the US (2001)
Economy - overview Economic activity traditionally has been based on agriculture and breeding of livestock. Mongolia also has extensive mineral deposits; copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990-1991 at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. Mongolia was driven into deep recession, prolonged by the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party's (MPRP) reluctance to undertake serious economic reform. The Democratic Coalition (DC) government embraced free-market economics, eased price controls, liberalized domestic and international trade, and attempted to restructure the banking system and the energy sector. Major domestic privatization programs were undertaken, as well as the fostering of foreign investment through international tender of the oil distribution company, a leading cashmere company, and banks. Reform was held back by the ex-Communist MPRP opposition and by the political instability brought about through four successive governments under the DC. Economic growth picked up in 1997-1999 after stalling in 1996 due to a series of natural disasters and declines in world prices of copper and cashmere. In August and September 1999, the economy suffered from a temporary Russian ban on exports of oil and oil products, and Mongolia remains vulnerable in this sector. Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO) in 1997. The international donor community pledged over $300 million per year at the Consultative Group Meeting, held in Ulaanbaatar in June 1999. The MPRP government, elected in July 2000, is anxious to improve the investment climate; it must also deal with a heavy burden of external debt. Falling prices for Mongolia's mainly primary sector exports, widespread opposition to privatization, and adverse effects of weather on agriculture in early 2000 and 2001 restrained real GDP growth in 2000-2001. Despite drought problems in 2002, GDP rose 4.0%, followed by a solid 5.0% increase in 2003. The first applications under the land privatization law have been marked by a number of disputes over particular sites. Russia claims Mongolia owes it $11 billion from the old Soviet period; any settlement could substantially increase Mongolia's foreign debt burden. Turkmenistan is largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to a nearly 46% decline in cotton exports. With an authoritarian ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 1998-2004, 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, total exports rose by perhaps 30% in 2003 and 19% in 2004, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, the government's irrational use of oil and gas revenues, and its unwillingness to adopt market-oriented reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain.
Electricity - consumption 2.194 billion kWh (2001) 8.908 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 25 million kWh (2001) 1.136 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports 196 million kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 2.225 billion kWh (2001) 11.41 billion kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m


highest point: Nayramadlin Orgil (Huyten Orgil) 4,374 m
lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m)


highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
Environment - current issues limited natural fresh water resources in some areas; the policies of former Communist regimes promoted rapid urbanization and industrial growth that had negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal in power plants and the lack of enforcement of environmental laws severely polluted the air in Ulaanbaatar; deforestation, overgrazing, and the converting of virgin land to agricultural production increased soil erosion from wind and rain; desertification and mining activities had a deleterious effect on the environment contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups Mongol (predominantly Khalkha) 85%, Turkic (of which Kazakh is the largest group) 7%, Tungusic 4.6%, other (including Chinese and Russian) 3.4% (1998) Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)
Exchange rates togrogs/tugriks per US dollar - 1,134 (2002), 1,097.7 (2001), 1,076.67 (2000), 1,021.87 (1999), 840.83 (1998) Turkmen manats per US dollar - 10,100 (2004), 10,034 (2003), 10,098 (2002), 5,200 (2001)


note: in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 21,000 manats to the dollar
Executive branch chief of state: President Natsagiyn BAGABANDI (since 20 June 1997)


head of government: Prime Minister Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR (since 26 July 2000)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the State Great Hural in consultation with the president


elections: president nominated by parties in the State Great Hural and elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 20 May 2001 (next to be held NA May 2005); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the State Great Hural; election last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA 2004)


election results: Natsagiyn BAGABANDI reelected president; percent of vote - Natsagiyn BAGABANDI (MPRP) 58.13%, Radnaasumbereliyn GONCHIGDORJ (DP) 36.58%, Luvsandamba DASHNYAM (CWP) 3.54%, other 1.75%; Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR elected prime minister by a vote in the State Great Hural of 68 to 3
chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president


note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty)


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held in 2008 when NIYAZOV turns 70 and is constitutionally ineligible to run); note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the People's Council on 28 December 1999; deputy chairmen of the cabinet of ministers are appointed by the president


election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without opposition; percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5%
Exports NA (2001) NA
Exports - commodities copper, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles
Exports - partners China 43.8%, US 33.6%, Russia 9.6% (2002) Ukraine 46.6%, Iran 17.3%, Turkey 4.2%, Italy 4.1% (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol) green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon and five white stars appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe
GDP purchasing power parity - $5.06 billion (2002 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 32%


industry: 23%


services: 45% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 28.5%


industry: 42.7%


services: 28.8% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,900 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $5,700 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 3.9% (2002 est.) IMF estimate: 7.5%


note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates are notoriously unreliable (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates 46 00 N, 105 00 E 40 00 N, 60 00 E
Geography - note landlocked; strategic location between China and Russia landlocked; the western and central low-lying, desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau
Heliports - 1 (2004 est.)
Highways total: 49,250 km


paved: 1,724 km


unpaved: 47,526 km (2000)
total: 24,000 km


paved: 19,488 km


unpaved: 4,512 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.9%


highest 10%: 24.5% (1995)
lowest 10%: 2.6%


highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)
Illicit drugs - transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan
Imports NA (2001) NA
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, fuels, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Russia 32%, China 19.4%, South Korea 12.1%, US 9.1%, Germany 4.7%, Japan 4.3% (2002) US 11.8%, Russia 9.7%, UAE 9.2%, Ukraine 9%, Turkey 8.6%, Germany 8%, France 5%, Georgia 4.6%, Iran 4.5% (2004)
Independence 11 July 1921 (from China) 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate 4.1% (2002 est.) official government estimate: 22% (2003 est.)
Industries construction materials, mining (coal, copper, molybdenum, fluorspar, and gold); oil; food and beverages, processing of animal products natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: 57.16 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 60.75 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 53.38 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
total: 73.08 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 69.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3% (2002 est.) 9% (2004 est.)
International organization participation ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (observer), CP (provisional), EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 5 (2001) -
Irrigated land 840 sq km (1998 est.) 17,500 sq km (2003 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts for approval by the president) Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force 1.4 million (2001) 2.32 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation primarily herding/agricultural agriculture 48.2%, industry 13.8%, services 37% (2003 est.)
Land boundaries total: 8,162 km


border countries: China 4,677 km, Russia 3,485 km
total: 3,736 km


border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km
Land use arable land: 0.84%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.16% (1998 est.)
arable land: 3.72%


permanent crops: 0.14%


other: 96.14% (2001)
Languages Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian (1999) Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Legal system blend of Soviet, German, and US systems of law that combines aspects of a parliamentary system with some aspects of a presidential system; constitution ambiguous on judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction based on civil law system
Legislative branch unicameral State Great Hural (76 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2004)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MPRP 72, other 4
under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular vote and some of whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003; Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)


election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President NIYAZOV


note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of government
Life expectancy at birth total population: 63.81 years


male: 61.63 years


female: 66.09 years (2003 est.)
total population: 61.39 years


male: 58.02 years


female: 64.93 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 99.1%


male: 99.2%


female: 99% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.8%


male: 99.3%


female: 98.3% (1995 est.)
Location Northern Asia, between China and Russia Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Map references Asia Asia
Maritime claims none (landlocked) none (landlocked)
Merchant marine - total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,873 GRT/8,345 DWT


by type: cargo 3, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2005)
Military branches Mongolian Armed Forces (includes General Purpose Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense Troops); note - Border Troops are under Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs in peacetime Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (2004)
Military expenditures - dollar figure $23.1 million (FY02) $90 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 2.2% (FY02) 3.4% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 796,449 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 516,502 (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age (2003 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 32,529 (2003 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day/Revolution Day, 11 July (1921) Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
Nationality noun: Mongolian(s)


adjective: Mongolian
noun: Turkmen(s)


adjective: Turkmen
Natural hazards dust storms, grassland and forest fires, drought, and "zud", which is harsh winter conditions NA
Natural resources oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten, phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold, silver, iron, phosphate petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) -0.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 6,549 km; oil 1,395 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Citizens' Will Party or CWP (also called Civil Will Party or Civil Courage Party) [Sanjaasurengyn OYUN]; Democratic Party or DP [D. DORLIGJAN]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR]; Mongolian New Socialist Democratic Party or MNSDP [B. ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [B. JARGALSAIHAN]


note: the MPRP is the ruling party
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV]


note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been Gundogar and Erkin; Gundogar was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; Erkin is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow; the Union of Democratic Forces, a coalition of opposition-in-exile groups, is based in Europe
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 2,712,315 (July 2003 est.) 4,952,081 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line 36% (2001 est.) 58% (2003 est.)
Population growth rate 1.42% (2003 est.) 1.81% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors none Turkmenbasy
Radio broadcast stations AM 7, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2001) AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)
Railways 1,815 km


broad gauge: 1,815 km 1.524-m gauge (2002)
total: 2,440 km


broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2004)
Religions Tibetan Buddhist Lamaism 96%, Muslim (primarily in the southwest), Shamanism, and Christian 4% (1998) Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female


total population: 1 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: very low density: about 3.5 telephones for each thousand persons


domestic: NA


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region)
general assessment: poorly developed


domestic: NA


international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Telephones - main lines in use 104,100 (1999) 374,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 110,000 (2001) 52,000 (2004)
Television broadcast stations 4 (plus 18 provincial repeaters and many low power repeaters) (1999) 4 (government owned and programmed) (2004)
Terrain vast semidesert and desert plains, grassy steppe, mountains in west and southwest; Gobi Desert in south-central flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west
Total fertility rate 2.28 children born/woman (2003 est.) 3.41 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 20% (2000) 60% (2004 est.)
Waterways 400 km (1999) 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2003)
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