Saudi Arabia (2001) | Turkmenistan (2002) | |
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Administrative divisions | 13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk | 5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dasoguz Welayaty, Labap 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:
42.52% (male 4,932,465; female 4,743,908) 15-64 years: 54.8% (male 7,290,840; female 5,179,393) 65 years and over: 2.68% (male 334,981; female 275,505) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 37.3% (male 895,536; female 853,301)
15-64 years: 58.6% (male 1,350,142; female 1,399,879) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 72,784; female 117,321) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk | cotton, grain; livestock |
Airports | 206 (2000 est.) | 76 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
70 over 3,047 m: 31 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
136 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 77 914 to 1,523 m: 39 under 914 m: 15 (2000 est.) |
total: 63
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 41 (2002) |
Area | total:
1,960,582 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 488,100 sq km
land: 488,100 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US | slightly larger than California |
Background | In 1902 Abdul al-Aziz Ibn SAUD captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian peninsula. In the 1930s, the discovery of oil transformed the country. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all major governmental concerns. | Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1925. 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 can be worked out. |
Birth rate | 37.34 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 28.27 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$66 billion expenditures: $66 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $588.6 million
expenditures: $658.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) (1999 est.) |
Capital | Riyadh | Ashgabat |
Climate | harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature | subtropical desert |
Coastline | 2,640 km | 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km) |
Constitution | governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993 | adopted 18 May 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conventional short form: Saudi Arabia local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none local short form: Turkmenistan former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic |
Currency | Saudi riyal (SAR) | Turkmen manat (TMM) |
Death rate | 5.94 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.92 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $26.3 billion (2000 est.) | $2.3 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Wyche FOWLER, Jr. embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh mailing address: American Embassy Riyadh, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693 telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800 FAX: [966] (1) 488-7360 consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah) |
chief of mission: Ambassador Laura E. KENNEDY
embassy: 9 Pushkin Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45 FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador BANDAR bin Sultan bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, and 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 | a final border resolution was agreed to with Qatar in March of 2001; location and status of boundary with UAE is not final, de facto boundary reflects a 1974 agreement; a June 2000 treaty delimited the boundary with Yemen, but final demarcation requires adjustments based on tribal considerations | Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan wrestle with sharing limited water resources and regional environmental degradation caused by the shrinking of the Aral Sea; multilaterally-accepted Caspian Sea seabed and maritime boundaries have not yet been established in the Caspian - Iran insists on division of Caspian Sea into five equal sectors while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan have generally agreed upon equidistant seabed boundaries; Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan await ICJ decision to resolve sovereignty dispute over oil fields in the Caspian Sea |
Economic aid - donor | pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon; since 1993, Saudi Arabia has committed $208 million for assistance to the Palestinians | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $16 million from the US (2001) |
Economy - overview | This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world (26% of the proved reserves), ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 40% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 35% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly 5 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and service sectors. Saudi Arabia was a key player in the successful efforts of OPEC and other oil producing countries to raise the price of oil in 1999-2000 to its highest level since the Gulf war by reducing production. Riyadh expects to have a moderate budget deficit in 2001, in part because of increased spending for education and other social programs. The government in 1999 announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies, which follows the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is expected to continue calling for private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. Shortages of water and rapid population growth will constrain government efforts to increase self-sufficiency in agricultural products. | Turkmenistan is largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and huge gas (fifth largest reserves in the world) and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton, making it the world's tenth largest producer. Until the end of 1993, Turkmenistan had experienced less economic disruption than other former Soviet states because its economy received a boost from higher prices for oil and gas and a sharp increase in hard currency earnings. In 1994, Russia's refusal to export Turkmen gas to hard currency markets and mounting debts of its major customers in the former USSR for gas deliveries contributed to a sharp fall in industrial production and caused the budget to shift from a surplus to a slight deficit. 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 1998-2001, Turkmenistan has 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 have risen sharply because of higher international oil and gas prices. Prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, and the unwillingness of the government to adopt market-oriented reforms. However, Turkmenistan's cooperation with the international community in transporting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan may foreshadow a change in the atmosphere for foreign investment, aid, and technological support. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. |
Electricity - consumption | 111.6 billion kWh (1999) | 7.708 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 900 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 120 billion kWh (1999) | 9.256 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 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 | desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills | 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:
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection 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 | Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10% | Turkmen 77%, Uzbek 9.2%, Russian 6.7%, Kazakh 2%, other 5.1% (1995) |
Exchange rates | Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.7450 (fixed rate since June 1986) | Turkmen manats per US dollar - 5,200 (January 2002-January 2000), 5,350 (January 1999), 4,070 (January 1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 1996); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: King and Prime Minister FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and First Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (half-brother to the monarch, heir to the throne since 13 June 1982, regent from 1 January to 22 February 1996); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch and includes many royal family members elections: none; the monarch is hereditary |
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: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 by the Assembly (Majlis) 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 NA); note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the Assembly 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 | $81.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | $2.7 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.) |
Exports - commodities | petroleum and petroleum products 90% | gas 33%, oil 30%, cotton fiber 18%, textiles 8% (1999) |
Exports - partners | Japan 18%, US 18%, France 4%, South Korea, Singapore, India (1999) | Ukraine 27%, Iran 14%, Turkey 11%, Italy 9%, Switzerland 5% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | green with large white Arabic script (that may be translated as There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God) above a white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); green is the traditional color of Islam | 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 - $232 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $21.5 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
6% industry: 47% services: 47% (1998 est.) |
agriculture: 27%
industry: 45% services: 28% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $10,500 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4,700 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4% (2000 est.) | 10% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 25 00 N, 45 00 E | 40 00 N, 60 00 E |
Geography - note | extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal | 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 | 5 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
146,524 km paved: 44,104 km unpaved: 102,420 km (1997 est.) |
total: 22,000 km
paved: 18,000 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads) unpaved: 4,000 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1996) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 32% (1998) (1998) |
Illicit drugs | death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin and cocaine | transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; small-scale government-run eradication of illicit crops; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan |
Imports | $30.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000) | $2.3 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles | machinery and equipment 60%, foodstuffs 15% (1999) |
Imports - partners | US 25%, Japan 10%, Germany 7%, Italy 5%, France, UK (1999) | Turkey 17%, Ukraine 12%, Russia 11%, UAE 8%, France 6% (1999) |
Independence | 23 September 1932 (Unification of the Kingdom) | 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | 1% (1997 est.) | NA% |
Industries | crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics | natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing |
Infant mortality rate | 51.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 73.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 0.5% (2000) | 10% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BIS, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) | AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 42 (2001) | NA |
Irrigated land | 4,350 sq km (1993 est.) | 18,000 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Council of Justice | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) |
Labor force | 7 million
note: 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.) |
2.34 million (1996) (1996) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.) | agriculture 48%, industry 15%, services 37% (1998 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
4,415 km border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 728 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km |
total: 3,736 km
border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km |
Land use | arable land:
2% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 56% forests and woodland: 1% other: 41% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 3.47%
permanent crops: 0.14% other: 96.39% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Arabic | Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7% |
Legal system | based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | based on civil law system |
Legislative branch | a consultative council (90 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms) | under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (more than 100 seats, some of which are elected by popular vote and some of which are appointed; meets infrequently) and a unicameral Assembly or Majlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Council - NA; Assembly - last held 12 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - all 50 elected officials preapproved by President NIYAZOV; most are from the DPT |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
68.09 years male: 66.4 years female: 69.85 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 61.1 years
male: 57.57 years female: 64.8 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 62.8% male: 71.5% female: 50.2% (1995 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97% (1989 est.) |
Location | Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen | Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan |
Map references | Middle East | Asia |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
18 NM continental shelf: not specified territorial sea: 12 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total:
71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,154,619 GRT/1,533,732 DWT ships by type: cargo 11, chemical tanker 8, container 5, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 13, short-sea passenger 8 (2000 est.) |
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,600 GRT/5,000 DWT
ships by type: petroleum tanker 1 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary) | Ministry of Defense (Army, Air and Air Defense, Navy, Border Troops, and Internal Troops), National Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $18.3 billion (FY00) | $90 million (FY99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 13% (FY00) | 3.4% (FY99) |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
5,894,691 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 1,206,920 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
3,291,185 (2001 est.) |
males age 15-49: 979,282 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | 17 years of age | 18 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
233,402 (2001 est.) |
males: 48,292 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932) | Independence Day, 27 October (1991) |
Nationality | noun:
Saudi(s) adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian |
noun: Turkmen(s)
adjective: Turkmen |
Natural hazards | frequent sand and dust storms | NA |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper | petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt |
Net migration rate | 1.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | crude oil 6,400 km; petroleum products 150 km; natural gas 2,200 km (includes natural gas liquids 1,600 km) | crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,400 km |
Political parties and leaders | none allowed | Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV]
note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 22,757,092
note: includes 5,360,526 non-nationals (July 2001 est.) |
4,688,963 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 34% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 3.27% (2001 est.) | 1.84% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Duba, Jiddah, Jizan, Rabigh, Ra's al Khafji, Mishab, Ras Tanura, Yanbu' al Bahr, Madinat Yanbu' al Sinaiyah | Turkmenbasy |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998) |
Radios | 6.25 million (1997) | 1.225 million (1997) |
Railways | total:
1,390 km standard gauge: 1,390 km 1.435-m gauge (448 km double track) (1992) |
total: 2,440 km
broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2001) |
Religions | Muslim 100% | 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: 1.41 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.22 male(s)/female total population: 1.23 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 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 (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | none | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
modern system domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems international: microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region) |
general assessment: poorly developed
domestic: NA international: 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 | 3.1 million (1998) | 363,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1 million
note: in 1998, the government contracted for the installation of 575,000 additional Group Speciale Mobile (GSM) cellular telephone lines over 15 months to raise the total number of subscribers to more than one million; Riyadh planned to further expand the GSM system in 1999 by adding an additional one million lines (1998) |
4,300 (1998) |
Television broadcast stations | 117 (1997) | 3 (much programming relayed from Russia and Turkey) (1997) |
Terrain | mostly uninhabited, sandy desert | 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 | 6.25 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 3.54 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA% | NA% |
Waterways | none | the Amu Darya is an important inland waterway for Turkmenistan |