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Compare Turkmenistan (2001) - Bulgaria (2004)

Compare Turkmenistan (2001) z Bulgaria (2004)

 Turkmenistan (2001)Bulgaria (2004)
 TurkmenistanBulgaria
Administrative divisions 5 welayatlar (singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Nebitdag), Dashhowuz Welayaty (formerly Tashauz), Lebap Welayaty (Charjew), Mary Welayaty

note:
administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
28 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Blagoevgrad, Burgas, Dobrich, Gabrovo, Khaskovo, Kurdzhali, Kyustendil, Lovech, Montana, Pazardzhik, Pernik, Pleven, Plovdiv, Razgrad, Ruse, Shumen, Silistra, Sliven, Smolyan, Sofiya, Sofiya-Grad, Stara Zagora, Turgovishte, Varna, Veliko Turnovo, Vidin, Vratsa, Yambol
Age structure 0-14 years:
37.88% (male 891,758; female 852,104)

15-64 years:
58.09% (male 1,313,303; female 1,360,690)

65 years and over:
4.03% (male 70,800; female 114,589) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 14.4% (male 553,801; female 526,856)


15-64 years: 68.5% (male 2,533,784; female 2,615,968)


65 years and over: 17.1% (male 535,954; female 751,610) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products cotton, grain; livestock vegetables, fruits, tobacco, livestock, wine, wheat, barley, sunflowers, sugar beets
Airports 76 (2000 est.) 212 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
13

2,438 to 3,047 m:
9

1,524 to 2,437 m:
4 (2000 est.)
total: 128


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 19


1,524 to 2,437 m: 15


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 92 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways 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 (2000 est.)
total: 85


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 11


under 914 m: 72 (2004 est.)
Area total:
488,100 sq km

land:
488,100 sq km

water:
0 sq km
total: 110,910 sq km


land: 110,550 sq km


water: 360 sq km
Area - comparative slightly larger than California slightly larger than Tennessee
Background 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. The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, but by the end of the 14th century the country was overrun by the Ottoman Turks. Northern Bulgaria attained autonomy in 1878 and all of Bulgaria became independent in 1908. Having fought on the losing side in both World Wars, Bulgaria fell within the Soviet sphere of influence and became a People's Republic in 1946. Communist domination ended in 1990, when Bulgaria held its first multiparty election since World War II and began the contentious process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy while combating inflation, unemployment, corruption, and crime. Today, reforms and democratization keep Bulgaria on a path toward eventual integration into the EU. The country joined NATO in 2004.
Birth rate 28.55 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 9.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues:
$588.6 million

expenditures:
$658.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
revenues: $8.121 billion


expenditures: $8.121 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Capital Ashgabat Sofia
Climate subtropical desert temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Coastline 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km) 354 km
Constitution adopted 18 May 1992 adopted 12 July 1991
Country name conventional long form:
none

conventional short form:
Turkmenistan

local long form:
none

local short form:
Turkmenistan

former:
Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria


conventional short form: Bulgaria
Currency Turkmen manat (TMM) lev (BGL)
Death rate 8.98 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 14.25 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $2.5 billion (2000 est.) $12.05 billion (2003)
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Steven R. MANN

embassy:
9 Pushkin Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000

mailing address:
use embassy street address

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

FAX:
[9] (9312) 51-13-05
chief of mission: Ambassador James William PARDEW


embassy: 16 Kozyak Street, Sofia 1407


mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State, 5740 Sofia Place, Washington, DC 20521-5740


telephone: [359] (2) 937-5100


FAX: [359] (2) 937-5230
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Mered ORAZOV

chancery:
2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 588-1500

FAX:
[1] (202) 588-0697
chief of mission: Ambassador Elena B. POPTODOROVA


chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 387-0174


FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973


consulate(s): New York
Disputes - international Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan none
Economic aid - recipient $27.2 million (1995) $300 million (2000 est.)
Economy - overview 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 1998-2000, 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 sharply because of higher international oil and gas prices. Prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty and the burden of foreign debt. IMF assistance would seem to be necessary, yet the government is not as yet ready to accept IMF requirements. Turkmenistan's 1999 deal to ship 20 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas through Russia's Gazprom pipeline helped alleviate the 2000 fiscal shortfall. Inadequate fiscal restraint and the tenuous nature of Turkmenistan's 2001 gas deals, combined with a lack of economic reform, will limit progress in the near term. Bulgaria, a former communist country striving to enter the European Union, has experienced macroeconomic stability and strong growth since a major economic downturn in 1996 led to the fall of the then socialist government. As a result, the government became committed to economic reform and responsible fiscal planning. A $300 million stand-by agreement negotiated with the IMF at the end of 2001 has supported government efforts to overcome high rates of poverty and unemployment.
Electricity - consumption 4.785 billion kWh (1999) 32.52 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 4.1 billion kWh (1999) 6.79 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 1.1 billion kWh (1999) 830 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 8.371 billion kWh (1999) 41.38 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
99.94%

hydro:
0.06%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Vpadina Akchanaya -81.00 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
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m


highest point: Musala 2,925 m
Environment - current issues 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 air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes
Environment - international 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
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulfur 94
Ethnic groups Turkmen 77%, Uzbek 9.2%, Russian 6.7%, Kazakh 2%, other 5.1% (1995) Bulgarian 83.9%, Turk 9.4%, Roma 4.7%, other 2% (including Macedonian, Armenian, Tatar, Circassian) (2001)
Exchange rates Turkmen manats per US dollar - 5,200 (January 2001), 5,200 (January 2000), 5,350 (January 1999), 4,070 (January 1997), 2,400 (January 1996) leva per US dollar - 1.7327 (2003), 2.077 (2002), 2.1847 (2001), 2.1233 (2000), 1.8364 (1999)


note: on 5 July 1999, the lev was redenominated; the post-5 July 1999 lev is equal to 1,000 of the pre-5 July 1999 lev
Executive branch 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 scheduled 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%
chief of state: President Georgi PURVANOV (since 22 January 2002); Vice President Angel MARIN (since 22 January 2002)


head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA (since 24 July 2001); Deputy Prime Ministers Nikolay VASILEV (since 24 July 2001), Lidiya SHULEVA (since 24 July 2001), and Plamen PANAYOTOV (since 17 July 2003)


cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly


elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 11 November and 18 November 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); chairman of the Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president and elected by the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister and elected by the National Assembly


election results: Georgi PURVANOV elected president; percent of vote - Georgi PURVANOV 54.13%, Petar STOYANOV 45.87%
Exports $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities gas 33%, oil 30%, cotton fiber 18%, textiles 8% (1999) clothing, footwear, iron and steel, machinery and equipment, fuels
Exports - partners Ukraine, Iran, Turkey, Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Azerbaijan Italy 14.1%, Germany 10.9%, Greece 10.5%, Turkey 9.2%, France 5.1%, US 4.5% (2003)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description 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 three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the national emblem formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe has been removed - it contained a rampant lion within a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointed star and above a ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and 1944 (liberation from Nazi control)
GDP purchasing power parity - $19.6 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $57.13 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
25%

industry:
43%

services:
32% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 11.4%


industry: 30%


services: 58.6% (2003)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $7,600 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 16% (2000 est.) 4.3% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 40 00 N, 60 00 E 43 00 N, 25 00 E
Geography - note landlocked strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
Heliports - 1 (2003 est.)
Highways total:
22,000 km

paved:
18,000 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather)

unpaved:
4,000 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1996)
total: 37,286 km


paved: 35,049 km (including 324 km of expressways)


unpaved: 2,237 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
2.6%

highest 10%:
31.7% (1998)
lowest 10%: 4.5%


highest 10%: 22.8% (1997)
Illicit drugs limited illicit cultivator of opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; limited government eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia to Russia and Western Europe; also a transshipment point for acetic anhydride destined for Afghanistan major European transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals; some money laundering of drug-related proceeds through financial institutions
Imports $1.65 billion (c.i.f., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment 60%, foodstuffs 15% (1999) fuels, minerals, and raw materials; machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles
Imports - partners Ukraine, Turkey, Russia, Germany, US, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Germany 14.4%, Russia 12.6%, Italy 10.3%, Greece 6.7%, Turkey 6.2%, France 5.7% (2003)
Independence 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union) 3 March 1878 (as an autonomous principality within the Ottoman Empire); 22 September 1908 (complete independence from the Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate 18% (2000 est.) 6.3% (2003 est.)
Industries natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing electricity, gas and water; food, beverages and tobacco; machinery and equipment, base metals, chemical products, coke, refined petroleum, nuclear fuel
Infant mortality rate 73.25 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 21.31 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 25.15 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.23 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 14% (2000 est.) 2.3% (2003 est.)
International organization participation AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) ACCT, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNMIL, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate affiliate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) NA -
Irrigated land 13,000 sq km (1993 est.) 8,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) Supreme Administrative Court; Supreme Court of Cassation; Constitutional Court (12 justices appointed or elected for nine-year terms); Supreme Judicial Council (consists of the chairmen of the two Supreme Courts, the Chief Prosecutor, and 22 other members; responsible for appointing the justices, prosecutors, and investigating magistrates in the justice system; members of the Supreme Judicial Council elected for five-year terms, 11 elected by the National Assembly and 11 by bodies of the judiciary)
Labor force 2.34 million (1996) 3.333 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 44%, industry 19%, services 37% (1996) agriculture 26%, industry 31%, services 43% (1998 est.)
Land boundaries total:
3,736 km

border countries:
Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km
total: 1,808 km


border countries: Greece 494 km, Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km, Turkey 240 km
Land use arable land:
3%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
63%

forests and woodland:
8%

other:
26% (1993 est.)
arable land: 40.02%


permanent crops: 1.92%


other: 58.06% (2001)
Languages Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7% Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Legal system based on civil law system civil law and criminal law based on Roman law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch 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
unicameral National Assembly or Narodno Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 17 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - NMS2 42.74%, UDF 18.18%, CfB 17.15%, MRF 7.45%; seats by party - NMS2 120, UDF 51, CfB 48, MRF 21; note - seating as of January 2005 - NMS2 98, CfB 49, UtDF 28, MRF 20, UDF 14, New Time 13, BANU 11, independents 7
Life expectancy at birth total population:
61 years

male:
57.43 years

female:
64.76 years (2001 est.)
total population: 71.75 years


male: 68.14 years


female: 75.59 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
98%

male:
99%

female:
97% (1989 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.6%


male: 99.1%


female: 98.2% (2003 est.)
Location Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Map references Commonwealth of Independent States Europe
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,459 GRT/8,865 DWT

ships by type:
container 1 (2000 est.)
total: 60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 757,972 GRT/1,115,238 DWT


by type: bulk 37, cargo 7, chemical tanker 4, container 2, petroleum tanker 3, rail car carrier 2, roll on/roll off 3, short-sea/passenger 1, specialized tanker 1


registered in other countries: 45 (2004 est.)
Military branches Ministry of Defense (Army, Air and Air Defense, Navy, Border Troops, and Internal Troops), National Guard Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces
Military expenditures - dollar figure $90 million (FY99) $356 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.4% (FY99) 2.6% (2003)
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
1,173,500 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 1,829,203 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
952,218 (2001 est.)
males age 15-49: 1,530,657 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
48,292 (2001 est.)
males: 52,811 (2004 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 27 October (1991) Liberation Day, 3 March (1878)
Nationality noun:
Turkmen(s)

adjective:
Turkmen
noun: Bulgarian(s)


adjective: Bulgarian
Natural hazards NA earthquakes, landslides
Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Net migration rate -1.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) -4.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,400 km gas 2,425 km; oil 339 km; refined products 156 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV]

note:
formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries
Bulgarian Agrarian National Union-People's Union or BANU [Anastasia MOZER]; Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP [Sergei STANISHEV]; Coalition for Bulgaria or CfB (coalition of parties dominated by BSP) [Sergei STANISHEV]; Democrats for a Strong Bulgaria or DSB [Ivan KOSTOV]; Movement for Rights and Freedoms or MRF [Ahmed DOGAN]; National Movement for Simeon II or NMS2 [Simeon SAXE-COBURG-GOTHA]; New Time [Emil KOSHLUKOV]; Union of Democratic Forces or UDF [Nadezhda MIKHAYLOVA]; Union of Free Democrats or UFD [Stefan SOFIYANSKI]; United Democratic Forces or UtDF (a coalition of center-right parties dominated by DSB)
Political pressure groups and leaders NA Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria or CITUB; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
Population 4,603,244 (July 2001 est.) 7,517,973 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 58% (1999 est.) 13.4% (2002 est.)
Population growth rate 1.85% (2001 est.) -0.92% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Turkmenbashi Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin
Radio broadcast stations AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998) AM 31, FM 63, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios 1.225 million (1997) -
Railways total:
2,187 km

broad gauge:
2,187 km 1.520-m gauge (1996 est.)
total: 4,294 km


standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,710 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (2003)
Religions Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2% Bulgarian Orthodox 82.6%, Muslim 12.2%, Roman Catholic 1.7%, Jewish 0.1%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 3.4% (1998)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female


total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system 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
general assessment: extensive but antiquated


domestic: more than two-thirds of the lines are residential; telephone service is available in most villages; a fairly modern digital cable trunk line now connects switching centers in most of the regions, the others are connected by digital microwave radio relay


international: country code - 359; direct dialing to 58 countries; satellite earth stations - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 2 Intelsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions)
Telephones - main lines in use 363,000 (1997) 2,868,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 4,300 (1998) 2,597,500 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 3 (much programming relayed from Russia and Turkey) (1997) 39 (plus 1,242 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Total fertility rate 3.58 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.37 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 14.3% (2003)
Waterways the Amu Darya is an important inland waterway for Turkmenistan 470 km (2004)
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