Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR). It is bordered by Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, Uzbekistan to the east and northeast, Kazakhstan to the north and northwest and the Caspian Sea to the west.Turkmenistan is situated in the very heart of Central Asia, between the Caspian Sea in the west
and the great Amu Darya River in the east, and from the Aral Sea littoral steppes in the north to the Kopet Dag mountain range to the south. Turkmenistan is an independent state; founded in 1991 after the disintegration of the USSR, five years later it attained a unique political status which was recognized by the United Nations Organization. The founder of the State and former national leader of Turkmenistan, President Saparmurat Turkmenbashy clearly specified the character of his country and its place in the sophisticated geopolitical space with a capacious formulation of "permanent neutrality". Upon his death in 2006, new President-elect Berdymukhammedov has, for the most part, continued Turkmenbashy's political course. Turkmenistan at a glance
Official Name: Turkmenistan
Capital: Ashgabat
Population: 5,043,618
Total area: 488,1OO sq. km
Density: 8 people per sq. km
Languages: Turkmen, Russian, English
Religions: Muslim 85%, Eastern Orthodox 10%, other 5%
Ethnic mix: Turkmen 78%, Uzbek 9%, Russian 6%, Kazakh 5% and others 2%
Government: Single party republic
National currency: Manat
