Location: | Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan |
| Geographic coordinates: | 40 00 N, 60 00 E |
| Map references: | Asia |
| Area: | total: 488,100 sq km
water: negl.
land: 488,100 sq km |
| Area - comparative: | slightly larger than California |
| Land boundaries: | total: 3,736 km
border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km |
| Coastline: | 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km) |
| Climate: | subtropical desert |
| 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 |
| Elevation extremes: | 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 |
| Natural resources: | petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt |
| Land use: | arable land: 3.72%
permanent crops: 0.14%
other: 96.14% (2001) |
| Irrigated land: | 17,500 sq km (2003 est.) |
| Natural hazards: | NA |
| 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 |
| 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 |
| Geography - note: | 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
Source: CIA World Factbook
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