Turkmenistan (also known as Turkmenia) is a
country in
Central Asia. The
name Turkmenistan is derived from Persian, meaning "land of the Turkmen". Until 1991 it was a constituent
republic of the Soviet
Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist
Republic. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the southwest, Uzbekistan to the northeast, Kazakhstan to the
northwest, and the
Caspian Sea to the
west. Eighty-seven percent of the population is Muslim. According to CIA World Factbook 2006
figures, Turkmenistan ranks 5th on
the world according to GDP growth rate. Although it is wealthy in natural resources in certain areas, most of the country is covered by the Karakum (
Black Sands) Desert. It has a single-party system and was ruled by President for Life
Saparmurat Niyazov until 21 December 2006, when he died of cardiac
arrest. Presidential
elections were held on 11 February 2007. Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow was declared the
winner with 89% of the vote. He was sworn in on 14 February 2007.
; "Balkan")
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