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Turkmenistan: Turkmenistan Geography Profile 2012

2012/04/05

Turkmenistan Geography Profile 2012

The only major rivers are the Amu Darya, Murgab, and Tedzhen, which flow from the mountains of Afghanistan. Except for small forested areas on the mountain slopes, vegetation is either nonexistent or restricted to desert shrubs and grasses. There is little rainfall. Summers are long and hot, and winters are cool to cold.
The country is in Central Asia. It is bordered by the Caspian Sea, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. The area is 188,456 square miles (488,100 km² ).

90% of the total area of the country is a desert The Kara Kum. On the southern boundary there are several mountain ranges, including the Kopet Dagh, which rises more than 9,000 feet (2,700 m) above sea level. A narrow strip along the Caspian Sea lies below sea level.

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

Comparison to the world:

Land:

469,930 sq km

Water:

18,170 sq km

Note:

Area comparative:

slightly larger than California

Land boundaries Total:

3,736 km

Land boundaries Note:

Border countries

Countries:

Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km

Coastline

Value:

0km

Note:

Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)

Maritime claims

Territorial sea:

none (landlocked)

Exclusive economic zone:

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

Note:

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

Land use

Kind:

arable land

Percentage:

4,51%

Year:

2005

Note:

Kind:

permanent crops

Percentage:

0,14%

Note:

Kind:

other

Percentage:

95,35%

Note:

Irrigated land

Value:

18,000 sq km

Year:

2003

Total renewable water resources

Value:

60.9 cu km

Year:

1997

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

Total:

24.65 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)

Per capital:

5,104 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

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

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