Turkmenistan
Capital
Ashgabat
Population
~6.3 million
Currency
Turkmenistani Manat (TMT)
Quick Facts
- Languages
- Turkmen
- Religion
- Predominantly Sunni Islam
- Climate
- Extreme continental desert; very hot summers, cold winters
Culture & History
Known for: vast natural gas reserves, highly authoritarian government and personality cults (past and present), and extravagant white marble architecture in Ashgabat
Also famous for: Darvaza gas crater ('Gates of Hell'), neutrality policy, Akhal-Teke horses, intricate carpets
Food: Plov, Shurpa (soup), Manty (dumplings)
Brief History
Part of ancient empires, Russian conquest, Soviet republic, independence 1991, ruled by Saparmurat Niyazov ('Turkmenbashi') then Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow (now his son)