See also
 | This Turkmenistan location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Subdivisions of Turkmenistan include:
| | This Turkmenistan location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
The history of Turkmenistan is largely shrouded in mystery, its past since the arrival of Indo-European Iranian tribes around 2000 BC is often the starting point of the area's discernible history. Early tribes were nomadic or semi-nomadic due to the arid conditions of the region as the steppe culture in Central Asia was an extension of a larger Eurasian series of horse cultures which spanned the entire spectrum of language families including the Indo-Europeans and Turko-Mongol groups. Some of the known early Iranian tribes included the Massagatae, Scythians/Sakas, and early Soghdians. Turkmenistan was a passing point for numerous migrations and invasions by tribes which gravitated towards the settled regions of the south including ancient Mesopotamia, Elam, and the Indus Valley Civilization.
Ashgabat, formerly named Poltoratsk between 1919 and 1927, is the capital and the largest city of Turkmenistan. It is situated between the Karakum Desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range in Central Asia. It is also near the Iran-Turkmenistan border.
Turkmenistan, also known as Turkmenia, is a country in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ashgabat is the capital and largest city of the country. The population of the country is about 6 million, the lowest of the Central Asian republics because Turkmenistan is one of the most sparsely populated nations in Asia. Citizens of Turkmenistan are known as Turkmenistanis, Turkmenians or Turkmens.
The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, also commonly known as Turkmenistan or Turkmenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union located in Central Asia existed as a republic from 1925 to 1991. Initially, on 7 August 1921, it was established as the Turkmen Oblast of the Turkestan ASSR before being made, on 13 May 1925, a separate republic of the USSR as the Turkmen SSR.
Turkmenistan's human rights record has been heavily criticized by various countries and scholars worldwide. Standards in education and health declined markedly during the rule of President Saparmurat Niyazov.
The Turkmenistan national football team represents Turkmenistan in men's international football and it is controlled by the Football Federation of Turkmenistan, the governing body for football in Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan's home ground is Kopetdag Stadium in Ashgabat, The team represents FIFA and Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
Turkmens, also known as Turkmen Turks, are a Turkic ethnic group native to Central Asia, living mainly in Turkmenistan, northern and northeastern regions of Iran and Afghanistan. Sizeable groups of Turkmens are found also in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and the North Caucasus. They speak the Turkmen language, which is classified as a part of the Eastern Oghuz branch of the Turkic languages. Examples of other Oghuz languages are Turkish, Azerbaijani, Qashqai, Gagauz, Khorasani, and Salar.
The president of Turkmenistan is the head of state and head of government, of Turkmenistan. The president is the chief executive of the union government in his position as Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers and is also the commander in chief of the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan.
Ashgabat International Airport, formerly known as Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy International Airport, is one of five international airports in Turkmenistan. It is located within the city limits of Ashgabat (Ashkhabad). The old airport, with its air traffic control tower and a 3,700-metre-long (12,000 ft) precision approach runway (12L-30R), opened in 1994 and was named after the country's first president, Saparmyrat Niyazov. The new airport terminal opened in September 2016 after being completely redesigned and rebuilt, and after the south runway was moved and lengthened to parallel the north runway.
Gurbanguly Mälikgulyýewiç Berdimuhamedow, or Gurbanguly Malikgulyevich Berdymukhammedov is a Turkmen politician who has been serving as the president of Turkmenistan since February 2007.
Turkmenistan has competed in six Summer Olympics, first appearing in 1996. They have never competed in the Winter Olympics and are the only Post-Soviet state not to have competed in them. Turkmenistan is also the northernmost country in the world to have never competed in the Winter Olympics. Turkmen athletes previously competed with the Soviet Union team and, in 1992, as part of the Unified Team. No athlete representing independent Turkmenistan has won an Olympic medal, making it the only ex-Soviet republic never to do so.
Turkmenistan – United States relations are bilateral relations between Turkmenistan and the United States.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Turkmenistan:
The Football Federation of Turkmenistan is the governing body of football in Turkmenistan.
Saparmurat Atayevich Niyazov, also known as Türkmenbaşy, was a Turkmen politician who ruled Turkmenistan from 1985 until his death in 2006. He was First Secretary of the Turkmen Communist Party from 1985 until 1991 and supported the 1991 Soviet coup d'état attempt. He continued to rule Turkmenistan for 15 years after independence from the Soviet Union in 1991.
The following is a list of official matches played by Turkmenistan national football team throughout its history.
In accordance with the law, citizens of all countries require a visa to visit Turkmenistan, unless they have special passports or are from certain parts of Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan. To obtain a tourist visa for Turkmenistan, all foreign nationals must supply an invitation letter issued by a travel agency licensed in Turkmenistan.
The Military ranks of Turkmenistan are the military insignia used by the Armed Forces of Turkmenistan. Being a former Soviet state, Turkmenistan shares a rank structure similar to that of Russia.
There are no confirmed cases of COVID-19 in Turkmenistan. The government has worked to control information about the virus, and experts suspect that it may be spreading in the country unreported.