Short facts about the geography of Turkmenistan

Location:

Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan

Geographic coordinates:

40 00 N, 60 00 E

Map references:

Commonwealth of Independent States

Area:

total:  488,100 sq km land:  488,100 sq km water:  0 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)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

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 -81.00 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% permanent crops:  0% permanent pastures:  63% forests and woodland:  8% other:  26% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land:

13,000 sq km (1993 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

Source: World Factbook