Turkmenistan

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Turkmenistan

News: Recently, Turkmenistan inaugurated Arkadag, a $5 billion 'smart city'. The city is built in honour of former strongman leader Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov.

About Turkmenistan:
• Turkmenistan is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran and the Caspian Sea.
• It is the second largest state in Central Asia, after Kazakhstan, and has a population of about six million people.
• Turkmenistan became independent from the Soviet Union in 1991. It is a presidential republic with a totalitarian hereditary dictatorship.

What are important physical features in Turkmenistan?
• The Kara-Kum Desert, which covers 80 percent of the country and is one of the largest and driest deserts in the world.
• The Kopet-Dag Range, which forms the border with Iran and is part of the larger Alborz Mountains. It has steep slopes, deep valleys, rocky plateaus and fertile foothills.
• The Caspian Sea, which is the largest inland body of water in the world and lies to the west of Turkmenistan.
• The Amu Darya River, which is the longest river in Central Asia and forms part of the border with Uzbekistan and Afghanistan. It originates from the Pamir Mountains and flows into the Aral Sea.
• Some of its famous landmarks include the Darvaza gas crater (also known as the Door to Hell), the ancient city of Merv, the Turkmenbashi Ruhy Mosque and the Monument of Neutrality.