When did Turkmenistan exist?

Turkmenistan existed 1991–present. On this map it is drawn 1992–2024.

How large was Turkmenistan?

At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Turkmenistan covered about 466,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.

Central Asia · The Soviet century and after

Turkmenistan

1991–present

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Existed: 1991–present
Shown on the map: 1992–2024
Peak area: 466k km²
Region: Central Asia

Overview

Turkmenistan is a landlocked Central Asian country bordered by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Caspian Sea. Area 491,210 km² (over 80% Karakum Desert); population about 7.06 million (2022 census); capital Ashgabat. Turkmens form about 87% of the population; Islam (mostly Sunni) is professed by about 95%. The country holds the world's fifth-largest natural gas reserves.

Historical background

Inhabited in antiquity by Indo-Iranian peoples and annexed by the Achaemenid Empire, the region saw the rise of Merv — among the largest cities of the medieval Islamic world and a key Silk Road oasis. Turkic Oghuz tribes migrated in from the 8th century; the name "Turkmen" was applied from the 10th century to Islamized Oghuz groups under Seljuk dominion. Mongol conquest scattered the tribes; from the 16th century most Turkmen were nominally subject to the khanates of Khiva and Bukhara while remaining fiercely independent. Russian expansion culminated in the Battle of Geok Tepe (1881) and annexation into Russian Turkestan (Transcaspian Oblast). Turkmen joined the Basmachi revolt before Soviet rule was consolidated; the Turkmen SSR was formed in 1924. The 1948 Ashgabat earthquake killed over 110,000 people.

Independence and politics

Turkmenistan declared sovereignty in 1990 and independence on 27 October 1991. Saparmurat Niyazov, Communist Party first secretary since 1985, ruled until his death in December 2006 as "Türkmenbaşy" (Head of the Turkmens), developing an extreme personality cult, abolishing elections for the presidency (declared President for Life in 1999), and imposing idiosyncratic policies — closing rural libraries and hospitals outside Ashgabat, renaming months, and mandating his book the Ruhnama. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow won a non-democratic special election in 2007 and ruled until 2022, when his son Serdar Berdimuhamedow succeeded him, establishing a political dynasty; the father retains the title of "National Leader" and chairs the People's Council. Outside observers characterize the state as totalitarian or among the world's most repressive: no genuine opposition, draconian media and internet censorship, restrictions on foreign travel, and discrimination against ethnic and religious minorities.

Foreign relations

Turkmenistan's "permanent neutrality" was recognized by the UN in 1995; the country stays out of military alliances, avoiding the SCO and CSTO, while maintaining gas trade with China, Russia, and Iran and ties with 139 countries. It is a UN member and observer in the Organization of Turkic States.

Economy

Natural gas dominates exports, mainly via pipelines to China; from 1993 to 2019 citizens received free electricity, water, and gas. Nominal GDP was estimated at $89 billion (2025); agriculture centers on cotton. The "Gates of Hell" Darvaza gas crater is a noted landmark.

Common questions

What was Turkmenistan?: Turkmenistan is a landlocked Central Asian country bordered by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan, Iran, and the Caspian Sea. Area 491,210 km² (over 80% Karakum Desert); population about 7.06 million (2022 census); capital Ashgabat.
When did Turkmenistan exist?: Turkmenistan existed 1991–present. On this map it is drawn 1992–2024.
How large was Turkmenistan?: At its greatest extent drawn on this map, Turkmenistan covered about 466,000 km². That is the largest area the border data gives it across the years it is drawn, not necessarily its greatest extent in history.
Who ruled Turkmenistan?: Turkmenistan declared sovereignty in 1990 and independence on 27 October 1991. Saparmurat Niyazov, Communist Party first secretary since 1985, ruled until his death in December 2006 as "Türkmenbaşy" (Head of the Turkmens), developing an extreme personality cult, abolishing elections for the presidency (declared President for Life in 1999), and imposing idiosyncratic policies — closing rural libraries and hospitals outside Ashgabat, renaming months, and mandating his book the Ruhnama.
What did the economy and culture of Turkmenistan rest on?: Turkmenistan's "permanent neutrality" was recognized by the UN in 1995; the country stays out of military alliances, avoiding the SCO and CSTO, while maintaining gas trade with China, Russia, and Iran and ties with 139 countries. It is a UN member and observer in the Organization of Turkic States.

Sources

Every source below was consulted while writing this entry.

Wikipedia: Turkmenistan en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turkmenistan

This entry was written from the sources above and last updated 27 September 2026.

This entry was researched and drafted with AI from the sources above, and has not been reviewed by a historian. How entries are made

Text available under CC BY-SA 4.0: reuse it with a credit to The World Through Time and a link to this page. Passages drawing on the Wikipedia articles listed above are also licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 by their contributors.

Border geometry for the map itself comes from Cliopatria v0.12 (Seshat Global History Databank, CC-BY-4.0).

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