In 1924, the Turkmen S.S.R. Although totally unprepared for the event, Niyazov was forced to declare independence for Turkmenistan on 27 October 1991. Turkmenistan: A Rich, Desert Land Turkmenistan consists mostly of sparsely-inhabited desert, but has still found itself contested between civilizations throughout history. The nation then opened a pipeline route to Iran, generally agreed to be the most economical route for exporting Caspian oil, and thus ruffled the feathers of Iran's enemy, the U.S. Transportation: Railways: total: 2,980 km (2008). Around the time of Christ, the Parthians, Rome’s main rivals for power in the West, set up a capital at Nissa, near present-day Ashgabat. Since its independence in 1991 it has been known for … Over the past century, it has been particularly associated with oppressive rule. International disputes: Cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005, but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran, and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate the sea's waters and seabed; bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian. Seven other members of his party also ran in the election. Alexander the Great established a city here on his way to India. I want emails from Lonely Planet with travel and product information, promotions, advertisements, third-party offers, and surveys. Turkmenistan's recorded history starts around 500 B.C., with its conquest by the Achaemenid Empire. The brand of Islam practiced in Turkmenistan and other Central Asian states have always been leavened with pre-Islamic shamanist beliefs. The horse-centered herding culture that dominated the region until the Soviet Era developed at this time, as an adaptation to the harsh landscape. Televisions: 820,000 (1997). Inflamed by Soviet attempts to settle the tribes and collectivise farming, Turkmen resistance continued and a guerrilla war raged until 1936. On Sept. 26, 2008, after two decades of isolation under autocratic leader Saparmurat Niyazov, Turkmenistan adopted a new constitution that abolished the exsisting People's Council and called for a new parliament (the Mejlis, or Assembly) almost double in size, promoting multi-party politics and a market economy. Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea to the west, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan to the north, Afghanistan to the southeast, and Iran to the south. ): 5,171,943 (growth rate: 1.14%); birth rate: 19.46/1000; infant mortality rate: 38.13/1000; life expectancy: 69.47; density per sq mi: 27.1, Capital and largest city (2012 est. The current president is Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow. Mosques were torn down or converted, the teaching of the Arabic language outlawed, and mullahs were killed or driven underground. They lost their dual Russian/Turkmen citizenship in 2003, and cannot legally work in Turkmenistan. Infoplease is part of the FEN Learning family of educational and reference sites for parents, teachers and students. Radio broadcast stations: broadcast media is government controlled and censored; 7 state-owned TV and 4 state-owned radio networks; satellite dishes and programming provide an alternative to the state-run media; officials sometimes limit access to satellite TV by removing satellite dishes (2007).