General Information

Country: Republic of Turkmenistan

Population: 5 million (UN, 2007)

Capital: Ashgabat

Ethnic groups: Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)

Language: Turkmen, Russian

Currency: Turkmen manat = 100 tenge

Area: 488,100 sq km (188,456 sq miles)

Major religion: Islam

Main exports: Oil, gas, textiles, raw cotton

International dialing code: +993

Turkmenistan remains the least explored country along the Silk Road. With four-fifths of the country covered by the harsh Karakum desert, tourism has been relatively underdeveloped.

Turkmenistan is a bizaare and truly fascinating country with something for everyone - dinosaur footprints, the archaeological ruins of Merv and Gonur Tepe and the surreal architecture of the capital city, Ashgabat.

The capital, Ashgabat or ‘city of love’, is a unique city. It replaced the one founded in 1881, which was destroyed in an earthquake in 1948. Mary, due east of Ashgabat, is Turkmenistan's second city and lies near the remains of Merv, once the second city of Islam until Ghengis Khan's son Toloi reduced it to rubble in 1221.

The real treat of the country is the people, whose untiring hospitality borders on the compulsive. It's hard to get used to the custom of shaking hands with random people passing on the street, but by the end of the trip it's almost second nature.