(2001 est. pop. 4.6 million). The Republic of Turkmenistan is located in southwest Central Asia. The nation shares an eastern border with Afghanistan, a northern border with Uzbekistan, a northwestern border with Kazakhstan, a southern border with...

Dress in Turkmenistan developed as a part of Central Asian costume, and the styles and design of clothing were similar to those in Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Until the 1880s, traditional clothing had the same basic form—a long, loose, simple...

Turkmenistan Turkmenistan, situated in Central Asia, is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, and Iran to the south. Turkmenistan is landlocked but borders the Caspian Sea. Its area is 488,100...

Situated mainly in southeastern Turkmenistan, the Garabil (also spelled Karabil) plateau is a geological curiosity whose deposits of rock salt are among the largest in the world. The plateau marks the end of the sandy Turkmen Karakum Desert, between...

Turkmenistan (Turkmen Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. The name Turkmenistan is derived from Persian, meaning "land of the Turkmen". The name of its capital, Ashgabat, derived from Persian as well, loosely...

Tens of thousands of people on Friday marked the first anniversary of the death of longtime President Saparmurat Niyazov, laying flowers at monuments to the autocratic leader and streaming to his mausoleum.Niyazov, who crushed dissent in more than two decades at the helm of the...

Turkmenistan's top legislative body on Tuesday set Feb. 11 as the date for elections to replace longtime authoritarian leader Saparmurat Niyazov, who died last week.The date was set by the country's People's Council, some 2,500 deputies who were either elected or appointed. The council also...

A theme park designed by Turkmenistan's eccentric dictator as a national version of Disneyland has opened in the ex-Soviet nation's capital. The $50 million recreation complex, based on Turkmen folk art and fairy tales, occupies 81 acres and consists of...

Turkmenistan's presidential elections next month will be monitored by domestic observers, with no foreign presence expected at the polls, authorities said Wednesday.The announcement is likely to heighten doubts about the democratic nature of the Feb. 11 election, which is being held after last month's death...