E
conomy of the Country|
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Turkmenistan has substantial energy resources, including natural gas and oil, and it is the fourth largest natural gas producer in the world. Oil and gas products make up 70% of the exports. The economy is, however, predominantly agricultural and the country is among the top 10 cotton producers in the world. Other major crops include grains, vegetables and fruits.
One of the poorest republics of the former USSR, Turkmenistan had experienced considerable economic decline before collapse of the USSR in December 1991.
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ndustryIndustry is one of the foundations of Turkmenistan, with more than 900 industrial enterprises. Since independence the proportion of industrial activity in the economy has significantly increased (70 percent in 1993). The major amount of industrial production (58 percent) belongs to the fuel and energy sector. The basic industries are oil and gas producting and refining, gas, chemical, machine manufacturing, building materials, mineral extraction, fertilizers and power generation.
Oil fields and the associated oil industry are centered in the Caspian plain in the Western Turkmenistan and offshore oil fields to the west of the Cheleken Peninsula in the Caspian Sea. Turkmen oil is of a very high grade, both as fuel and as chemical raw material. A network of oil pipelines links gas deposits in Western Turkmenistan with Turkmenbashy, Cheleken and abroad.
The biggest enterprises in the chemical industry are Chardjou chemical plant, mirabilite from the vicinity of the Kara-Bogaz-Gol, sulfur from Gaurdak, chemical plant on Cheleken Peninsula and iodine factory in Nebitdag.
Turkmenistan has gas-fired thermal power stations in Nebitdag, Ashgabat, Buzmeyn, Turkmenbashy, Seyidi and Mary. The Mary power plant is the largest in Central Asia, with a design capacity of 1,200 MW, and the electricity produced is also exported to Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Afghanistan. There is a hydropower station, the Hindu-Kush plant, on Murgab River.
The most important branches of the food industry are vegetable oil, fish, meat, flour production and wine making. The country exports oil, butter, wine, fish, and salt to other parts of the former Soviet Union and other countries of the world.
The growing of cotton and raising of Karakul sheep, horses, and camels are the most important branches of agriculture. Turkmenistan is the largest producer of fine-staple cotton among the former Soviet Union countries.
Kenaf is a new industrial crop, and sesame is important among oil-bearing plants. Wheat and the main grain crops; areas under millet and rice are as yet insignificant. Fodder crops (corn , alfalfa, and others) occupy one-sixth of the sown area. Turkmen melons have long been famous long ago, and the turkmen grapes are also well known.
The country produces Karakul pelts, including black arabi, golden sur, and silver-gray shirazi, very beautiful, durable, and in great demand in the world market; indeed, Karakul sheep account for more than 70% of all sheep in the state.
Over the centuries, Turkmans have also evolved the horses of the Akhal Tekke and Yomut breeds, value for their physical endurance, speed, and beauty. Arabian camels are used as a means of transport for sheep headers, for getting water from desert wells, and as a source of meat, wool, and milk are also traditional Turkmen livestock. Turkmenistan is the leader among the countries with transition economy in the production of silkworm cocoons.
Turkmenistan possesses a developed transportation network. The total length of railway is 2,120 kilometers. The main rail line, Turkmenbashy-Charjou-Kungrad, connects Turkmenistan with the countries of Europe. The railway from Mary through Gushgy and Bukhara to Kerkichi and Termez connects Turkmenistan with Afghanistan. Railroads currently under construction provide the shortest passage, through Iran, to the Persian Gulf and from there through Turkey to Europe for all countries of Central Asia and for China.
The total length of roads is 13,600 kilometers. The principal road that runs from Turkmenbashy to Ashgabat to Charjou traverses all the settled territory of Turkmenistan, connecting the western and eastern regions of the country.
There is a merchant fleet. The Turkmenbashy - Baku ferry provides a 336 kilometers and Turkmenbashy - Astrakhan a 941 kilometers link across the Caspian Sea; the electrically powered ferries are each capable of handling a freight train. The Turkmenbashy sea port is the biggest on the eastern shore of the Caspian sea and provides sea and river links with Mediterranean and Baltic ports. It is the main port of Central Asia. River transport, in seasonal operation on the Amu Darya and the Karakum Canal, is of local importance.
The long distance air transportation provided by the national airline connects the country with the capitals and major cities of the CIS countries. In 1994, an international air terminal complex was opened and it has become a crossroad of Europe and Asia. This will promote the development of transit flights through the airport of Turkmenistan's capital city, that is situated advantageously at the junction of south east Asia and Europe. The geographic extent of Turkmenistan's air links will be expanded with the introduction of such international flights as Sctutgart (Germany)-Ashgabat-Bangkok (Thailand) and Ashgabat-Urumchi (China). Currently, airlines operate between Turkmenistan and Iran, Pakistan, India, Great Britain, Turkey, Germany and OAE.
S
ources of Information:|
D ata of the Research and Production Center of Ecological Monitoring of the Ministry of the Use of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan.H uman Development. Turkmenistan. 1995, 1996, 1997. |
