Location Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan

Geographic coordinates 40 00 N, 60 00 E

Map references Asia

Area
total: 488,100 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 488,100 sq km

Area - comparative slightly larger than California

Land boundaries
total: 3,736 km
border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km

Coastline 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)

Maritime claims none (landlocked)

Climate subtropical desert

Terrain flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west

Elevation extremes
lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m)
highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m

Natural resources petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt

Land use
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 96% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land 18,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards NA

Environment - current issues contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification

Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note landlocked; the western and central low-lying, desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau

NOTE: The information regarding Turkmenistan on this page is re-published from the 2002 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Turkmenistan Geography 2002 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Turkmenistan Geography 2002 should be addressed to the CIA.