Turkmenistan (/tɜːrkˈmɛnɪstæn/ (audio speaker iconlisten) or /ˌtɜːrkmɛnɪˈstɑːn/ (audio speaker iconlisten); Turkmen: Türkmenistan, pronounced [tʏɾkmønʏˈθːɑːn][11]), also known as Turkmenia, is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west. Ashgabat is the capital and largest city of the country. The population of the country is about 6 million, the lowest of the Central Asian republics. Turkmenistan is one of the most sparsely populated nations in Asia. Citizens of Turkmenistan are known as Turkmenistanis (where citizenship and not ethnicity is emphasized),[4] Turkmenians[12] or Turkmens.[5]

The area currently known as Turkmenistan has long served as a thoroughfare for many other nations and cultures.[13] Merv is one of the oldest oasis-cities in Central Asia[14] and was once the biggest city in the world.[15] In medieval times, Merv was also one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by the Russian Empire in 1881, Turkmenistan later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia. In 1925, Turkmenistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR); it became independent after the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.[4]

Turkmenistan possesses the world's fourth largest reserves of natural gas.[16] Most of the country is covered by the Karakum or Black Sand Desert. From 1993 to 2017, citizens received government-provided electricity, water and natural gas free of charge.[17]

The country is widely criticized for its poor human rights.[18][19] Notable issues were its treatment of minorities, press freedoms, and religious freedoms. After its independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, the sovereign state of Turkmenistan has been ruled by two repressive totalitarian regimes. It was ruled by President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov (also known as Türkmenbaşy or "Head of the Turkmens") until his death in 2006. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow became president in 2007 after winning a non-democratic election (he had been vice-president and then acting president previously). The use of the death penalty was formally abolished in the 2008 constitution.[20][21]