Geography of Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is an inland country in Central Asia, bordered by the Caspian Sea to the west, Iran and Afghanistan to the south, Uzbekistan to the northeast, and Kazakhstan to the north. Since 1991, it is the southernmost republic of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS), which makes up 10 of the 15 former republics that formed the Soviet Union. In 2005, Turkmenistan left the group to become an associate member.

Relief

Turkmenistan is located for the most part in the Turan Depression (located between the Caspian Sea and the Aral Sea), and occupied almost entirely by the Karakum Desert and the Karabil Plateau. To the SW rise the massifs of the Great Balkhan (1880 m), the Little Balkhan (1006 m), and the Kopet-Dag mountain range, which separate it from Iran. To the NE and E penetrate the rocky ledges of the Ustyurt plateau, which it shares with Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.

The average altitude of the country is 100 to 220 m, with dune deserts to the south and the highest point on Mount Aýrybaba, 3,318 m, in the Köýtendag massif, an extension of the Altai Mountains, which belong to the Pamir mountain system, in the southwestern corner of the country. The lowest point is located at Lake Sarygamysh, the fluctuating level of which can drop above -100 m.

Hydrography

The main rivers are the Amu Daria, the Atrak and the Murgab. As for the Turkmen coast of the Caspian Sea, it is flat in its southern half and steep in the center and south. In the northern part there is the Krasnovodsk Bay, the peninsula of the same name and the Kara Bogaz Gol Gulf, occupied by a large salt water swamp. Between this gulf and the Caspian Sea is the small lake Sarygamysh, belonging to Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan. This lake in the Turan depression was once fed by the Amu Darya River, which also fed the Aral Sea.

The Karakum channel is one of the largest in the world. Started in 1954 and completed in 1988, it is navigable for 1,375 km and annually transports 11-13 km³ of water from the Amu Darya River to the Karakum Desert. It was built with the aim of irrigating large areas of cotton fields during the Soviet period, and supplying water to the city of Ashgabat, the country's capital. It starts near the Afghan border and ends in the Caspian Sea, near the city of Turkmenbashi. To regulate it, reservoirs such as Hanhowuz, also called Hauzhan, have been built along its course at kilometer 456 of the canal.

Climate

The climate is arid continental, with cold winters and torrid summers. The winds are warm and dry, and the greatest amount of precipitation occurs between January and May. The annual rainfall in Turkmenistan is less than 200 mm. There are small areas of forest in the SW and SE highlands.

Most of the country is occupied by the Karakum Desert, where in summer it reaches 50. oC. The coast of the Caspian Sea is less warm, but more humid. Winters are cold in the north, and milder in the center and south. Without being as cold as other Central Asian countries, the January average drops to 0.oC in the north of the country, and remains at the 5.oC of minimum averages in the center and south. In summer, the daily average is 27/28.oC on the shores of the Caspian Sea, and exceeds 30.oC in the rest of the country.

In the south, there are the mountain ranges of Kopet Dag, where the capital, Ashgabat, is located, and, to the east, that of Köýtendag, where the highest altitude is Mount Aýrybaba, at 3,138 m. None stops the Siberian winds that can come from the north, between November and March.

In Ashgabat, surrounded by mountains that can reach 3000 m and where it barely snows due to the aridity, about 220 mm of rain falls annually, distributed between November and March and with hardly any precipitation between June and October. The average for January is 4.oC, with minimums and maximums of 0 and 9. oC, although Siberian cold waves can cause them to drop to -10/-15. oC. In summer, in July, temperatures range between 24 and 38.oC minimum and maximum temperatures averages, with peaks of 40-42.oC.

On the coast of the Caspian Sea, in Turkmenbashi, further north, in January they range between 0 and 8.oC, and in July and August, between 22 and 35.o c. Here, the climate is desert, with 125 mm of annual rainfall, and only 35 days with precipitation, almost all of them in winter.

In the far north, in Daşoguz, with about 100 mm of precipitation, January temperatures range between -8.oC for minimums and 1.oC for maximums, with cold waves of -20/-25.oC, and in July, between 21. oC of minimum and 36.oC of maximums.

Protected areas of Turkmenistan

In Turkmenistan there are 32 protected areas that occupy an area of 15,336 km², 3.25% of the territory, in addition to 2,332 km² of marine areas, 3% of the 77,885 km² that belong to the country. There are 8 state nature reserves, 3 zakáznik, 9 zapovednik and 10 nature sanctuaries or partial reserves. A zakáznik is a type of protected area where certain economic activities, such as logging, mining or grazing, have been limited. A zapovednik is an area protected due to its relevance as a collective memory of society in the area of influence of the Soviet Union.

Limits

• North: Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan.
• South: Iran and Afghanistan.
• This: Uzbekistan and Afghanistan.
• West: Caspian Sea.

Basic data

• Extension: 488,000 km2
• Maximum height: Gora Ayribaba (3,139 meters).
• Main climates: desert, high mountain and semi-arid.