ABSTRACT
Turkmenistan is one of the five predominantly Muslim constituent republics of the former Soviet Union. Turkmenistan has a long history of human habitation. The Kopet-Dag Mountains stretch along the southern periphery of Turkmenistan and form the border with Iran and Afghanistan. Although Turkmenistan is mainly desert, the country’s physical environment is characterized by several important water resources. The chief physical constraint to development for Turkmenistan is aridity. Cyclical long-term fluctuations in the Caspian Sea level pose problems for development along that water body in western Turkmenistan. Turkmenistan has considerable resource potential. Turkmenistan faces a variety of environmental/ resource management problems. For Turkmenistan as a whole, water pollution and air pollution are less serious than in most former Soviet republics because of a low level of industrialization, small number of vehicles, and low population density. Population growth and the related question of human health are formidable problems for Turkmenistan.
