ABSTRACT

Turkmenistan is situated in the western part of central Asia, 35-43° north latitude and 53-67° east longitude. The elevation ranges between –110 and 2942 m. The country occupies an area of more than 488,000 km2. Its territory stretches 1,100 km from west to east and 650 km from north to south, bordering Kazakhstan in the north, Uzbekistan in the east and northeast, Iran in the south, and Afghanistan in the southeast. The Caspian Sea, a landlocked saltwater lake, forms Turkmenistan’s entire western border. The Akdzhakaya Depression, located in the north-central part of the country, is the lowest point in the republic at 110 m below sea level. The Karakum, one of the largest sand deserts in the world, covers 90% of the country, an area of 350,000 km2. It lies in the entire central part of the country at an elevation of 500 m. The Kopetdag Mountains fringe the Karakum Desert along the country’s southern border with Iran. The Lorne, Murgab, and Tecen rivers are located near the desert (Figure  8.1a and 8.1b). Along the mountain foothills is a belt of oases, which are fed by mountain streams. Turkmenistan oasis is to the east of the lake Karabog˘az along the River Amuderya, originating from the mountainous Pamirs region of Tajikistan in the east of Turkmenistan. It forms part of the country’s border with Uzbekistan. Amuderya and the Murgap are the two largest permanent rivers.