Turkmenistan (also known as Turkmenia or Turkmania) is a country in Central Asia. The name It was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, called the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the South-East, Iran to the South-West, Uzbekistan to the North-East, Kazakhstan to the North-West, and the Caspian Sea to the West. Although the country is wealthy in natural resources in certain areas, most of it is covered by the Karakum (Black Sands) Desert. Turkmenistan is also under the rule of one of the world's most autocratic and repressive dictatorships. Capital - Ashgabat. Population - 4,833,000.
