Turkmenistan 🇹🇲
Turkmenistan is a country in Asia with a population of 6,430,770. Its capital is Ashgabat. The official currency is TMT, and the main languages are Turkmen.
Quick facts
- Capital: Ashgabat
- Continent: Asia
- Population: 6,430,770
- Area: 488,100 km²
- Density: 13.2 people per km²
- Currency: TMT
- Languages: Turkmen
- ISO code: TM
Where Turkmenistan sits
Turkmenistan 🇹🇲 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Ashgabat. It covers 488,100 square kilometres — 52nd in the world — and is home to about 6,430,770 people, 110th globally.
The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.
How Turkmenistan compares
Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Turkmenistan sits closest to El Salvador and Kyrgyzstan. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Cameroon and Spain.
At 13.2 people per square kilometre it is about 4.5 times below the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.
Turkmen is listed as official in Turkmenistan alone. The TMT is used by Turkmenistan and no one else.
To see Turkmenistan next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.
How to remember Turkmenistan
Ashgabat is often translated as 'city of love', and it is famous for its white marble buildings. The flag is the one with carpet patterns on it.
The flag of Turkmenistan: green, red and white
🇹🇲 The flag is a green flag with a red vertical stripe near the hoist showing five carpet patterns (guls), with olive branches below, and a white crescent and five white stars beside it. The five carpet patterns stand for the five main tribes, carpets being a famous Turkmen craft. The olive branches were added after the United Nations recognised Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality in 1995, and the five stars stand for the country's regions.
Region and neighbours
Turkmenistan is a country in Central Asia on the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, mostly covered by the Karakum Desert. It shares land borders with 4 countries: Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Iran. Turkmenistan is landlocked, with no coast on the open ocean.
- Kazakhstan 🇰🇿 — capital Astana
- Uzbekistan 🇺🇿 — capital Tashkent
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Iran 🇮🇷 — capital Tehran
Three facts about Turkmenistan
- The Karakum Desert covers most of Turkmenistan.
- The Darvaza gas crater, nicknamed the 'Door to Hell', has been burning in the desert since 1971.
- The ancient city of Merv, once a great stop on the Silk Road, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Sources: Wikipedia: Turkmenistan, Wikipedia: Flag of Turkmenistan, Wikipedia: Ashgabat, CIA World Factbook.
Quiz yourself on Turkmenistan
- Asian capitals quiz — match Turkmenistan to Ashgabat
- Asian flags quiz — spot the Turkmenistan flag among its neighbours
- Landlocked countries quiz — Turkmenistan has no sea coast
Quizzes that include Turkmenistan
Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Turkmenistan those are:
- Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
- Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
- Asia capitals quiz — match it to Ashgabat
- Turkmenistan capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Turkmenistan
- Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day
Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.
Read more about Turkmenistan
- Capital of Turkmenistan: Ashgabat — the capital in detail, with size and density rankings
- All 48 countries of Asia
Nearby countries
- Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
- Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
- Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
- Bahrain 🇧🇠— capital Manama
- Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
- Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
- Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
- Cambodia 🇰🇠— capital Phnom Penh
- China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
- Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
- India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
- Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta
Frequently asked questions
What are the colours of the Turkmenistan flag?
The flag of Turkmenistan is a green flag with a red vertical stripe near the hoist showing five carpet patterns (guls), with olive branches below, and a white crescent and five white stars beside it. The five carpet patterns stand for the five main tribes, carpets being a famous Turkmen craft. The olive branches were added after the United Nations recognised Turkmenistan's permanent neutrality in 1995, and the five stars stand for the country's regions.
Which countries border Turkmenistan?
Turkmenistan shares land borders with Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Afghanistan and Iran.
How can I remember the capital of Turkmenistan?
Ashgabat is often translated as 'city of love', and it is famous for its white marble buildings. The flag is the one with carpet patterns on it.