Türkmenabat (Cyrillic Turkmen: Түркменабат; formerly Chardzhou, also spelled as Chardjui, Charjou, Chardzhev, Charjev, Chärjew or Charjew; Cyrillic Turkmen: Чәрҗев; Russian: Чарджоу) is a town in Turkmenistan, capital of the Lebap Province. As of 1999, it had a population of approximately 203,000 people (up from 161,000 in the 1989 census).

The name Chardjui is Persian (چهارجوی) and means “Four streams”.

Daşoguz (Daszoguz, formerly Taszauz, Turkmen. Daşoguz / Дашогуз) – a town in northern Turkmenistan near the border with Uzbekistan. It is situated on the lowlands Turańskiej in the area of so-called. Oasis Chorezmijskiej at a height of 88 meters It is located at a distance of about 460 km north of the capital of the country – Aszchabadu. Geographical coordinates: [Show location on interactive map] 41 ° 51 ‘N, 59 ° 58′ E. Population: 141.8 thousand. (1995). Daşoguz is the third of the population in terms of city land. It is the administrative center wilajetu daszoguskiego.

Taszauz was founded at the end of the nineteenth century as a fortress chiwańska on the border with Turkmenistan. In 1873 Russia went into administration. In the years 1920-1924 included in the People’s Republic Soviet Chorezmijskiej. In 1924 near the old settlement founded a new city, which developed rapidly after the construction of a railway line Kungrad-Türkmenabat. Developed here, the food, cotton and machinery. The city has an airport.

The city is located near the city Köneürgenç entered on the UNESCO list of world heritage.

At 188,457 mi² (488,100 km²), Turkmenistan is the world’s 52nd-largest country. It is slightly smaller than Spain, and somewhat larger than the US state of California.

Over 80% of the country is covered by the Karakum Desert. The center of the country is dominated by the Turan Depression and the Karakum Desert. The Kopet Dag Range, along the southwestern border, reaches 2,912 meters (9,553 ft). The Turkmen Balkan Mountains in the far west and the Kugitang Range in the far east are the only other significant elevations. Rivers include the Amu Darya, the Murghab, and the Tejen.

The climate mostly consists of an arid subtropical desert, with little rainfall. Winters are mild and dry, with most precipitation falling between January and May. The area of the country with the heaviest precipitation is the Kopet Dag range.

The Turkmen shore along the Caspian Sea is 1768 km long. The Caspian Sea is entirely landlocked, with no access to the ocean.

The major cities include Ashgabat, Türkmenbaşy (formerly Krasnovodsk) and Daşoguz.

The politics of Turkmenistan take place in the framework of a presidential republic, with the President both head of state and head of government. Turkmenistan has a single-party system.

After 69 years as part of the Soviet Union (including 67 years as a union republic), Turkmenistan declared its independence on October 27, 1991.

President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov, a former bureaucrat of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, ruled Turkmenistan from 1985, when he became head of the Communist Party of the Turkmen SSR, until his death in 2006. He retained absolute control over the country after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. On December 28, 1999, Niyazov was declared President for Life of Turkmenistan by the Mejlis (parliament), which itself had taken office a week earlier in elections that included only candidates hand-picked by President Niyazov. No opposition candidates were allowed.

The current President of Turkmenistan is Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow, who took control following Niyazov’s 2006 death.

The former Communist Party, now known as the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan, is the only one legally-permitted to operate. Political gatherings are illegal unless government sanctioned.

As summers are ferociously hot and winters bitterly cold, spring (April to June) and autumn (September to November) are the best seasons to visit Turkmenistan. In April the desert blooms briefly and the monotonous ochre landscapes explode in reds, oranges and yellows. Autumn is harvest time, when market tables heave with freshly picked fruit. If you do decide to battle the winter, be aware that many domestic flights are grounded and finding food can be a problem since lots of eateries close for the season.

Ashgabat (Aşgabat in Turkmen) is the capital and largest city of Turkmenistan, a country in Central Asia. It has a population of 695,300 (2001 census estimate) and is situated between the Kara Kum desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range. Ashgabat has a primarily Turkmen population, with minorities of ethnic Russians, Armenians, and Azeris. It is 250 km from the second largest city in Iran, Mashhad.

Turkmenistan (Turkmen: Türkmenistan; also known as Turkmenia) is a Turkic country in Central Asia. The name Turkmenistan is derived from Persian, meaning “land of the Turkmen”. The name of its capital, Ashgabat, derived from Persian as well, loosely translating as “the city of love”. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the southwest, Uzbekistan to the northeast, Kazakhstan to the northwest, and the Caspian Sea to the west. According to CIA World Factbook 2006 figures, Turkmenistan ranks 5th in the world for GDP growth rate. Although it is wealthy in natural resources in certain areas, most of the country is covered by the Karakum (Black Sands) Desert. It has a single-party system, and was ruled by President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov until 21 December 2006, when he died. Presidential elections were held on 11 February 2007. Gurbanguly Berdimuhammedow was declared the winner with 89% of the vote. He was sworn in on 14 February 2007.