40 00 N, 60 00 E

Map references:

Asia

Area:

total: 488,100 sq km land: 488,100 sq km water: NEGL

Area - comparative:

slightly larger than California

Land boundaries:

total: 3,736 km border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km

Coastline:

0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)

Maritime claims:

none (landlocked)

Climate:

subtropical desert

Terrain:

flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m) highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt

Land use:

arable land: 4.51% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 95.35% (2005)

Irrigated land:

18,000 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources:

60.9 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 24.65 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%) per capita: 5,104 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards: