Turkmenistan

American  

[turk-me-nuh-stan, -stahn] / ˌtɜrk mɛ nəˈstæn, -ˈstɑn /

noun

1. a republic in central in Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, Iran, and Afghanistan. 188,417 sq. mi. (488,000 sq. km). Ashkhabad.

---

Turkmenistan British  

/ ˌtɜːkmɛnɪˈstɑːn /

noun

1. a republic in central Asia: the area has been occupied by a succession of empires; a Turkmen state was established in the 15th century but suffered almost continual civil strife and was gradually conquered by Russia; in 1918 it became a Soviet republic and gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991: deserts including the Kara Kum cover most of the region; agricultural communities are concentrated around oases; there are rich mineral deposits. Official language: Turkmen. Religion: believers are mainly Muslim. Currency: manat. Capital: Ashkhabad. Pop: 5 113 040 (2013 est). Area: 488 100 sq km (186 400 sq miles)

---

Turkmenistan Cultural  

1. Republic in west-central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, by Uzbekistan to the north and northwest, by Afghanistan and Iran to the south, and by the Caspian Sea to the west. Its capital and largest city is Ashkhabad.

---

Discover More

This former member of the Soviet Union declared its independence in 1991.

Example Sentences

Just over the border from Iran, in the Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat, pensioner Shemshat Kurbanova is used to buying Iranian juices and fruits.

From Barron's • Mar. 20, 2026

“The Happy Dictator,” released as the lead single in September, parodies megalomaniac Saparmurat Niyazov’s approach to governing in Turkmenistan.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 27, 2026

"There was an incident last October involving twin brothers from Turkmenistan," she says.

From BBC • Jan. 29, 2026

Takaichi is meeting with counterparts from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan during a two-day conference in Tokyo, a month after US President Donald Trump hosted all five in Washington.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes to break Russia's pipeline monopoly.

From The 2008 CIA World Factbook by United States. Central Intelligence Agency