Turkmenistan (/tɜːrkˈmɛnɪstæn/ (listen) or /ˌtɜːrkmɛnɪˈstɑːn/ (listen); Turkmen: Türkmenistan, pronounced is a landlocked country in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north, east and northeast, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest and the Caspian Sea to the west.Ashgabat is the capital and largest city. It is one of the six independent Turkic states. The population is about six million, the lowest of the Central Asian republics, and Turkmenistan is one of the most sparsely populated nations in Asia.Turkmenistan has long served as a thoroughfare for several empires and cultures. Merv is one of the oldest oasis-cities in Central Asia, and was once among the biggest cities in the world. It was also one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Turkmenistan possesses the world’s fifth largest reserves of natural gas. Most of the country is covered by the Karakum Desert.
