TV-4 Turkmenistan Channel
Topic: Turkmenistan Information
New TV-4 Turkmenistan channel broadcasts news and information on politics, economy and business, culture and traditions, history and modern life of Turkmenistan 24 hours a day and 7 days a week in the following languages: Turkmen, English, Russian, Farsi, French, Arab and Chinese.

Here you will find satellite, frequency and other information on this channel.

Karakum Desert
Topic: Turkmenistan Information
The Karakum Desert, also spelled Kara-Kum and Gara Gum (“Black Sand”) (Turkmen: Garagum, Russian: Karakumy) is a desert in Central Asia. It occupies about 70 percent, or 350,000 km?, of the area of Turkmenistan. The population is sparse, with an average of one person per 2.5 sq miles.

Location

It lies east of the Caspian Sea, with the Aral Sea to the north and the Amu Darya river and Qyzyl-Qum desert to the northeast.

Hydrography

The Murghab and Tejen rivers flow out of the Hindu Kush Mountains to the south and empty into the desert, providing water for irrigation.

The desert is crossed by the largest irrigation canal in the world, the Qara-Qum Canal. The canal was started in 1954, is 1,375 km in length, and carries 13 km? of water annually. Unfortunately, leakages from the canal have created lakes and ponds along the canal and the rise in groundwater has caused widespread salinization.

Economy and resources

The oases of Mary and Tejen are noted for cotton growing.

The area has significant oil and natural gas deposits.

Transportation

The desert is crossed by the Trans-Caspian railway.


Wikipedia

Magtymguly Pyragy
Topic: Turkmenistan Information
Magtymguly Pyragy (1733-1783) was a Turkmen spiritual leader and philosophical poet whose efforts to secure independence and autonomy for his people in the 18th century figured prominently in the Ruhnama.

Education and Early Life

Pyragy was born in the Haji Qushan village near Gonbad Kavus city in the Iranian province of Golestan. He received his early education in the Persian and Arabic languages from his father Dowletmammet Azady, a leading scholar at that time. He went on to study and write poetry, developing a realistic style of writing about 18th century Turkmen that proved very popular and ultimately led to him becoming one of the most cherished Turkmen poets of all time. He was also a devout Sufist who was said to have travelled throughout all the lands comprising modern Turkmenistan, teaching and praying for the salvation of his people. Pyragy is burried in Aqtuqay village in north-western Iran. Iranian government has inaugurated a beautiful mausoleum on his grave.

Political Ideals

Along with Gorkut Ata and Oguz Han, he promoted the idea of keeping the Turkmen way sacred, as well as maintaining the unity and integrity of the Turkmen nation. During his lifetime, his efforts had minimal success overcoming the existing tribal loyalties and rivalries, and it wasn't until 1991 that a completely independent state was established (see History of Turkmenistan).

Quotation

"Know that what I built,
Is the peg of this world.
Forever it will stay independent,
This is the edifice of the T?rkmen."

Wikipedia

General Information on Turkmenistan
Topic: Turkmenistan Information


Area: 488,100 sq km

Location: Central Asia. Turkmenistan is bordered by the Caspian Sea to the west, Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the east, and Iran and Afghanistan to the south.

Territories: Five administrative territorial provinces, or velayat:
Akhal, Balkan, Dashkhovuz, Lebap, and Mary

Terrain: Flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south. The Kara Kum desert comprises 80 percent of Turkmenistan's total area and is bound by a series of oases watered by the Amu Darya River in the north and by the Murgab, Tejen, and Artek rivers descending from mountains in the south. The Kara Kum Canal supplies water from the Amu Darya, west towards the Mary Oasis and onwards to Ashgabat.

Mountains: Kopetdag (highest point 2919 meters or 10,508 feet) located along the Iranian border in the south; Bolshoi (1880 meters or 6768 feet) and Maley Balkan (777 meters or 2797 feet) are located to the north-west of Kopetdag; Koitendag Peak (3137 meters or 11,293 feet) is located in the east on the border with Uzbekistan; Garabil and Badkhyz peaks are located in the south-east (slightly under 1000 meters or 3.600 feet in height)

Climate: Subtropical desert

Official Language: Turkmen. Russian is also widely spoken.

Religion: Sunni Muslim

Legal System: Based on civil law system

National Legislature: The Khalk Maslakhaty (People's Council) is the ultimate representative body, which meets once a year. The Mejlis (National Assembly) is the main legislature.

National government: Cabinet of Ministers, chaired by the President.

Electoral Suffrage: 18 years of age

Literacy: 98% over age 15

Education: Compulsory until age 14

Raw materials: oil, natural gas, coal, precious non-ferrous and rare metals, celestine, sulfur, bentonite and kaolin clays, iodine, bromine, potassium and common salts, marble onyx, various construction materials, fresh subsoil, mineral waters

Main exports: natural gas, oil, cotton, sulfur, hand-made carpets

Major Crops: cotton, wheat, melons

Currency: 1 manat = 100 tenne

Source: www.turkmenistanembassy.org