People often say that Turkmenistan is the Central Asian version of "North Korea", which means that the country is also relatively closed and mysterious, and the degree of openness to the outside world is not high. The closure is true, but unlike North Korea, Turkmenistan has been building and has made rapid progress, quietly becoming the richest country in Central Asia at per capita level. Read it carefully and you will find that Turkmenistan is truly a magical country.
Turkmenistan has a population of 5.62 million, the second largest of the Central Asian states and the least populous.
Turkmenistan has 1,768 km of "coastline", but it is a completely landlocked country, because it is the Caspian Sea. Transport from a Chinese coastal port to Turkmenistan must be transported by land via the Iranian port of Abbas and then to Turkmenistan. If it is purely land transported, it can be transported by car through the China-Europe express train or at the western port of the mainland.
Turkmenistan is the most mysterious in Central Asia, positioned as a permanently neutral country, which is recognized by the international community, so they do not participate in any political or military organization. It can be seen that in the SCO, there is no Turkmenistan in Central Asia.
Turkmenistan's determination to neutrality is very strong, the national flag is marked with an olive branch, the constitution is clearly written, and the national anthem is a neutral and independent song. Neutral squares and neutral gates have also been established in the capital. Unfortunately, the credibility of permanent neutrality has become an international joke with the defection of Finland and Sweden.
In the impression, it seems that none of the Central Asian countries are rich. In fact, today's economic situation is that Central Asia is polarized. Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan are rich, while the other three are very poor, the poorest is Tajikistan, with a per capita GDP of only $878 in 2021. That is to say, this per capita level is placed in Africa, and it must also be ranked at the bottom.
Kazakhstan has always been the leader of Central Asia, and Turkmenistan is a low-key boring head to engage in construction, just in the 2021 per capita GDP list, Turkmenistan (10311 US dollars, the world's 66th) per capita level, has surpassed Kazakhstan (9977 US dollars, the world's 69th), becoming the richest country in Central Asia. In 2020, Kazakhstan is still leading, of course, in terms of total, Kazakhstan's strength is far superior.
After the five Central Asian countries have experienced ethnic divisions, the majority ethnic group (Turkmen) in Turkmenistan accounts for nearly 95%, which is the highest. Kazakhstan must be very envious of this, to know that Kazakhstan, after years of development, the proportion of the main ethnic group is only 68%, and there are 20% of the Russian ethnic group. It is said that Kazakhstan's move to central Nur-Sultan has also aimed to strengthen its control over the ethnic Russian territory in the north of the country. Change to Turkmenistan, 95% of the main body! There is no such annoyance at all.
Turkmenistan also has troubles, that is, the population of more than five million is a little less. Their country once had protective provisions, that is, the rules on foreign-related marriages were very strict, and if a foreign man wanted to marry a Turkmen woman, he had to pay $50,000 insurance to the insurance company in Turkmenistan. This rule is not so much strict as it is a disguised ban on foreign marriages by domestic women. It can also be seen from this that Turkmenistan attaches great importance to the demographic aspect.
Now you need not worry, because the above-mentioned payment of 50,000 US dollars has now been abolished, and Turkmenistan has relaxed the rules on foreign-related marriages and changed it to the requirement to live in Turkmenistan for one year.
Turkmenistan is rich in oil and gas resources and has developed into a pillar industry of the economy, which is completely self-sufficient.
Do you know the "Gates of Hell" in Turkmenistan? A deep pit, where flames burn all year round without being extinguished, is now a frequent filming spot for tourists. In fact, this is the pit that was accidentally dug during the exploration, and the secret of the flame is not extinguished from the natural gas stored underground.
You may not believe that in Turkmenistan, electricity and gas are free for ordinary residents. Turkmenistan's energy abundance is reflected in the livelihood of its citizens, which has a high national happiness index. Turkmenistan's electricity is also being exported to neighboring countries such as Iran, Afghanistan, and its Central Asian neighbors.
The Turkmen are best at weaving carpets, and if you look at their flags, you will find that the pattern on them is actually the pattern of the carpet. Iran, which has Persian carpets as a national treasure, has not yet done so. This shows Turkmenistan's love of carpets. It is reported that 90% of the textile enterprises in Turkmenistan are used for export.
Ashgabat is the capital of Turkmenistan and a city that has endured catastrophe. The 1948 earthquake killed 160,000 people and almost completely destroyed cities. The current urban area was rebuilt after the earthquake, and there is an earthquake monument in the downtown square.
In fact, most of the capitals of several Central Asian countries have had major earthquakes, and others have caused major casualties in Almaty and Tashkent.