Page 66 - The Stans of Central Asia: Turkmenistan & Uzbekistan

throughout the USSR under the reign of Mikhail Gorbachev. Although the Turkmen SSR was
slow to adopt Gorbachev’s political and economic reforms, they eventually followed the lead of
other, more progressive Soviet states, and declared independence on October 27, 1991.

Post-Soviet Turkmenistan

;]TZ] _Z RLTYTYR ZʯNTLW TYOP[PYOPYNP Q]ZX _SP @>>= ?`]VXPYT^_LY P^_LMWT^SPO _SP ZʯNP ZQ
[]P^TOPY_ TY $$ & >L[L]X`]L_ 9TdLeZa bL^ PWPN_PO _Z _SP [Z^T_TZY 9TdLeZa SLO LW]PLOd ^P]aPO
ZʯNP TY ?`]VXPYT^_LY ^TYNP $# L^ _SP 1T]^_ >PN]P_L]d ZQ _SP ?`]VXPY .ZXX`YT^_ ;L]_d
After winning the title of president, he took steps to preserve and consolidate his power and
eventually had Parliament declare him President for Life in 1999.

Niyazov ruled, in total, for 16 years. During this time period, the country operated under a
single-party, totalitarian system that was increasingly repressive and eccentric in its later
years. While president, Niyazov gave himself the title of “Turkmenbashi”, meaning “Leader
ZQ ,WW ?`]VXPY ;PZ[WPɮ& L _T_WP _SL_ SP T^ ^_TWW VYZbY Md _ZOLd 3T^ N`W_ WTVP [ZWTNTP^ TYNW`OPO
renaming months of the year after members of his family, making his book required reading
in all schools, and putting his image or name on everything—money, statues, airports, etc.
Turkmenbashi died unexpectedly in 2006. After his death, Gurbanguly Berdymukhammedov
was elected president on February 11, 2007.

Although still authoritarian, President Berdymukhammedov had done much to reduce the
cult of personality surrounding the presidency, accepted a new constitution in 2008, and has
worked to improve the economy by tapping into the county’s natural gas resources.

Tajikistan

Facts & Figures

• Area: 55,251 square miles

• Capital: Dushanbe

• Languages: ?LUTV T^ _SP ZʯNTLW WLYR`LRP LW_SZ`RS =`^^TLY T^ LW^Z bTOPWd `^PO TY
government and business

• Ethnicities: Tajik 84.3%, Uzbek 13.8%, other 2%

• Location: Central Asia, west of China, south of Kyrgyzstan

• Geography: Tajikistan is mostly mountains, hills, and valleys—only 7% of the country
T^ ʮL_ ?SP STRSP^_ [PLV^ L]P TY _SP ;LXT] 8Z`Y_LTY^ bSTNS ]`Y LWZYR _SP ^Z`_SPL^_P]Y
edge of the country and eventually join with the Himalayas. To the north are the Alay
Mountains, which form a natural border with Kyrgyzstan, and the Fergana Valley, which
is where most of the population lives. Tajikistan has several rivers, which swell every
spring from rain and snow/glacier melt.

• Population: 8,191,958

66