Turkmenbashi Palace in Ashgabat. Credit

Turkmenistan (also known as Turkmenia) is a country in Central Asia. The name Turkmenistan is derived from Persian, meaning "land of the Turkmen".

Until 1991 Turkmenistan was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic. It is bordered by Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the southwest, Uzbekistan to the northeast, Kazakhstan to the northwest, and the Caspian Sea to the west. Although it is wealthy in natural resources in certain areas, most of the country is covered by the Karakum (Black Sands) Desert.