Turkmenistan
Asia
See Prayer Information
Geography
Area: 488,100 sq km
Two populated strips of irrigated land on its northern and southern borders, separated by the barren Kara-Kum Desert. Only 1% of the country is irrigated, arable land; 80% is desert.
Population: 5,176,502 Annual Growth: 1.34%
Capital: Ashgabat
Urbanites: 49.5%
HDI Rank: 109 of 182 (UN Human Development Reports 2009)
Peoples
Official language: Turkmen using Latin script as in Turkey since 1994; previously Cyrillic script Languages: 9 All languages
Religion
Largest Religion: Muslim
| Religion | Pop % | Ann Gr | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christians | 94,730 | 1.83 | -2.1 |
| Evangelicals | 1,718 | 0.0 | 2.1 |
| Muslim | 4,977,724 | 96.16 |
Answer to Prayer
The demise of the man who built himself up as a god-king, wrote his own “Holy Book” and named himself Turkmenbashi, “the father of all Turkmen”, brings what is hopefully the beginning of transformation. It is still early to pass judgment, but there is a greater sense of hope about openness and positive change from the repressive personality cult of the past. For an additional Answer to Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
For an additional 5 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
Challenge for Prayer
The new government and leadership face difficult decisions about continuing Niyazov’s legacy, about domestic policies and about the awkward relationships with Russia (its main buyer of gas), Iran, Afghanistan and China. Pray for godly wisdom for the new leader, for a departure from oppressive policies of the past and for the respect of constitutionally guaranteed human rights and religious freedoms.For an additional 5 Challenges for Prayer see Operation World book, CD-ROM, or DVD-ROM.
More Information
The Operation World book, CD-ROM, and DVD-ROM provide far more information and fuel for prayer for the people of Turkmenistan.
