Natural hazards: NA
Environment-current issues: contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salinization, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography-note: landlocked
@Turkmenistan:People
Population: 4,297,629 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 39% (male 843,839; female 813,837) 15-64 years: 57% (male 1,211,477; female 1,249,085) 65 years and over: 4% (male 67,842; female 111,549) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.6% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 26.24 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)