What is "turkmenistan"

Turkmenistan ( or ; , ) is a country in Central Asia, bordered by Kazakhstan to the northwest, Uzbekistan to the north and east, Afghanistan to the southeast, Iran to the south and southwest, and the Caspian Sea to the west.

Turkmenistan has been at the crossroads of civilizations for centuries. In medieval times, Merv was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road, a caravan route used for trade with China until the mid-15th century. Annexed by the Russian Empire in 1881, Turkmenistan later figured prominently in the anti-Bolshevik movement in Central Asia. In 1924, Turkmenistan became a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic (Turkmen SSR); it became independent upon the dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991.

Turkmenistan possesses the world's fourth largest reserves of natural gas resources. Most of the country is covered by the Karakum (Black Sand) Desert. Since 1993, citizens have received government-provided electricity, water and natural gas free of charge.

Turkmenistan was ruled by President for Life Saparmurat Niyazov until his death in 2006. Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow was elected president in 2007. According to Human Rights Watch, "Turkmenistan remains one of the world’s most repressive countries. The country is virtually closed to independent scrutiny, media and religious freedoms are subject to draconian restrictions, and human rights defenders and other activists face the constant threat of government reprisal." President Berdimuhamedow promotes a personality cult in which he, his relatives, and associates enjoy unlimited power and total control over all aspects of public life.

Turkmenistan is a state-owned Turkmenian television channel founded in 2004. As with other channels of Turkmenistan, it is under the control of the Coordinating Council for Television and Radio Broadcasting of the Cabinet of Ministers of Turkmenistan. The channel was created in order to avail the international community with the achievements of Turkmenistan in the country's historical transformations in all spheres of public life, as well as to further improve the country's information systems. Altyn Asyr has positioned itself as the main TV channel of Turkmenistan. Television is broadcast in seven different languages including Turkmen, Russian, English, French, Chinese, Arabic and Persian. The headquarters is located in Ashgabat. The channel doesn't air Watan Habarlary, unlike the other Turkmen channels.