Turkmenistan maps show the country lying to east of Caspian Sea.

It’s located in Central Asia and was a part of erstwhile Soviet Union.

The landscape of the country is made of black sand and many colored dunes.

People live around the oasis of the country’s rivers. The map of Turkmenistan shows the area of as 488,100 sq. km.

Turkmenistan was part of Persia (today’s Iran). It was invaded by Alexander the Great and after many centuries by the Mongols.

Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan share much in common history and Muslim culture and traditions dominate the areas. It later became a part of Soviet Union and then gained its independence in 1991. It has a rich and colorful past and heritage.

The tourism industry in Turkmenistan is very nascent. The capital is Ashkhanbad. Water is very scarce in the country and in the city of Krasnovodsk; they use atomic power to remove salt from water to make it drinkable and for other purposes.

There are very few other destinations to visit in Turkmenistan and some of the people are nomads. You can visit the great carpet weaving centers in the country. It’s a safe country to visit unlike many of the Central Asian countries.