Description: Turkmenistan leader drives around flaming crater in first new footage since death rumours, Think Turkmenistan Is Funny? Think Again, Video Captures Turkmen President Bullying Officials, 'You're Fired': Turkmen President Dumps Interior Minister On TV
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Coordinates : 40°N 60°E / 40°N 60°E / 40; 60
Turkmenistan ( i / t ɜːr k ˈ m ɛ n ᵻ s t æ n / or i / t ɜːr k m ɛ n ᵻ ˈ s t ɑː n / ; Turkmen : Türkmenistan/Түркменистан , pronounced [tyɾkmeniˈθtan] ) 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 beca