The Turkmen passport is currently ranked 96th place on the Guide Passport Index. It provides visa-free access to 49 destinations. This gives it an overall low mobility score. Turkmen passport holders have visa-free access and visas on arrival to countries such as Malaysia and Ecuador. Turkmen nationals require a visa to enter about 180 destinations in the world. Some of the destinations where a prior visa is required are the United States, the entire European Union, India and Japan.
The Turkmenistan passport ranking relative to other global passports is calculated by adding up the number of countries that allow Turkmenistan passport holders to enter without a visa (i.e. visa-free countries) and those that allow Turkmenistan passport holders to enter by obtaining a visa on arrival (i.e. visa-on-arrival countries) or an electronic travel authorization (eTA). There are currently a total of 14 Turkmenistan passport visa-free countries, 34 Turkmenistan visa-on-arrival countries, and 1 eTA destinations.
Altogether, Turkmenistan passport holders can enter a total of 49 destinations—either without a visa, through a visa on arrival, or via an eTA. As a result, the Turkmenistan passport ranks 96 in the world.
Separate from these Turkmenistan visa-free countries and visa-on-arrival countries, there are 180 additional destinations which Turkmenistan passport holders either need a physical visa to enter or an eVisa (i.e. visa required countries).
The sovereign country of Turkmenistan consists of 5 regions. The nation is situated in Central Asia with neighboring countries Iran, Afghanistan, Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan. The most important regions are Mary, Dasoguz and Lebap. The country has a surface area of 491,210 square kilometers. This makes it the 15th largest country in Asia. The terrain is mostly comprised of flat to rolling sandy desert, dunes and low mountains in the south. The climate is severely continental with a cold desert type.
The overall population is over 5.36 million people, the lowest of the Central Asia republics. The capital of the country is Ashgabat, which is also the most populous city with more than 1 million inhabitants. Other major cities are Turkmenabat, Dasoguz and Mary. The largest airport is Ashgabat International Airport (ASB) with more than 1.3 million yearly passengers. Ashgabat airport has flight connections to most Russian speaking countries, Germany and the Middle East.
Turkmenistan culture has evolved from a nomad and equestrian heritage to an urbanized state. The most practiced religion by the population is the Islam. The official language is Turkmen. The legal system is the civil law with sharia influences. The government type is an authoritarian presidential republic. The chief of state and head of government is President Gurbanguly, Berdimuhamedow. The elections take place every 7 years and the president is elected directly by popular vote.
The official currency of the country is the Turkmenistan manat (TMT) with the current exchange rate being TMT 3.4 to the USD. The country has an open economy, generating a GDP of approximately $112.6 billion. Its citizens have a per capita income of $19,526. The GDP is mostly made up of 2 key sectors, which are services and industry. Turkmenistan has a strong oil and gas sector, which accounts for 25% of the GDP, most of which is exported to China. Agricultural production accounts for 8% of the overall GDP. Main export products are natural gas, oil, textiles, cotton and grains.
Turkmenistan is a relatively new tourist destination. It offers a variety of urban and natural tourism destinations and attractions. It has 3 UNESCO world heritage sites, which are all cultural. Some of the major destinations including Dashoguz, Konye Urgench, Dekhistan and the capital Ashgabat. The nation has a total of approximately 10,000 tourists visiting every year. Most tourists originate from the neighboring countries and Russia.
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