Balkan Region

Balkan Region (Turkmen: Balkan welaýaty, Балкан велаяты) is one of the regions of Turkmenistan. It is in the far west of the country, bordering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, and Iran. Its capital is Balkanabat, formerly known as Nebit Dag. Balkan comes from “Bal akan” meaning “where the honey flows”, possibly relating to the rich petroleum reserves of the region. It has an area of 139,270 square kilometers and a population of approximately 553,500 people (2005 est.).[1] Its population density of 3.3 persons per square kilometer is the lowest in Turkmenistan.

Not to be confused with the Balkans, a region in southern Europe.

Balkan
Region
Balkan region in Turkmenistan
CountryTurkmenistan
CapitalBalkanabat
Area
 • Total139,270 km2 (53,770 sq mi)
Population
 (2005)
 • Total553,500
 • Density4.0/km2 (10/sq mi)

Other cities include: Bereket, Türkmenbaşy, Gumdag, Serdar, Hazar, Etrek, Esenguly.

The Balkan Region has significant energy reserves, which account for 94% of Turkmenistan's natural gas production and 12% of its petroleum production. It also generates 18% of the country's electric power. Due to the very low water supply, agriculture is negligible, and only 4.5% of Turkmenistan's arable lands are within the province.

Off its Caspian shores the Balkan Region includes the island of Ogurja Ada, the most important island in Turkmenistan and one of the largest in the Caspian Sea.

Districts

Balkan Province (Balkan welaýaty) is subdivided into 6 districts (etrap, plural etraplar):[2][3]

  1. Bereket (previously Gazanjik)
  2. Esenguly
  3. Etrek (previously Gyzylektrek)
  4. Magtymguly (previously Garry Gala)
  5. Serdar (previously Gyzylarvat)
  6. Türkmenbaşy

As of January 1, 2017, the province includes 10 cities (города or şäherler), 13 towns (посёлки or şäherçeler), 33 rural or village councils (сельские советы or geňeşlikler), and 112 villages (села, сельские населенные пункты or obalar).[3]

  • Cities include:
Railway station in Bereket city, October 2013.
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See also

References
  1. Statistical Yearbook of Turkmenistan 2000-2004, National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2005.
  2. Türkmenistanyň Mejlisi (2010–2018). "Türkmenistanyň dolandyryş-çäk birlikleriniň Sanawy". Türkmenistanyş Mejlisiniň Karary. Ashgabat.CS1 maint: date format (link) This document is reproduced online at https://wiki.openstreetmap.org/wiki/Districts_in_Turkmenistan.
  3. "Административно-территориальное деление Туркменистана по регионам по состоянию на 1 января 2017 года". Archived from the original on 2018-07-08. Retrieved 2018-07-08.
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