| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language: Fourth Edition. 2000. |
| |
| Turkmenistan |
| |
 |
| SYLLABICATION: | Turk·men·i·stan |
| PRONUNCIATION: |  tûrk m n- -st n , -stän |
| VARIANTS: | Formerly also Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic |
| A country of west-central Asia east of the Caspian Sea. Once part of ancient Persia and later ruled by Arabs (8th century), Turks (11th century), Mongols (13th–14th century), and Uzbeks (late 15th century), it was annexed by Russia in 1881 and became a constituent republic of the USSR in 1925. Turkmenistan declared its independence in 1991 following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Ashgabat is the capital and the largest city. Population: 4,010,000.
| | |
| |
| The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Copyright © 2000 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by the Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved. |
|
|
