Regions of Turkmenistan

Template:Short description Template:Infobox subdivision type Template:Sidebar Turkmenistan is divided into five regions, or welaýatlar (singular welaýat) and one capital city (şäher) with provincial legal status. They are Ahal, Balkan, Dashoguz, Lebap and Mary, plus the capital city of Ashgabat. Each province is divided into districts. As of 20 December 2022 there were 37 districts (Template:Langx), 49 cities (Template:Langx), including 7 cities with district status (Template:Langx), 68 towns (Template:Langx), 469 rural councils (rural municipal units, Template:Langx) and 1690 villages (rural settlements Template:Langx) in Turkmenistan.<ref name=tkstat>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=decree20221110>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name=decree20221220>Template:Cite news</ref>

The regions are also translated as oblasts, which were also the administrative divisions of the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, a republic of the Soviet Union, which retained the system after independence in 1991.

Capital city

{{#invoke:Labelled list hatnote|labelledList|Main article|Main articles|Main page|Main pages}} The capital city of Turkmenistan is Ashgabat, which is an administrative and territorial unit with provincial authorities.
See also Map of the Boroughs of Ashgabat

As of January 5, 2018, Ashgabat includes four boroughs (uly etraplar), each with a presidentially appointed mayor (Template:Langx):<ref name=HM>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

1. Bagtyýarlyk etraby (formerly President Niyazov, Lenin District, expanded to include former Ruhabat District plus new territory)
2. Berkararlyk etraby (formerly Azatlyk, Sovetskiy District)
3. Büzmeýin etraby (formerly Abadan District, expanded to include former Arçabil and Çandybil Districts)
4. Köpetdag etraby (formerly Proletarskiy District)

This is a reduction from the previous number of boroughs. Arçabil and Çandybil boroughs were merged on February 4, 2015, and the new etrap, named Arçabil, was in turn renamed Büzmeýin in January 2018. At that time the Abadan borough of Ashgabat, created in 2013 by annexing the town of Abadan and surrounding villages to Abadan's south, was abolished and its territory was merged into the newly renamed Büzmeýin borough. The former Ruhabat borough was abolished at the same time and its territory absorbed by Bagtyýarlyk borough.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

On 15 June 2020, Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow announced intention to create a fifth borough of Ashgabat, to be called Altyn etraby, centered on the new resort zone created on the shores of the former Gurtly Water Reservoir, recently renamed "Golden Lake" (Altyn köl).<ref name=newborough>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>

List of regions

Overview of regions of Turkmenistan

Division	ISO 3166-2	Capital city	Governor<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>	Area<ref>Passport of Turkmenistan 1998, National Institute of Statistics and Forecasting of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 1998 Template:In lang.</ref>	citation	CitationClass=web }}</ref>!! Key	Map
Ashgabat	TM-S	Ashgabat	Yaztagan Gylyjov	Template:Convert	1,030,063	not on map	File:Ashgabat City in Turkmenistan (special marker).svg
Ahal Region	TM-A	Arkadag	Yazmuhammet Gurbanov	Template:Convert	886,845	1	File:Ahal Province in Turkmenistan.svg
Balkan Region	TM-B	Balkanabat	Tangryguly Atahallyev	Template:Convert	529,895	2	File:Balkan Province in Turkmenistan.svg
Daşoguz Region	TM-D	Dashoguz	Nazarmyrat Nazarmyradov	Template:Convert	1,550,354	3	File:Dasoguz Province in Turkmenistan.svg
Lebap Region	TM-L	Turkmenabat	Shohrat Amangeldiyev	Template:Convert	1,447,298	4	File:Lebap Province in Turkmenistan.svg
Mary Region	TM-M	Mary	Dovranberdi Annaberdiyev	Template:Convert	1,613,386	5	File:Mary Province in Turkmenistan.svg

The heads of the regions (Template:Langx, "the leader"), sometimes known as "governors", are appointed by the President of Turkmenistan (Constitution of Turkmenistan, Articles 80–81).

See also

• Districts of Turkmenistan
• ISO 3166-2:TM