Balkan Province
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Map showing district |
Balkan Province (
Balkan welaýaty / Балкан велаяты) is one of the
Welayatlar 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
Nebitdag. It has an area of 138,000 square kilometers and a population of approximately 424,700 people. Its population density of 3.3 persons per square kilometer is the lowest in Turkmenistan.
Other cities include:
Turkmenbashi.
Balkan Province 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.
