Balkan region

Balkan region

Balkan region

Balkan velayat (Balkan velayat) is the westernmost of the 5 regions of Turkmenistan. The capital city is Balkanabat (formerly Nebit Dag). Clockwise from the north it borders on Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan (north), 2 provinces of Turkmenistan (east), Iran (south) and the Caspian Sea (west). The borders of the region are identical to those of the former Krasnovodsk Oblast, a former province of the Turkmen SSR. This area was repeatedly liquidated and restored in the 20th century, culminating in its abolition in 1988.

However, the administrative boundaries of the region were restored in 1991, when the Balkan velayat was formed. The Balkan region has significant hydrocarbon reserves, which accounted for 13.9% of Turkmenistan's natural gas production and 93.1% of oil production in 2019. It also produced 15.4% of the country's electricity. Due to the very low level of water supply, agriculture is marginal and only 4.5% of Turkmenistan's arable land is within the region. Off the coast of the Caspian Sea, the Balkan region includes the island of Ogurja Ada, the most important island of Turkmenistan and one of the largest in the Caspian Sea.