Daşoguz Province

Daşoguz Province (Turkmen: Daşoguz welaýaty) (formerly Daşhowuz / Дашховуз) is one of the welayat (provinces) of Turkmenistan. It is in the north of the country, bordering Uzbekistan. The area of the province is 73,430 square kilometers, and the total population is 1,370,400 (2005 est.).[1] The capital is Daşoguz (Дашогуз).

The province is mostly desert, and is experiencing severe environmental degradation as a result of the Aral Sea ecological catastrophe. Increased soil salinity has ruined thousands of square kilometers of farmland.

The province contains the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Köneürgenç.

Both Turkmen citizens and foreigners require special permission to visit the province, as the government regards it as a "closed" border zone.

Districts

Daşoguz Province is administratively divided into 9 districts (etraplar; singular etrap) and 2 cities (il).[2][3] Name changes since 1995 are shown in parentheses:

References

  1. ^ Statistical Yearbook of Turkmenistan 2000-2004, National Institute of State Statistics and Information of Turkmenistan, Ashgabat, 2005.
  2. ^ Дашогузский Велаят
  3. ^ Turkmenistan Districts
  4. ^ Halk Maslahaty resolution changing the status of Köneürgenç City
  5. ^ Изменения наименований географических объектов Туркменистана, Rosreestr, 2010.
Karakalpakstan,  Uzbekistan Xorazm Province,  Uzbekistan
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Province (capital)