Geography of Ashgabat
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, the country's capital and largest city. It lies in the foothills of the Kopet Dagh mountains on the edge of the Kara Kum desert, about 12 miles (19 km) from the Iranian border. Ashgabat is on the Trans-Caspian Railway. The city is the commercial, industrial, and cultural center of Turkmenistan. The Turkmen Academy of Sciences, the Turkmen State University, and several research institutes are in Ashgabat. The Turkmen History Museum is also here. At the nearby village of Anau, archeologists have discovered pottery and other remains dating back to 4000 B.C.
Ashgabat was established as a fortress in the 1880's. Much of the city has been rebuilt since 1948 when a violent earthquake left it in ruins.
Population: 407,000.