Türkmenbaşy, Turkmenistan

Turkmenbaşy
Turkmenbaşy; Türkmenbaşy
	Türkmenbaşy
	Turkmenbaşy Location in Turkmenistan
	Coordinates: 40°01′00″N 52°58′00″E / 40.01667°N 52.96667°E
Kintra	Turkmenistan
Province	Balkan
Population (2010)
• Total	73,803
Area code(s)	993 243 XXXXX

Türkmenbaşy (an aa spelled Turkmenbashi), umwhile kent as Krasnovodsk (Roushie: Красноводск) an mair properly Kyzyl-Su, is a ceety in Balkan Province in Turkmenistan, on the Krasnovodsk Gulf o the Caspian Sea. It is locatit at latitude 40.0231 North; longitude 52.9697 East, at an altitude o 27 meters. The population (est 2004) wis 86,800, maistly ethnic Roushies an Azeris. As the terminus o the Trans-Caspian Railway, it wis an important transportation center.

History

In 1717, Roushie Prince Alexander Bekovich-Cherkassky landit an established a secret fortifee'd dounset on this location, whaur the dry bed o a umwhile mooth o the Amu-Darya River ance emptied intae the Caspian Sea. His intent wis tae mairch an airmy up this dry riverbed an conquer the Khanate o Khiva. The expedeetion failed, an the Roushies abandoned the dounset for ower 150 years.

Hotel "Serdar" in the Avaza tourist zone

In 1869, the Roushies made a seicont an latest attempt. Thay named thair fort Krasnovodsk (Красноводск), which is the Roushie version o the oreeginal name, Kyzyl-Su (Red Watter). Krasnovodsk wis Imperial Roushie's base o operations against Khiva an Bukhara, an the nomadic Turkmen tribes. It fell tae the Red Airmy in Februar 1920.

In 1993, Krasnovodsk wis renamed bi Preses for Life Saparmurat Niyazov, efter his sel-proclaimed title Türkmenbaşy ("Leader o aw Turkmen"). Niyazov's successor Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedow pledged, in Julie 2007, tae invest ane billion dollars intae a project slatit tae turn Türkmenbaşy intae a major tourist resort – the centre o the Avaza Tourist Zone wi 60 modren hotels tae be biggit alang a 16 km stretch o the Caspian Sea shoreline.^[1]^[2]

Economy an transport

Türkmenbaşy is Turkmenistan's anerlie port an sea link tae the Wast. A ferry service connects Türkmenbaşy tae Baku, Azerbaijan. It is the wastren terminus o the Trans-Caspian railway, which connects the ceety tae Turkmenistan's caipital Ashgabat an pynts further east. The ceety is an aa connectit tae Ashgabat bi bus an bi Turkmenistan Airlines.

Wastren Turkmenistan haes major petroleum an natural gas reserves, an Turkmenistan's lairgest ile refinery is in Türkmenbaşy.