Ashgabat is the capital and largest city of Turkmenistan, a
country in Central Asia. It has a population of 695,300 (2001 census estimate),
2009 estimates around 1 million people in Ashgabat, and is situated between the
Kara Kum desert and the Kopet Dag mountain range. Ashgabat has a primarily Turkmen
population, with ethnic minorities of Russians, Armenians, and Azeris. It is
250 km from the second largest city in Iran, Mashhad
