Balkan Region


Balkan Region is one of the regions of Turkmenistan. It is in the far west of the country, bordering Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, and Iran. Its capital is Balkanabat, formerly known as Nebit Dag. Balkan comes from “Bal akan” meaning “where the honey flows”, possibly relating to the rich petroleum reserves of the region. It has an area of 139,270 square kilometers and a population of approximately 553,500 people. Its population density of 3.3 persons per square kilometer is the lowest in Turkmenistan.
Other cities include: Bereket, Türkmenbaşy, Gumdag, Serdar, Hazar, Etrek, Esenguly.
The Balkan Region has significant energy reserves, which account for 94% of Turkmenistan's natural gas production and 12% of its petroleum production. It also generates 18% of the country's electric power. Due to the very low water supply, agriculture is negligible, and only 4.5% of Turkmenistan's arable lands are within the province.
Off its Caspian shores the Balkan Region includes the island of Ogurja Ada, the most important island in Turkmenistan and one of the largest in the Caspian Sea.

Districts

Balkan Province is subdivided into 6 districts :
  1. Bereket
  2. Esenguly
  3. Etrek
  4. Magtymguly
  5. Serdar
  6. Türkmenbaşy
As of January 1, 2017, the province includes 10 cities, 13 towns, 33 rural or village councils, and 112 villages.