Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, July 12
By Huseyn Hasanov– Trend:
Yaztagan Gylydzhov was appointed as the head of the Balkan province of Turkmenistan, according to the decree of the country's president.
Gylydzhov previously held the post of the head of the Avaza district of Turkmenbashi city of the Balkan region, and also the chairman of the “Avaza” national tourism department.
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 is Turkish for "Wooded mountain". 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 percent of Turkmenistan's natural gas production and 12 percent of its petroleum production. It also generates 18 percent of the country's electric power. Due to the very low water supply, agriculture is negligible, and only 4.5 percent 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.