The Turkmenistan Republic covers the territory of the Trans-Caspian Region of Turkestan, the Charjui Vilayet of Bukhara, and the part of Kiva located on the right bank of the Oxus. Bordered on the north by the Autonomous Kara-Kalpak Republic (a constituent of Uzbekistan), by Iran and Afghanistan on the south, by Uzbek Republic on the east, and the Caspian Sea on the west. It has an area of 186,400 sq. mi. (488,100 sq. km.) and a population of 4.48 million. Capital: Ashgabat (formerly Poltoratsk). Main occupation is agricultural products including cotton and maize. It is rich in minerals, oil, coal, sulphur, and salt. It is also famous for it?s carpets, Turkoman horses, and Karakul sheep. ,The Turkomans arrived in Transcaspia as nomadic Seluk Turks in the 11th century. The often became subjected to one of the neighboring states. Late in the 19th century the Russians invaded with their first victory in 1877, arriving in Ashkhabad in 1882 resulting in submission of the Turkmen tribes. By 1884, the Transcaspian province of Russian Turkestan was formed. During World War I the Russian government tried to conscript the Turkmen; this led to a revolt in October 1916 under the leadership of Aziz Chapykov. In 1918 the Turks captured Baku from the Red army and the British sent a contingent to Merv to prevent a German-Turkish offensive toward Afghanistan and India. In mid-1919 the Bureau of Turkistan Moslem Communist Organizations was formed in Moscow hoping to develop one large republic including all surrounding Turkish areas within a Soviet federation. A Turkistan Autonomous Soviet Socialists Republic was formed and was partitioned into five republics according to the principle of nationalists. On October 27, 1924, Turkestan became a Soviet Socialist Republic and was accepted as a member of the U.S.S.R. on January 29, 1925. In August 1990 the Turkmen Supreme Soviet adopted a declaration of sovereignty followed by a declaration of independence in October 1991. It joined the Commonwealth of Independent States in December. A new constitution was adopted in 1992 providing for an executive presidency. ,,