Balkan Province (Turkmen: Balkan welaýaty, frae the Persian بلخان Balkhān) is ane o the Welayat (provinces) o Turkmenistan. It is in the far wast o the kintra, borderin Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, the Caspian Sea, an Iran. Its caipital is Balkanabat, umwhile kent as Nebit Dag. It haes an aurie o 139,270 square kilometres an a population o approximately 553,500 fowk (2005 est.).[1] Its population density o 3.3 persons per square kilometre is the lawest in Turkmenistan.
Balkan Province haes significant energy reserves, which accoont for 94% o Turkmenistan's natural gas production an 12% o its petroleum production. It an aa generates 18% o the kintra's electric pouer. Due tae the vera law water supply, agricultur is negligible, an anerlie 4.5% of Turkmenistan's arable lands are athin the province.
Aff its Caspian shores the Balkan Province includes the island o Ogurja Ada, the maist important island in Turkmenistan an ane o the lairgest in the Caspian Sea.
Destricts
Balkan Province is admeenistratively dividit intae 6 destricts (etraplar; singular: etrap) an 7 ceeties (il).[2][3] Name chynges syne 1995 are shown in parentheses: