Ashgabat (, ; ; ), known as
Poltoratsk between 1919 and 1927, is the
capital and the largest city of
Turkmenistan in
Central Asia, situated between the
Karakum Desert and the
Kopet Dag mountain range. The 2001 census estimated a population of 695,300, while the 2009 census estimated a population of 1 million, primarily
Turkmen people, with ethnic minorities of
Russians,
Armenians, and
Azerbaijanis.