Daşoguz Province (formerly Daşhowuz / Дашховуз) is one of the welayat (provinces)

Provinces of Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan is divided into five provinces or welayatlar and one capital city district .The heads of the provinces are appointed by the President of Turkmenistan .-References:...

 of Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan

Turkmenistan , formerly also known as Turkmenia is one of the Turkic states in Central Asia. Until 1991, it was a constituent republic of the Soviet Union, the Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic . Turkmenistan is one of the six independent Turkic states...

. It is in the north of the country, bordering Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan

Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....

. The area of the province is 73,430 square kilometers, and the total population is 1,370,400 (2005 est.). The capital is Daşoguz

Dasoguz

Daşoguz , formerly known as Tashauz , is a city in northern Turkmenistan and the capital of Daşoguz Province.-Geography:...

 (Дашогуз).

The province is mostly desert

Desert

A desert is a landscape or region that receives an extremely low amount of precipitation, less than enough to support growth of most plants. Most deserts have an average annual precipitation of less than...

, and is experiencing severe environmental degradation

Environmental degradation

Environmental degradation is the deterioration of the environment through depletion of resources such as air, water and soil; the destruction of ecosystems and the extinction of wildlife...

 as a result of the Aral Sea

Aral Sea

The Aral Sea was a lake that lay between Kazakhstan in the north and Karakalpakstan, an autonomous region of Uzbekistan, in the south...

 ecological catastrophe. Increased soil salinity has ruined thousands of square kilometers of farmland.

The province contains the UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

 World Heritage Site of Köneürgenç.

Both Turkmen citizens and foreigners require special permission to visit the province, as the government regards it as a "closed" border zone.

Districts

Daşoguz Province is administratively divided into 9 districts (etraplar; singular etrap) and 2 cities (il). Name changes since 1995 are shown in parentheses:

• Daşoguz
  Dasoguz
  Daşoguz , formerly known as Tashauz , is a city in northern Turkmenistan and the capital of Daşoguz Province.-Geography:...
  
   City (formerly Daşhowuz)
• Köneürgenç City (formerly Kunya Urgench) – granted etrap status on 3 February 2008
• Akdepe District
  Akdepe District
  Akdepe District is a district of Daşoguz Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Akdepe....
  
  
• Boldumsaz District
  Boldumsaz District
  Boldumsaz District is a district of Daşoguz Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Boldumsaz....
  
  
• Görogly District
  Görogly District
  Görogly District is a district of Daşoguz Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Tagta....
  
   (formerly Tagta)
• Gubadag District
  Gubadag District
  Gubadag District is a district of Daşoguz Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Gubadag....
  
  
• Gurbansoltan Eje District
  Gurbansoltan Eje District
  Gurbansoltan Eje District is a district of Daşoguz Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Yilanly....
  
   (formerly Ýylanly)
• Köneürgenç District
  Köneürgenç District
  Köneürgenç District is a district of Daşoguz Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Köneürgenç....
  
  
• Ruhubelent District — created March 30, 2007
• Saparmyrat Nyýazow District
  Saparmyrat Nyýazow District
  Saparmyrat Nyýazow District is a district of Daşoguz Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Daşoguz....
  
   (formerly Daşoguz/Daşhowuz etrap)
• Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy District
  Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy District
  Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy District is a district of Daşoguz Province in Turkmenistan. The administrative center of the district is the town of Saparmyrat Türkmenbaşy....