Mr Niyazov, self-declared "Turkmenbashi", or Father of all Turkmens, is perhaps the world's oddest leader, with a personality cult that would be laughable but for its brutality.
Capital: Ashgabat
Population: 4.3 million
Leader: President Saparmurat Niyazov
A golden statue of him stands on a 60ft plinth in the middle of Ashgabat and turns to follow the sun. He has renamed the month of April and the year 2003 - Gurbansoltan - after his mother.
Mr Niyazov has jailed dozens of opponents since an alleged assassination attempt last year. Rights groups compared court hearings to Stalin's show trials, with torture used to elicit confessions.
Last month, a top Russian parliamentarian said Moscow had evidence the Turkmen leadership had helped the Taliban, was involved in drug trafficking and aided international terrorism.