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The republic's numerous mineral resources include rich deposits of oil and natural gas on and off the Caspian Sea coast. In the late 1990s, pipeline projects running from the E Caspian gas fields through Iran and Turkey to Europe were under consideration with both Russia and Western consortiums. Other resources include coal, sulfur, salt, phosphate, iodine, lignite, clays, and building stones such as limestone and gypsum. More than 90% of the cultivated land is irrigated. Cotton, grown along the canal and in the Murgab and Tejen oases, is the chief crop; wheat, barley, corn, millet, sesame, vegetables, melons, wine grapes, and alfalfa are also cultivated. The diversion of water from the Aral Sea for irrigation is drying up the sea and reducing the flow of freshwater in the region. Karakul sheep (which provide wool for the region's famous carpets), cattle, horses, and camels are raised, and silkworms are bred. Turkmenistan's industries include oil refining, fish canning (along the Caspian), meat processing, and the production of petroleum products, chemicals, textiles, and building materials. The country has numerous hydroelectric stations. The Trans-Caspian RR is the main transportation route. In 1996, an important rail link between the border city of Sarakhs and Mashhad, Iran, was opened.
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