Despite their similar names and the shared heritage of the Turkic nations that their names imply, Turkey and Turkmenistan are vastly different countries. Turkey is located in western Asia, with a small portion of its territory in southeastern Europe, and has coastlines on the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Sea.

Turkmen in Turkmenistan is spoken in several dialects throughout its provinces, including the Teke, Yomut, Arsari, Salyr, and Saryk dialects. Additionally, some major Turkmen dialects from other countries include Yomut (spoken in Iran, Russia, Afghanistan, and Iraq) and Arsari (spoken in Afghanistan).