The Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, also known as Soviet Turkmenistan, the Turkmen SSR, TuSSR, TurSSR, TurkSSR, TurkmSSR, Turkmenistan, or Turkmenia, was one of the constituent republics of the Soviet Union, located in Central Asia, that existed as a republic from 1925 to 1991. Initially, on 7 August 1921, it was established as the Turkmen Oblast of the Turkestan ASSR before being made, on 13 May 1925, a separate republic of the USSR as the Turkmen SSR.