Oman

Land and Climate:

Location Arid, Rocky Oman
Region :Middle East

Neighbours:

 Oman is bordered on the north by the Gulf of Oman; on the east and   south by the Arabian Sea; on the southwest by Yemen; on the west by the Rub‘al Khali (Empty Quarter) of Saudi Arabia; and on the northwest by the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Area :
 212,460 square kilometres (82,031 square miles)
 Size Comparison : About one-third the size of Somalia
 

Topography:
 Oman falls naturally into three physical divisions: a narrow coastal plain, ranges of mountains and hills, and an interior plateau. The coastal plain along the Gulf of Oman is known as Al Baïinah and is the country’s principal agricultural region. Inland from the plain lies the Jabal al
-Akhadar range. The highest peak in the range is Mount Sham, at an elevation of 3,026 metres(9,927 feet). The coastal plain extending south along the Arabian Sea is largely barren.

 Climate :
  The climate is generally hot and arid. However, there is high humidity along the coast. The average annual temperature is about 28°C (82°F). The average annual rainfall is generally less than 102 millimetres (4inches).

 Environmental Issues :
  There is a relatively high level of malaria in the country. Water is a scarce resource, although water use is not as intensive here as in neighbouring states of the Middle East, and saline intrusion into aquifers has occurred in some instances. A reliance on the oil industry has resulted in cases of ocean and coastal pollution.
 

 Facts and Figures :

      Basic Facts :
          Official Name : Sultanate of Oman
          Capital : Muscat
          Area : 212,460 square kilometres,82,031 square miles
          Major cities (Population) : Muscat 53,000 (1990 estimate)
 

Society :

      *ThePeople
     *Population
     *Language
     *Religion
 

People :
 Population : 2,163,000 (1995 estimate)
 Population growth rate : 4.2 per cent (1990-1995 average)
 Population density : 10 persons per square kilometre
                    25.9 persons per square mile (1995 estimate)

Urbanization:
 Percent urban : 13.2 per cent (1995 estimate)
  Percent rural : 86.8 per cent (1995 estimate)

Life Expectancy:
  Total 70 years (1995 estimate)
   Female 72 years (1995 estimate)
   Male 68 years (1995 estimate)

Infant mortality rate:
     36 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)
   Literacy rate : Not available

Ethnic Divisions:

Languages:
 Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian, and other dialects.

Religions:
    Ibadhi Muslim 75 per cent
   Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim,
   Hindu and other 25 per cent

Government:
     Type of government : Monarchy
   Independence : 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
   Constitution : None
   Voting Rights : None

Economy:
     Cross domestic product (GDP)
   US$11.69 billion (1993 estimate)
   GDP per capita  US$7,051 (1992)
   Gross Domestic Product by Category

National Budget:
    Total Revenue : US$4.4 billion (1994 estimate)
   Total Expenditure : US$5.2 billion (1994 estimate)
:
unit of currency:
    1 Omani rial (RO), consisting of 1,000 baiza
   Petroleum, fish, processed copper, textiles

Imports:
Machinery, transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants.
Major trading partners for exports :
United Arab Emirates, Japan, South Korea, China
Major trading partners for imports :
United Arab Emirates, Japan, United Kingdom, United States, France

Industries:
    Crude-oil production and refining, natural-gas production, construction,  cement, copper

Agriculture:
   Accounts for 40 per cent of the labour force (including fishing); less than 2 per cent of the land is cultivated; largely subsistence farming—dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables, camels,cattle; not self-sufficient in food
Natural resources : Petroleum, copper, asbestos, marble, limestone, chromite, gypsum, natural gas.

Sources:
Basic Facts and People:
   Land area data are from the 1994 Food and Agriculture Organization  (FAO) Production Yearbook. Population, population growth rate, and life  expectancy data are from the United Nations (UN) World Population  Prospects: The 1994 Revision. Population density and infant mortality rate data are from the UN 1993 Statistical Yearbook. Literacy rate data are from the UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 1995 Statistical Yearbook.
Urban and rural population data are from the UN World Urbanization      Prospects: The 1994 Revision. Ethnic, language, and religious divisions are from the CIA 1995 World Factbook.

Economy:
   Gross domestic product (GDP) data are from World Bank World Tables. GDP per capita data are from the UN 1993 Statistical Yearbook. GDP industry data are from the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 1993 Handbook of International Trade and Development.
   National budget data are from World Bank World Tables.
   Note: Due to rounding, totals may not add up to 100 per cent.

Education:
   Although the literacy rate was only 20 per cent when Sultan Qaboos came to power in 1970,the national education programme has expanded rapidly since then. Sultan Qaboos University,a national university near Muscat, opened in 1986. Education is still not compulsory, but is provided free. Adult education centres are redressing the problem of illiteracy, and   government spending on education is substantial.