Map of Oman | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide198919901991199219931994199519961997199819992000200120022003200420052006200720082009201020112012201320142015201620172018201920202021202220232024 | More stats

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Background: In 1970 QABOOS bin Said Al Said ousted his father and has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world and has preserved a long-standing political and military relationship with Britain. Oman's moderate independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.


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Location: Middle East, along the Arabian Sea, between Yemen and the United Arab Emirates

Geographic coordinates

Map reference: Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Area
Total area total: 212,460 km²
Land: 212,460 km²

Land boundaries: total 1,374 km, Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km

Coastline: 2,092 km

Maritime claims
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Continental shelf: to be defined
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south

Terrain: vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south

Elevation

Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas

Land use
Arable land: less than 2%
Permanent crops: 0%
Meadows and pastures: 5%
Forest and woodland: 0%
Other: 93%

Irrigated land: 410 km² (1989 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior

Geography
Note: strategic location with small foothold on Musandam Peninsula controlling Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil


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Population: 1,701,470 (July 1994 est.)
Note: Oman's first census was concluded in December 1993; preliminary figures give a population of 2,000,000, of whom about 500,000 are expatriate workers; final evaluative figures are not yet available
Growth rate: 3.46% (1994 est.)

Nationality: noun:Omani(s)

Ethnic groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi)

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

Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu

Demographic profile

Age structure

Dependency ratios

Median age

Population growth rate: 3.46% (1994 est.)

Birth rate: 40.38 births/1000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate: 5.77 deaths/1000 population (1994 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1000 population (1994 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; sparse natural freshwater resources

Air pollutants

Sex ratio

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate: 36.7 deaths/1000 live births (1994 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 67.79 years
Male: 65.9 years
Female: 69.77 years (1994 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.53 children born/woman (1994 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Total population: NA%
Male: NA%
Female: NA%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman
Conventional short form:

Government type: monarchy

Capital: Muscat

Administrative divisions: there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 governorates (muhafazah, singular - muhafazat; Masqat, Musandam, Zufar

Dependent areas

Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)

National holiday: National Day, 18 November (1940)

Constitution: none

Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the sultan; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: none

Executive branch: chief of state and head of government:Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970)

Legislative branch: Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Oman Police

Judicial branch: none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent civil court system

Political parties and leaders

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador David J. DUNFORD
From the us chancery: 2,342 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20,008
From the us telephone: [968] 698-989
From the us embassy: address NA, Muscat
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 202 Code No. 115, Muscat
From the us FAX: [968] 604-316

Flag description: three horizontal bands of white (top, double width), red, and green (double width) with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered at the top of the vertical band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Economic performance is closely tied to the fortunes of the oil industry, including trends in international oil prices and the ability of OPEC producers to agree on output quotas. Petroleum accounts for more than 85% of export earnings, about 80% of government revenues, and roughly 40% of GDP. Oman has proved oil reserves of 4 billion barrels, equivalent to about 20 years' supply at the current rate of extraction. Agriculture is carried on at a subsistence level and the general population depends on imported food. The government is encouraging private investment, both domestic and foreign, as a prime force for further economic development.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 6.1% (1993 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $10,000 (1993 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin

Agriculture products: accounts for 4% of GDP and 40% of the labor force (including fishing; less than 2% of land cultivated; largely subsistence farming (dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables, camels, cattle; not self-sufficient in food; annual fish catch averages 100,000 metric tons

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

Industrial production growth rate: 8.6% (1991; accounts for almost 60% of GDP, including petroleum

Labor force: 430,000 (est.)
By occupation: agriculture 40% (est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget: revenues:$4.4 billion

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance

Exports: $5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
Commodities: petroleum 87%, re-exports, fish, processed copper, textiles
Partners: UAE 30%, Japan 27%, South Korea 10%, Singapore 5% (1991)

Imports: $3.7 billion (f.o.b, 1993 est.)
Commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants
Partners: Japan 20%, UAE 14%, UK 19%, US 7% (1991)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $3 billion (1993)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Omani rials (RO) per US$1 - 0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986)


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Electricity
Capacity: 1,142,400 kW
Production: 5.1 billion kWh
Consumption per capita: 3,200 kWh (1992)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones

Telephone system

Broadcast media

Internet

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: exchange rate conversion - $1.6 billion, 16% of GDP (1993 est.)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 138
Usable: 130
With permanentsurface runways: 6
With runways over 3659 m: 1
With runways 2440-3659 m: 9
With runways 1220-2439 m: 74

Heliports

Pipelines: crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine: 1 passenger ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,442 GRT/1,320 DWT

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: no defined boundary with most of UAE; Administrative Line with UAE in far north; a treaty with Yemen defining the Omani-Yemeni boundary was ratified in December 1992

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs