Map of Oman | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

top of page


Background: The inhabitants of the area of Oman have long prospered on Indian Ocean trade. In the late 18th century a newly established sultanate in Muscat signed the first in a series of friendship treaties with Britain. Over time Oman's dependence on British political and military advisors increased but it never became a British colony. In 1970 QABOOS bin Said al-Said overthrew the restrictive rule of his father; he has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world while preserving the longstanding close ties with the UK. Oman's moderate independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.


top of page


Location: Middle East bordering the Arabian Sea Gulf of Oman and Persian Gulf between Yemen and UAE

Geographic coordinates: 21 00 N 57 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 212,460 km²
Land: 212,460 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas

Land boundaries
Total: 1,374 km
Border countries: (3) Saudi Arabia 676 km; , UAE 410 km; , Yemen 288 km

Coastline: 2,092 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

Terrain: central desert plain rugged mountains in north and south

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
Extremes highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m

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

Land use
Arable land: 0.12%
Permanent crops: 0.14%
Other: 99.74% (2005)

Irrigated land: 720 km² (2003)

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; periodic droughts

Geography
Note: strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz a vital transit point for world crude oil


top of page


Population
Note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2006 est.)
Growth rate: 3.234% (2006 est.)
Below poverty line: NA%

Nationality
Noun: Omani
Adjective: Omani

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

Languages: Arabic (official) English Baluchi Urdu Indian dialects

Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75% other (includes Sunni Muslim Shi'a Muslim Hindu) 25%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.7% (male 698,461/female 670,793)
15-64 years: 54.6% (male 1,026,686/female 723,712)
65 years and over: 2.7% (male 47,534/female 37,711) (2006 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 18.9 years
Male: 21.5 years
Female: 16.5 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.234% (2006 est.)

Birth rate: 35.76 births/1000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate: 3.78 deaths/1000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.36 migrant(s)/1000 population (2006 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.041 male/female
15-64 years: 1.419 male/female
65 years and over: 1.26 male/female
Total population: 1.238 male/female (2006 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 18.28 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 20.96 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 15.46 deaths/1000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.62 years
Male: 71.37 years
Female: 75.99 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born/woman (2006 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: 1300 (2001 est.)
Deaths: less than 200 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: NA
Total population: 81.4%
Male: 86.8%
Female: 73.5% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


top of page


Country name
Conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman
Conventional short form: Oman
Local long form: Saltanat Uman
Local short form: Uman
Former: Muscat and Oman

Government type: monarchy

Capital
Name: Muscat
Geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E
Time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 5 regions (manatiq singular - mintaqat) and 4 governorates* (muhafazat singular - muhafazat) Ad Dakhiliyah Al Batinah Al Buraymi* Al Wusta Ash Sharqiyah Az Zahirah Masqat* Musandam* Zufar (Dhofar)*

Dependent areas

Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)

National holiday: Birthday of Sultan QABOOS 18 November (1940)

Constitution: none; note - on 6 November 1996 Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a constitution which among other things clarifies the royal succession provides for a prime minister bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government establishes a bicameral legislature and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens

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

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and security forces are not allowed to vote

Executive branch
Chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government
Head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972)
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary

Legislative branch
Elections: last held 4 October 2003 (next to be held in October 2006)
Election results: NA

Judicial branch
Note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Shari'a law

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: ABEDA AFESD AMF FAO G-77 GCC IBRD ICAO ICCt (signatory) IDA IDB IFAD IFC IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC ISO ITSO ITU LAS MIGA NAM OIC OPCW UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UNWTO UPU WCO WFTU WHO WIPO WMO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad al-MUGHAIRI
In the us chancery: 2,535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 through 1981, 1988
In the us fax: [1] (202) 745-4,933
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Gary A. GRAPPO
From the us embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos, Muscat
From the us telephone: [968] 24-698,989
From the us fax: [968] 24-699,771

Flag description: three horizontal bands of white red and green of equal 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 near the top of the vertical band

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


top of page


Economy overview: Oman is a middle-income economy in the Middle East with notable oil and gas resources a substantial trade surplus and low inflation. Work on a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility progressed in 2005 and will contribute to slightly higher oil and gas exports in 2006. Oman continues to liberalize its markets and joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in November 2000. To reduce unemployment and limit dependence on foreign labor the government is encouraging the replacement of foreign expatriate workers with local workers. Training in information technology business management and English support this objective. Industrial development plans focus on gas resources metal manufacturing petrochemicals and international transshipment ports. In 2005 Oman signed agreements with several foreign investors to boost oil reserves build and operate a power plant and develop a second mobile phone network in the country.

Real gdp purchasing power parity: $40.39 billion (2005 est.)

Real gdp growth rate: 5.6% (2005 est.)

Real gdp per capita: $13,500 (2005 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 2.7%
Industry: 39%
Services: 58.3% (2005 est.)

Agriculture products: dates limes bananas alfalfa vegetables; camels cattle; fish

Industries: crude oil production and refining natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction cement copper steel chemicals optic fiber

Industrial production growth rate: 4.1% (2005 est.)

Labor force: 920,000 (2002 est.)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 15% (2004 est.)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA%

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $14.36 billion
Expenditures: $10.61 billion; including capital expenditures of $N/A (2005 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 8.1% of GDP (2005 est.)

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices: 1.2% (2005 est.)

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: $4.796 billion (2005 est.)

Exports: $19.01 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: petroleum reexports fish metals textiles
Partners: China 21.7% South Korea 19.5% Japan 14.3% Thailand 12.7% UAE 7.1% Taiwan 4.1% (2005)

Imports: $8.709 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactured goods food livestock lubricants
Partners: UAE 22.4% Japan 15.7% UK 7.7% US 6.7% Germany 5.8% India 4.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $4.358 billion (2005 est.)

Debt external: $4.361 billion (2005 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Omani rials per US dollar - 0.3845 (2005) 0.3845 (2004) 0.3845 (2003) 0.3845 (2002) 0.3845 (2001)


top of page


Electricity
Production: 10.3 billion kWh (2003)
Consumption: 9.582 billion kWh (2003)
Exports: 0 kWh (2003)
Imports: 0 kWh (2003)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 16.5 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Consumption: 7.09 billion m³ (2003 est.)
Exports: 7.43 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 829.1 billion m³ (2005)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


top of page


Telephones
Main lines in use: 265,200 (2005)
Mobile cellular: 1.333 million (2005)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable
Domestic: open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
International: country code - 968; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .om
Hosts: 3,555 (2006)
Users: 245,000 (2005)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


top of page


Military expenditures
Percent of gdp: 11.4% (2003)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2001)

Space program

Terrorist groups


top of page


National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 137 (2006)
With paved runways total: 6
With paved runways over 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 1
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2006)
With unpaved runways total: 131
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 52
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 35
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 35 (2006)

Heliports: 1 (2006)

Pipelines: gas 4,072 km; oil 3,405 km (2006)

Railways

Roadways
Total: 34,965 km
Paved: 9,673 km (including 550 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 25,292 km (2001)

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 10,797 GRT/5,040 DWT
By type: passenger 1
Registered in other countries: 2 (Kazakhstan 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals: Mina' Qabus Salalah


top of page


Disputes international: boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in 2003 for entire border including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah exclave but details have not been made public

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs