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.

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

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.)

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

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

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.)

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

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.)

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

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

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

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

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

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 growth rate: 6.1% (1993 est.)

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

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%

Budget: revenues:$4.4 billion

Fiscal year: calendar year

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)

Debt external: $3 billion (1993)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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