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.

Geographic coordinates: 21 00 N 57 00 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 309,500 km²
Rank: 70
Land: 309,500 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas

Land boundaries
Total: 1374 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)

Total renewable water resources: 1 km³ (1997)

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

Population: 2,967,717
Rank: 136
Note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2010 est.)
Growth rate: 1.996% (2010 est.)
Growth rate rank: 59
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 Shia Muslim Hindu) 25%

Age structure
0-14 years: 42.7%
15-64 years: 54.5% (male 1,079,511/female 783,243)
65 years and over: 2.8% (male 55,180/female 41,770) (2010 est.)

Median age
Total: 23.9 years
Male: 25.4 years
Female: 22.1 years (2010 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.996% (2010 est.)
Rank: 59

Birth rate: 23.9 births/1000 population (2010 est.)
Rank: 69

Death rate: 3.47 deaths/1000 population (July 2010 est.)
Rank: 215

Net migration rate: -0.48 migrant(s)/1000 population (2010 est.)
Rank: 143

Urbanization
Urban population: 72% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)

Environment
Current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; 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

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.34 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female
Total population: 1.23 male(s)/female (2010 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 16 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 118
Male: 16.28 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 15.71 deaths/1000 live births (2010 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.97 years
Rank: 105
Male: 72.15 years
Female: 75.88 years (2010 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.87 children born/woman (2010 est.)
Rank: 72

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2001 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 144
People living with hivaids: 1300 (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids rank: 141
Deaths: fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
Deaths rank: 121

Education expenditures: 4% of GDP (2006)
Rank: 107

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

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 11 years
Male: 11 years
Female: 11 years (2008)

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 (Muscat)* Musandam* Zufar (Dhofar)*

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

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 ; 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: the monarchy is hereditary

Legislative branch: bicameral Majlis Oman consists of Majlis al-Dawla or upper chamber (71 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has only advisory powers and Majlis al-Shura or lower chamber (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; body has only advisory powers)
Elections: last held on 27 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011)
Election results: new candidates won 46 seats and 38 members of the outgoing Majlis kept their positions; none of the 20 female candidates was elected

Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Note: the nascent civil court system administered by region has judges who practice secular and sharia law

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: ABEDA AFESD AMF FAO G-77 GCC IAEA IBRD ICAO IDA IDB IFAD IFC IHO ILO IMF IMO IMSO Interpol IOC IPU 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
In the us fax: [1] (202) 745-4,933
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Richard J. SCHMIERER
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] 24-643-400
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; white represents peace and prosperity red recalls battles against foreign invaders and green symbolizes the Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountains) and fertility

National anthem
Name: 'Nashid as-Salaam as-Sultani'
Lyricsmusic: Rashid bin Uzayyiz al KHUSAIDI/James Frederick MILLS arranged by Bernard EBBINGHAUS
Note: adopted 1932; new words were written after QABOOS bin Said al Said gained power in 1970; the anthem was first performed by the band of a British ship as a salute to the Sultan during a 1932 visit to Muscat; the bandmaster of the HMS Hawkins was asked to write a salutation to the Sultan on the occasion of his visiting the ship

Economy overview: Oman is a middle-income economy that is heavily dependent on dwindling oil resources. Because of declining reserves Muscat has actively pursued a development plan that focuses on diversification industrialization and privatization with the objective of reducing the oil sector's contribution to GDP to 9% by 2020. Tourism and gas-based industries are key components of the government's diversification strategy. By using enhanced oil recovery techniques Oman succeeded in increasing oil production giving the country more time to diversify and the increase in global oil prices thoughout 2010 provides the government greater financial resources to invest in non-oil sectors.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 80
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 95

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 52
Note: data are in 2010 US dollars

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.4%
Industry: 48.2%
Services: 50.3% (2010 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: 4.5% (2010 est.)
Rank: 74

Labor force: 968,800
Rank: 142
Note: about 60% of the labor force is non-national (2007)
By occupation agriculture: NA%
By occupation industry: NA%
By occupation services: NA%

Unemployment rate: 15% (2004 est.)
Rank: 151

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Public debt: 5.5% of GDP (2009 est.)
Rank: 129

Inflation rate consumer prices: 3.5% (2009 est.)
Rank: 117

Central bank discount rate: 0.91% (31 December 2008)
Rank: 135

Commercial bank prime lending rate: 7.1% (31 December 2008 est.)
Rank: 127

Stock of narrow money: $6.15 billion (31 December 2009 est)
Rank: 78

Stock of broad money: $20.52 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 80

Stock of domestic credit: $19.34 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 75

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 63

Current account balance: -$2.143 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 39

Exports: $27.65 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 60
Commodities: petroleum reexports fish metals textiles
Partners: China 26.98% South Korea 17.19% Japan 12.12% UAE 11.23% Thailand 7.64% (2009)

Imports: $16.13 billion (2009 est.)
Rank: 73
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment manufactured goods food livestock lubricants
Partners: UAE 22.9% Japan 13.99% US 6.46% China 5.64% India 5.27% France 5.19% South Korea 4.65% (2009)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: $12.2 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 48

Debt external: $7.061 billion (31 December 2009 est.)
Rank: 90

Stock of direct foreign investment at home: $NA

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad: $NA

Exchange rates: Omani rials (OMR) per US dollar - 0.3845 (2010) 0.3845 (2009) 0.3845 (2008) 0.3845 (2007) 0.3845 (2006)

Electricity
Production: 13.58 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Production rank: 83
Consumption: 11.36 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Consumption rank: 83
Exports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)
Imports: 0 kWh (2008 est.)

Natural gas
Production: 24 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Production rank: 28
Consumption: 13.46 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Consumption rank: 41
Exports: 10.89 billion m³ (2008 est.)
Exports rank: 19
Imports: 350 million m³ (2008 est.)
Imports rank: 61
Proven reserves: 849.5 billion m³ (1 January 2010 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 28

Telephones
Main lines in use: 300,100 (2009)
Main lines in use rank: 114
Mobile cellular: 3.971 million (2009)
Mobile cellular rank: 104

Telephone system
General assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire microwave and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable; domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
Domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership both increasing with fixed-line phone service gradually being introduced to remote villages using wireless local loop systems
International: country code - 968; the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) and the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable provide connectivity to Asia the Middle East and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) 1 Arabsat (2008)

Broadcast media: 1 state-run TV broadcaster; TV stations transmitting from Saudi Arabia the UAE and Yemen are accessible via satellite TV; state-run radio operates multiple stations; first private radio station began operation in 2007 and 2 additional stations now operating (2007)

Internet
Country code: .om
Hosts: 9,114 (2010)
Hosts rank: 126
Users: 1.465 million (2009)
Users rank: 83

Military expenditures: 11.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Rank: 1

Military service age and obligation: 18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2010)

Airports: 130 (2010)
Rank: 45
With paved runways total: 11
With paved runways over 3047 m: 6
With paved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 4
With paved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2010)
With unpaved runways total: 119
With unpaved runways over 3047 m: 2
With unpaved runways 2438 to 3047 m: 7
With unpaved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 51
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 33
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 26 (2010)

Heliports: 3 (2010)

Pipelines: gas 4,209 km; oil 3,558 km; refined products 263 km (2009)

Roadways
Total: 68,467 km
Rank: 69
Paved: 23,223 km (includes 1384 km of expressways)
Unpaved: 30,207 km (2008)

Merchant marine
Total: 4
Rank: 134
By type: chemical tanker 1 passenger 1 passenger/cargo 2
Registered in other countries: 9 (Panama 8 Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1) (2010)

Ports and terminals: Mina' Qabus Salalah Suhar

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 of the alignment have not been made public