Oman

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.

Oman

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

21 00 N, 57 00 E

Middle East

total: 212,460 sq km

land: 212,460 sq km

water: 0 sq km

slightly smaller than Kansas

total: 1,374 km

border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km

2,092 km

territorial sea: 12 nm

contiguous zone: 24 nm

exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

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

central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south

lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m

highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m

petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas

arable land: 0.12%

permanent crops: 0.14%

other: 99.74% (2005)

720 sq km (2003)

1 cu km (1997)

total: 1.36 cu km/yr (7%/2%/90%)

per capita: 529 cu m/yr (2000)

summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts

rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; limited natural fresh water resources

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

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

Oman

3,311,640

note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2008 est.)

0-14 years: 42.7% (male 721,796/female 692,699)

15-64 years: 54.5% (male 1,053,040/female 752,962)

65 years and over: 2.8% (male 51,290/female 39,853) (2008 est.)

total: 18.9 years

male: 21.3 years

female: 16.6 years (2008 est.)

3.19% (2008 est.)

35.26 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)

3.68 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

0.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.4 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.29 male(s)/female

total population: 1.23 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

total: 17.45 deaths/1,000 live births

male: 19.95 deaths/1,000 live births

female: 14.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)

total population: 73.91 years

male: 71.64 years

female: 76.29 years (2008 est.)

5.62 children born/woman (2008 est.)

0.1% (2001 est.)

1,300 (2001 est.)

fewer than 200 (2003 est.)

noun: Omani(s)

adjective: Omani

Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African

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

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

definition: NA

total population: 81.4%

male: 86.8%

female: 73.5% (2003 census)

total: 12 years

male: 12 years

female: 11 years (2006)

4% (2006)

Oman

conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman

conventional short form: Oman

local long form: Saltanat Uman

local short form: Uman

former: Muscat and Oman

monarchy

name: Muscat

geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E

time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

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)*

1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)

Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940)

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

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

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

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: the monarch is hereditary

bicameral Majlis Oman consists of Majlis al-Dawla or upper chamber (70 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and Majlis al-Shura or lower chamber (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only advisory powers)

elections: last held 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 were elected

Supreme Court

note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Sharia law

none

none

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

chief of mission: Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad al-MUGHAIRI

chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980

FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933

chief of mission: Ambassador Gary A. GRAPPO

embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat

mailing address: P. O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos, Muscat

telephone: [968] 24-643-400

FAX: [968] 24-699771

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

Oman

Oman is a middle-income economy that is heavily dependent on dwindling oil resources, but sustained high oil prices in recent years have helped build Oman's budget and trade surpluses and foreign reserves. Oman joined the World Trade Organization in November 2000 and continues to liberalize its markets. It ratified a free trade agreement with the US in September 2006, and, through the Gulf Cooperation Council, seeks similar agreements with the EU, China and Japan. As a result of its dwindling oil resources, Oman is actively pursuing a development plan that focuses on diversification, industrialization, and privatization, with the objective of reducing the oil sector's contribution to GDP to 9 percent by 2020. Muscat is attempting to "Omanize" the labor force by replacing foreign expatriate workers with local workers. Oman actively seeks private foreign investors, especially in the industrial, information technology, tourism, and higher education fields. Industrial development plans focus on gas resources, metal manufacturing, petrochemicals, and international transshipment ports.

$61.61 billion (2007 est.)

$40.06 billion (2007 est.)

6.4% (2007 est.)

$24,000 (2007 est.)

agriculture: 2.2%

industry: 38.3%

services: 59.5% (2007 est.)

920,000 (2002 est.)

agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

15% (2004 est.)

NA%

lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

5.5% (2007 est.)

20.3% of GDP (2007 est.)

revenues: $13.99 billion

expenditures: $13.68 billion (2007 est.)

3.8% of GDP (2007 est.)

dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish

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

3.2% (2007 est.)

11.89 billion kWh (2005)

fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (2001)

8.661 billion kWh (2005)

0 kWh (2005)

0 kWh (2005)

740,000 bbl/day (2006 est.)

66,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

733,100 bbl/day (2004)

15,440 bbl/day (2004)

4.85 billion bbl (2007 est.)

18.98 billion cu m (2005 est.)

8.795 billion cu m (2005 est.)

10.19 billion cu m (2005 est.)

0 cu m (2005)

795.2 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.)

$3.996 billion (2007 est.)

$22.89 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles

China 23.2%, South Korea 19.2%, Japan 12.2%, Thailand 8.9%, South Africa 8.3%, UAE 6.5%, Taiwan 4.2% (2006)

$11 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants

UAE 19.7%, Japan 18%, US 7.5%, Germany 5.3%, India 4.2% (2006)

$30.68 million (2005)

$9.524 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

$5.297 billion (31 December 2007 est.)

$NA

$NA

$16.16 billion (2006)

Omani rial (OMR)

OMR

Omani rials per US dollar - 0.3845 (2007), 0.3845 (2006), 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004), 0.3845 (2003)

calendar year

Oman

278,300 (2006)

2.5 million (2007)

general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable

domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership both increasing; open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations

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

AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)

1.4 million (1997)

13 (plus 25 repeaters) (1999)

1.6 million (1997)

.om

3,763 (2007)

1 (2000)

319,200 (2006)

Oman

137 (2007)

total: 7

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)

total: 130

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 8

1,524 to 2,437 m: 51

914 to 1,523 m: 35

under 914 m: 34 (2007)

2 (2007)

gas 4,126 km; oil 3,558 km (2007)

total: 34,965 km

paved: 9,673 km (includes 550 km of expressways)

unpaved: 25,292 km (2001)

total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 14,160 GRT/7,390 DWT

by type: chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1

registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 2) (2008)

Mina' Qabus, Salalah

Oman

Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (2008)

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)

males age 16-49: 802,455

females age 16-49: 626,841 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49: 663,881

females age 16-49: 543,410 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49: 34,238

females age 16-49: 33,139 (2008 est.)

11.4% (2005 est.)

Oman

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

current situation: Oman is a destination country for men and women primarily from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan who migrate willingly, but some of whom become victims of trafficking when subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as domestic workers and laborers; mistreatment includes non-payment of wages, restrictions on movement and withholding of passports, threats, and physical or sexual abuse; Oman may also be a destination country for women from Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Africa for commercial sexual exploitation

tier rating: Tier 3 - Oman was rated as Tier 3 for the second consecutive year because it did not report any law enforcement efforts to prosecute and punish trafficking offenses in 2007 and continues to lack victim protection services or a systematic procedure to identify victims of trafficking (2008)