Middle East

Oman

The Sultanate of Oman is a country in the southwestern part of Asia, on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates in the northwest, Saudi Arabia in the west, and Yemen in the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea in the south and east, and the Gulf of Oman in the northeast. 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 the UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.

Full country name:Sultanate of Oman
National name: Saltanat Uman
Area: 82,031 sq mi (212,460 sq km)
Population: 3,001,583 (growth rate: 3.3%); birth rate: 36.7/1000; infant mortality rate: 19.5/1000; life expectancy: 73.1; density per sq mi: 37
Capital City: Muscat, 797,000 (metro.area), 54,800 (city proper)
Ethnicity/race: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African
Language:Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Religion: Islam: Ibadhi 75%, Sunni, Shi'a; Hindu
Literacy rate: 76% (2003 est.)
Government: Absolute monarchy.
Head of State: Qabus ibn Said (1970)

History of Oman

The region of Oman was once known by its Sumerian name Magan. Oman constituted one of the Satrapies of the Persian Empire. It was incorporated into that empire around 563 BC.

After Oman's development in the 3rd century BC, the Persians developed an empire in the 4th century BC. This empire lasted until the 7th century AD. In the beginning of the 1st Century AD Arab tribes began to settle in Oman. In 632 the Persian Empire lost power and Oman's Arab character was established.

In the year 751 the Ibadi Muslims established an imamate in Oman. An imamate is a country ruled by an imam, or any ruler who claims that he has descended from the prophet Muhammad. These leaders would exercise spiritual leadership over the country. The Ibadi Muslims are considered by other Muslims to be a branch of the Kharijites. The Kharijites is the earliest Muslim sect which was originally among the supporters of Ali, the fourth caliph of Islam. A caliph is very similar to an imam in definition. The Ibadi imamate survived until the mid-20th Century. More...

Overview of Oman's Economy

GDP: $38.09 billion
GDP per capita: $13,100
Annual Growth: 1.2%
Inflation: 0.2%
Major Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production, construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber.
Major Trading Partners: South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, UAE, Iran, U.S., UK, Germany, India (2003).
Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas.

Also Read: A Brief insight in the Economy of Oman

Political System of Oman

- Politics of Oman
- Government of Oman
- Foreign relations of Oman

Climate, Vegetation and Fauna

- Culture : Although Oman is a modern country, Western influences are quite restricted; the Ibadhi form of Islam...More
- People: About 50% of the population lives in Muscat and the Batinah coastal plain northwest of the capital..More


Gegoraphy


A vast desert plain covers most of central Oman, with mountain ranges along the north (Jebel Akhdar) and southeast coast, where the countries main cities are also located: capital city Muscat, Matrah and Sur in the north, and Salalah in the south. Oman's climate in the interior is hot and dry, but humid along the coast. Oman is considered to be one of the fifteen states that comprise the so-called "Cradle of Humanity". Not all of Oman's borders with the United Arab Emirates are well defined. Exclaves and enclaves: The peninsula of Musandam (Musandem) which has a strategic location on the Strait of Hormuz, is separated from the rest of Oman by the United Arab Emirates and is thus an exclave although not an enclave.

Oman has one other exclave, this time inside UAE territory, known as Wadi-e-Madhah. It is located halfway between the Musandam peninsula and the rest of Oman [1]. The exclave is on the Dubai-Hatta road in the Emirate of Sharjah. Belonging to Wilayat Musandam, it covers approximately 75 km². The boundary was settled in 1969. The north-east corner of Madha is closest to the Khorfakkan-Fujairah road, barely 10 m away. Within the exclave is an UAE enclave called Nahwa, also belonging to the Emirate of Sharjah. It is about 8 km on a dirt track west of the town of New Madha. It consists of about 40 houses with its own clinic and telephone exchange. More..

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