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| Ruler |
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said (1970) |
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said
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| Area |
82,031 sq mi (212,460 sq km) |
| Geographic coordinates |
21 00 N, 57 00 E, Oman is a 1,000-mile-long (1,700-km) coastal plain at the southeast tip of the Arabian Peninsula lying on the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. The interior is a plateau. |
| Location |
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE |
| Population |
2,622,198 (average annual rate of natural increase: 3.4%); birth rate: 38.0/1000; infant mortality rate: 22.5/1000; density per sq mi: 32 (2001 est.) |
| Capital and largest city |
Muscat, 350,000 (1991 est.) |
| Monetary unit |
Omani Rial |
| Currency |
1 Omani Rial (RO) = 1,000 Baiza |
| Exchange rates |
Omani Rials (RO) per US$1 - 0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986) |
| Languages |
Arabic (official); also English and Indian languages |
| Ethnicity/race |
Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi) and African |
| Religion |
Islam 95% |
| Land boundaries |
Total: 1,374 km |
| Border countries |
Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km |
| Coastline |
2,092 km |
| Climate |
Dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south |
| Communications |
- Telephones Main lines in use: 300,000 (1999) |
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- Mobile cellular: 120,000 (1999) |
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- Open wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations |
| International |
- Satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat |
| Radio broadcast stations |
- AM 3, FM 9, short-wave 2 (1999) |
| Radios |
- 1.4 million (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations |
- 13 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1999) |
| Televisions |
- 1.6 million (1997) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) |
- 1 (1999) |
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| Transportation |
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| Railways |
- 0 km |
| Paved Highways |
- 9,840 km (including 550 km of expressways) |
| Unpaved Highways |
- 22,960 km (1996 est.) |
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| Pipelines |
- Crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km |
| Ports and Harbours |
- Muttrah, Mina' al Fahal, Mina' Raysut |
| Airports |
- 142 (1999 est.) |
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| Economic summary |
GDP/PPP (1999 est.): $19.6 billion; per capita $8,000. |
| Agriculture |
Dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish. |
| Natural resources: |
Petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, and natural gas. |
| Exports |
$7.2 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.): petroleum, re-exports, fish, metals, and textiles. Imports: $5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.): machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, and lubricants. |
| Major trading partners |
Japan, China, Thailand, South Korea, U.S., UAE, UK, and Germany. |
| Land and People |
For the most part, Oman comprises a narrow coastal plain backed by hill ranges and an interior desert plateau. The highest point is Jebel Shams (c.9, 900 ft/3,018 m). In the extreme north, dates, limes, nuts, and vegetables are cultivated, and in the southwest there is an abundance of cattle and other livestock. Fishing is an important industry. The major product, however, is oil, which was discovered in Oman in 1964 and first exported in 1967. Natural gas production and small copper mines developed in the early 1980s and are a part of Oman's growing industries. The inhabitants are mostly Omani Arabs; there are also minorities of Pakistanis, Indians, Africans, Baluchis, and migrant workers of varied ethnicities. |
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