Oman

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

• the vast majority of the population is located in and around the Al Hagar Mountains in the north;
• another smaller cluster is found around the city of Salalah in the far south;
• most of the country remains sparsely populated

• consists of Oman proper and two northern exclaves, Musandam and Al Madhah;
• the former is a peninsula that occupies a strategic location adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz

noun:

Omani(s)

adjective:

Omani

total:

27.5 years (2025 est.)

male:

28.1 years

female:

26.3 years

• the vast majority of the population is located in and around the Al Hagar Mountains in the north;
• another smaller cluster is found around the city of Salalah in the far south;
• most of the country remains sparsely populated

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.24 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.87 male(s)/female

total population:

1.16 male(s)/female (2024 est.)

total:

13.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2025 est.)

male:

15.1 deaths/1,000 live births

female:

12.6 deaths/1,000 live births

total population:

77.4 years (2024 est.)

male:

75.5 years

female:

79.4 years

total:

0.47 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

beer:

0.17 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

wine:

0.02 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

spirits:

0.29 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

other alcohols:

0 liters of pure alcohol (2019 est.)

total:

11.6% (2025 est.)

male:

17.9% (2025 est.)

female:

0.4% (2025 est.)

• limited natural freshwater resources;
• high levels of soil and water salinity in the coastal plains;
• beach pollution from oil spills;
• industrial effluents in the water table and aquifers;
• desertification due to high winds driving desert sand into arable lands

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

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

urban population:

88.4% of total population (2023)

rate of urbanization:

2.32% annual rate of change (2020-25 est.)

energy:

673.6 kt (2022-2024 est.)

agriculture:

36.8 kt (2019-2021 est.)

waste:

62.4 kt (2019-2021 est.)

other:

9.9 kt (2019-2021 est.)

municipal solid waste generated annually:

3.308 million tons (2024 est.)

percent of municipal solid waste recycled:

13.9% (2022 est.)

municipal:

130 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

industrial:

238 million cubic meters (2022 est.)

agricultural:

1.547 billion cubic meters (2022 est.)

conventional long form:

Sultanate of Oman

conventional short form:

Oman

local long form:

Saltanat Uman

local short form:

Uman

former:

Sultanate of Muscat and Oman

etymology:

• the origin of the name is uncertain, but it may date back at least 2,000 years, with an "Omana" mentioned by Pliny the Elder (1st century A.D.) and an "Omanon" by Ptolemy (2nd century A.D.);
• it is said to derive from Oman ben Ibrahim al Khalil (Oman ben Kahtan), who founded the state

name:

Muscat

geographic coordinates:

23 37 N, 58 35 E

time difference:

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

etymology:

the name derives from the Arabic name for the city, Masqat, which is said to mean "hidden" and refers to the range of hills that isolate the port city from the rest of the country

• 11 governorates ( muhafazat , singular - muhafaza );
• Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Buraymi, Al Wusta, Az Zahirah, Janub al Batinah (Al Batinah South), Janub ash Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah South), Masqat (Muscat), Musandam, Shamal al Batinah (Al Batinah North), Shamal ash Sharqiyah (Ash Sharqiyah North), Zufar (Dhofar)

history:

promulgated by royal decree 6 November 1996 (the Basic Law of the Sultanate of Oman serves as the constitution); amended by royal decree in 2011

amendment process:

promulgated by the sultan or proposed by the Council of Oman and drafted by a technical committee as stipulated by royal decree and then promulgated through royal decree

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

the father must be a citizen of Oman

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

unknown

chief of state:

Sultan and Prime Minister HAITHAM bin Tarik Al Said (since 11 January 2020)

head of government:

Sultan and Prime Minister HAITHAM bin Tarik Al Said (since 11 January 2020)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the monarch

note: the monarch is both chief of state and head of government

legislature name:

Majles

legislative structure:

bicameral

chamber name:

Shura Council (Majles A'Shura)

number of seats:

90 (all directly elected)

electoral system:

other systems

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

11/1/2023

percentage of women in chamber:

0%

expected date of next election:

October 2027

chamber name:

State Council (Majles Addawla)

number of seats:

87 (all appointed)

scope of elections:

full renewal

term in office:

4 years

most recent election date:

10/29/2023

percentage of women in chamber:

20.9%

expected date of next election:

November 2027

highest court(s):

Supreme Court (consists of 5 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

judges nominated by the 9-member Supreme Judicial Council (chaired by the monarch) and appointed by the monarch; judges appointed for life

subordinate courts:

• Courts of Appeal;
• Administrative Court;
• Courts of First Instance;
• sharia courts;
• magistrates' courts;
• military courts

chief of mission:

Ambassador Talal Sulaiman AL-RAHBI (since 24 July 2025)

chancery:

2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 387-1980

FAX:

[1] (202) 745-4933

email address and website:

[email protected]; Embassy of the Sultanate of Oman, Washington, USA - FM.gov.om

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ana ESCROGIMA (since 4 December 2023)

embassy:

P.C. 115, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Muscat

mailing address:

6220 Muscat Place, Washington DC 20521

telephone:

[968] 2464-3400

FAX:

[968] 2464-3740

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://om.usembassy.gov/

description:

• three equal horizontal bands of white (top), red, and green, with a vertical red band on the left side;
• the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath on top of crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered near the top of the vertical band

meaning:

white stands for peace and prosperity, red for battles against foreign invaders, and green for the Jebel al Akhdar (Green Mountains) and fertility

title:

"Nashid as-Salaam as-Sultani" (The Sultan's Anthem)

lyrics/music:

Rashid bin Uzayyiz al KHUSAIDI/James Frederick MILLS, arranged by Bernard EBBINGHAUS

history:

• adopted 1932;
• new lyrics written after QABOOS bin Said al Said came to power in 1970;
• first performed by the band of the HMS Hawkins as a salute to the Sultan during a 1932 visit to Muscat;
• the ship's bandmaster did the arrangement

total World Heritage Sites:

5 (all cultural)

selected World Heritage Site locales:

• Bahla Fort;
• Archaeological Sites of Bat;
• Land of Frankincense;
• Aflaj Irrigation Systems of Oman;
• Ancient Qalhat

• high-income, oil-based economy;
• large welfare system;
• growing government debt;
• citizenship-based labor force growth policy;
• US free trade agreement;
• diversifying portfolio;
• high female labor force participation

agriculture:

2.6% (2024 est.)

industry:

54.2% (2024 est.)

services:

46.5% (2024 est.)

note: figures may not total 100% due to non-allocated consumption not captured in sector-reported data

total:

13.9% (2024 est.)

male:

11% (2024 est.)

female:

30.9% (2024 est.)

note: % of labor force ages 15-24 seeking employment

on food:

18.7% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

on alcohol and tobacco:

0.1% of household expenditures (2023 est.)

consumption:

82,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

exports:

70,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

imports:

323,000 metric tons (2023 est.)

total petroleum production:

1.056 million bbl/day (2023 est.)

refined petroleum consumption:

218,000 bbl/day (2023 est.)

crude oil estimated reserves:

5.373 billion barrels (2021 est.)

production:

41.726 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

consumption:

28.646 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

exports:

15.536 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

imports:

1.924 billion cubic meters (2023 est.)

proven reserves:

651.287 billion cubic meters (2021 est.)

• 1 state-run TV broadcaster;
• TV stations transmitting from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Iran, and Yemen available via satellite TV;
• state-run radio operates multiple stations;
• first private radio station began operating in 2007, and several additional stations now operating (2019)

total ports:

7 (2024)

large:

0

medium:

1

small:

4

very small:

2

ports with oil terminals:

6

key ports:

Duqm, Khawr Khasab, Mina Al Fahl, Mina Raysut, Sohar

• the SAF's inventory includes a mix of older and some more modern weapons systems from a variety of suppliers, particularly the UK and the US;
• other suppliers have included China, EU countries, South Africa, and Türkiye (2025)