Oman
Sultanate of Oman conventional short form: Oman local long form: Saltanat Uman local short form: Uman former: Muscat and Oman
monarchyIndependence 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
Oman as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 117 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
18 fieldsLocation
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
Climate
- dry desert;
- hot, humid along coast;
- hot, dry interior;
- strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Land use
arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 0% other: 95% (1993 est.)
Natural hazards
summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues
- rising soil salinity;
- beach pollution from oil spills;
- very limited natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note
strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 41.51% (male 554,727; female 533,627) 15-64 years: 56.12% (male 894,978; female 576,672) 65 years and over: 2.37% (male 32,863; female 29,331) (2001 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.55 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female total population: 1.3 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 72.04 years male: 69.9 years female: 74.29 years (2001 est.)
Government
Monarchy; Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970)
20 fieldsCountry name
conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman conventional short form: Oman local long form: Saltanat Uman local short form: Uman former: Muscat and Oman
Administrative divisions
- 6 regions (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah) and 2 governorates* (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat, Musandam*, Zufar*;
- note - the US Embassy in Oman reports that Masqat is a governorate, but this has not been confirmed by the US Board of Geographic Names (BGN)
Constitution
none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a new basic law 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
in Oman's most recent elections in 2000, limited to approximately 175,000 Omanis chosen by the government to vote in elections for the Majlis ash-Shura
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970);
- 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 (since 23 July 1970);
- note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none;
- the monarch is hereditary
Legislative branch
bicameral Majlis Oman consists of an upper chamber or Majlis al-Dawla (48 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and a lower chamber or Majlis al-Shura (83 seats; members elected by limited suffrage, however, the monarch makes final selections and can negate election results; body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only advisory powers) elections: last held NA September 2000 (next to be held NA September 2003) election results: NA; note - two women were elected for the first time to Majlis al-Shura, about 100,000 people voted
Judicial branch
Supreme Court note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has non-Islamic judges as well as traditional Islamic judges
International organization participation
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador Abdallah bin Muhammad bin Aqil al-DHAHAB chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 through 1981, 1988
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador John B. CRAIG embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat mailing address: international: P. O. Box 202, Code No. 115, Medinat Al-Sultan Qaboos, Muscat telephone: [968] 698989
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 at the top of the vertical band
Economy
Oman's economic performance improved significantly in 2000 due largely to the upturn in oil prices.
32 fieldsElectricity
Economy - overview
Oman's economic performance improved significantly in 2000 due largely to the upturn in oil prices. The government is moving ahead with privatization of its utilities, the development of a body of commercial law to facilitate foreign investment, and increased budgetary outlays. Oman continues to liberalize its markets and joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO) in November 2000.
Budget
revenues: $4.7 billion expenditures: $5.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $490 million (1999)
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- modern system consisting of open wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations;
- limited coaxial cable domestic: 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
Transportation
10 fieldsHighways
total: 32,800 km paved: 9,840 km (including 550 km of expressways) unpaved: 22,960 km (1996)
Merchant marine
total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,167 GRT/11,307 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways
total: 6 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways
total: 137 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 56 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.)
Military
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes Royal Oman Police)
7 fieldsTransnational Issues
1 fieldDisputes - international
boundary with the UAE has not been bilaterally defined; northern section in the Musandam Peninsula is an administrative boundary
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Oman.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/oman/2001.