Oman
Sultanate of OmanSaltanat Uman
monarchyIndependence 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
Oman as the 2009 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 135 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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.
Geography
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
20 fieldsLand useshare of 309,500 sq km
Location
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
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 1.36 cu km/yr (7%/2%/90%)
- per capita:
- 529 cu m/yr (2000)
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;
- limited natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements
- 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
Geography - note
strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
People
22 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2009 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.05 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.04 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 1.38 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.32 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 1.22 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Government
Monarchy; Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972)
18 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
Capital
- name:
- Muscat
- geographic coordinates:
- 23 37 N, 58 35 E
- time difference:
- UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions
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)*
Constitution
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
Legal system
- based on English common law and Islamic law;
- ultimate appeal to the monarch;
- has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage
- 21 years of age;
- universal;
- note - members of the military and security forces are not allowed to vote
Executive branch
- 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
Legislative branch
bicameral Majlis Oman consists of Majlis al-Dawla or upper chamber (71 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 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
Judicial branch
Supreme Court note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Sharia law
International organization participation
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- 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
Diplomatic representation from the US
- 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
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 near the top of the vertical band
Economy
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.
50 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2008 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
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. 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% by 2020.
Some of these projects may be in jeopardy, however, because Muscat overestimated its ability to produce or secure the natural gas needed to power them. 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. The drop in oil prices and the global financial crisis in 2008 will affect Oman's fiscal position and it may post a deficit in 2009 if oil prices stay low.
In addition, the global credit crisis is slowing the pace of investment and development projects - a trend that probably will continue into 2009.
Labor force
968,800 country comparison to the world: 139 note: about 60% of the labor force is non-national (2007)
Central bank discount rate
0.91% (31 December 2008) · 1.98% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 134
Commercial bank prime lending rate
7.1% (31 December 2008) · 7.29% (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 116
Stock of money
$5.25 billion (31 December 2008) · $5.044 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 54
Stock of quasi money
$14.57 billion (31 December 2008) · $11.04 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 47
Stock of domestic credit
$17.83 billion (31 December 2008) · $13.88 billion (31 December 2007) country comparison to the world: 61
Industries
crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber
Natural gas - proved reserves
849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 29
Current account balance
$5.523 billion (2008 est.) · $1.933 billion (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 32
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$11.58 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $9.524 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Debt - external
$7.68 billion (31 December 2008 est.) · $5.297 billion (31 December 2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 94
Exchange rates
Omani rials (OMR) per US dollar - 0.3845 (2008 est.), 0.3845 (2007), 0.3845 (2006), 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004)
Communications
8 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable
- domestic:
- fixed-line phone service gradually being introduced to remote villages using wireless local loop systems;
- 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 (2007)
Transportation
8 fieldsMerchant marine, 3 ships by typeone square, one ship
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Roadways
- total:
- 42,300 km
country comparison to the world: 85
- paved:
- 16,500 km (includes 550 km of expressways)
- unpaved:
- 25,800 km (2005)
Military
Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat) (2009)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat) (2009)
Military service age and obligation
18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2008)
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsDisputes - international
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
Trafficking in persons
- 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)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Oman.” The World Factbook 2009. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/oman/2009.