Oman

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

agricultural land:

4.7%;

• arable land 0.1%;
• permanent crops 0.1%;
• permanent pasture 4.5%

forest:

0%

other:

95.3% (2011 est.)

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

• rising soil salinity;
• beach pollution from oil spills;
• limited natural freshwater resources

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

• 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, a vital transit point for world crude oil

noun:

Omani(s)

adjective:

Omani

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

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.1 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.38 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.14 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.99 male(s)/female

total population:

1.19 male(s)/female (2016 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 apparently dates back at least 2,000 years since an "Omana" is mentioned by Pliny the Elder (1st century A.D.) and an "Omanon" by Ptolemy (2nd century A.D.)

name:

Muscat

geographic coordinates:

23 37 N, 58 35 E

time difference:

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

• 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

amendments:

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; amended 2011 (2016)

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

• 21 years of age;
• universal;
• note - members of the military and security forces by law cannot vote

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 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/appointments:

• members of the Ruling Family Council determine a successor from the sultan's extended family;
• if the Council cannot form a consensus within 3 days of the sultan's death or incapacitation, the Defense Council will relay a predetermined heir as chosen by the sultan

description:

bicameral Council of Oman or Majlis Oman consists of the Council of State or Majlis al-Dawla (85 seats including the chairman; members appointed by the sultan from among former government officials and prominent educators, businessmen, and citizens) and the Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (85 seats; members directly elected in single- and 2-seat constituencies by simple majority popular vote to serve renewable 4-year terms); note - since political reforms in 2011, legislation from the Consultative Council is submitted to the Council of State for review by the Royal Court

elections:

Consultative Assembly - last held on 25 October 2015 (next to be held in October 2019)

election results:

• percent of vote by party - NA;
• seats by party - NA;
• note - organized political parties in Oman are legally banned

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 Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad al-MUGHAIRI (since 2 December 2005)

chancery:

2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 387-1980

FAX:

[1] (202) 745-4933

chief of mission:

Ambassador Marc J. SIEVERS (since 15 December 2016)

embassy:

Jamait Ad Duwal Al Arabiyya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat

mailing address:

P.O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Al Sultan Qaboos, Muscat

telephone:

[968] 24-643-400

FAX:

[968] 24-643-740

• 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;
• white represents peace and prosperity, red recalls battles against foreign invaders, and green symbolizes the Jebel al Akhdar (Green Mountains) and fertility

• dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables;
• camels, cattle;
• fish

agriculture:

NA%

industry:

NA%

services:

NA%

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

• modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations;
• limited coaxial cable;
• domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations

domestic:

fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership both increasing with fixed-line phone service gradually being introduced to remote villages using wireless local loop systems

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 (2016)

• 1 state-run TV broadcaster;
• TV stations transmitting from Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Yemen available via satellite TV;
• state-run radio operates multiple stations;
• first private radio station began operating in 2007 and 2 additional stations now operating (2007)

number of registered air carriers:

1; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 45

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

6,365,784

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

412,234,008 mt-km (2015)

• condensate 106 km;
• gas 4,224 km;
• oil 3,558 km;
• oil/gas/water 33 km;
• refined products 264 km (2013)

total:

60,230 km

paved:

29,685 km (includes 1,943 km of expressways)

unpaved:

30,545 km (2012)

country comparison to the world: 70

total:

51

by type:

general cargo 9, other 42 (2017)

country comparison to the world: 114

major seaport(s):

Mina' Qabus, Salalah, Suhar

container port(s) (TEUs):

Salalah (3,200,000)

LNG terminal(s) (export):

Qalhat