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 of the country;
• another smaller cluster is found around the city of Salalah in the far south;
• most of the country remains sparsely poplulated

• 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:

1.11 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.33 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

1.13 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.92 male(s)/female

total population:

1.18 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

• limited natural freshwater resources;
• high levels of soil and water salinity in the coastal plains;
• beach pollution from oil spills;
• industrial effluents seeping into the water tables and aquifers;
• desertificaiton 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

particulate matter emissions:

38.25 micrograms per cubic meter (2016 est.)

carbon dioxide emissions:

63.46 megatons (2016 est.)

methane emissions:

5.6 megatons (2020 est.)

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

urban population:

87% of total population (2021)

rate of urbanization:

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

municipal:

130 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

industrial:

135 million cubic meters (2017 est.)

agricultural:

1.607 billion cubic meters (2017 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)

etymology:

• the name, whose meaning is uncertain, traces back almost two millennia;
• two 2nd century A.D. scholars, the geographer Ptolemy and the historian Arrian, both mention an Arabian Sea coastal town of Moscha, which most likely referred to Muscat

• 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 by royal decree 2011, 2021

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 HAYTHAM bin Tariq bin Taimur Al-Said (since 11 January 2020); note - the monarch is both chief of state and head of government

head of government:

Sultan and Prime Minister HAYTHAM bin Tariq bin Taimur Al-Said (since 11 January 2020)

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

highest courts:

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 Moosa Hamdan Moosa AL TAI (since 17 February 2021)

chancery:

2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 387-1980

FAX:

[1] (202) 745-4933

email address and website:

[email protected]; https://www.culturaloffice.info/aboutomaniembassy

chief of mission:

Ambassador Leslie M. TSOU (since 19 January 2020)

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/

• three horizontal bands of white (top), 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

Fitch rating:

BB- (2020)

Moody's rating:

Ba3 (2020)

Standard & Poors rating: B+ (2020)

agriculture:

4.7% NA

industry:

49.6% NA

services:

45% NA (2016 est.)

total:

13.7%

male:

10.3%

female:

33.9% (2016)

lowest 10%:

NA

highest 10%:

NA

• 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)

number of registered air carriers:

2 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 57

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

10,438,241 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

510.43 million mt-km (2018)

total:

60,230 km (2012)

paved:

29,685 km (includes 1,943 km of expressways) (2012)

unpaved:

30,545 km (2012)

total:

57

by type:

general cargo 10, other 47 (2021)

major seaport(s):

Mina' Qabus, Salalah, Suhar

container port(s) (TEUs):

Salalah (4,109,000) (2019)

LNG terminal(s) (export):

Qalhat

Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF):

• Royal Army of Oman (RAO), Royal Navy of Oman (RNO), Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO), Royal Guard of Oman (RGO);
• Royal Oman Police (ROP):
  • Civil Defense,
  • Immigration,
  • Customs,
  • Royal Oman Police Coast Guard (2021)

• the SAF's inventory includes a mix of older and some more modern weapons systems from a variety of suppliers, particularly Europe and the US;
• since 2010, the UK and the US are the leading suppliers of arms to Oman (2021)

• the Sultan’s Armed Forces (SAF) have a longstanding security relationship with the British military going back to the 18 th century;
• as of 2021, the SAF and the British maintained a joint training base in Oman and exercised together regularly;
• in 2017, Oman and the British signed an agreement allowing the British military the use of facilities at Al Duqm Port;
• in 2019, the US obtained access to the port