Ruler

H.M Sultan Qaboos bin Said (1970)

Area

82,031 sq mi (212,460 sq km)

Geographic coordinates

21 00 N, 57 00 E, Oman is a 1,000-mile-long (1,700-km) coastal plain at the southeast tip of the Arabian Peninsula lying on the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. The interior is a plateau. 

Location

Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE

Population 

Omani - 1,826,124, Expatriate - 650,924, Total - 2,477,048
(Population based on the year 2001)
* For more information click here

Capital 

Muscat

Monetary unit

Omani Rial

Currency

1 Omani Rial (RO) = 1,000 Baiza 

Exchange rates

Omani Rials (RO) per US$1 - 0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986)

Languages

Arabic (official); also English and Indian languages

Ethnicity/race

Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi) and African

Religion

Islam 95%

Land boundaries

Total: 1,374 km 

Border countries

Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km 

Coastline

2,092 km 

Climate

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

Land and People

For the most part, Oman comprises a narrow coastal plain backed by hill ranges and an interior desert plateau. The highest point is Jebel Shams (c.9, 900 ft/3,018 m). In the extreme north, dates, limes, nuts, and vegetables are cultivated, and in the southwest there is an abundance of cattle and other livestock. Fishing is an important industry. The major product, however, is oil, which was discovered in Oman in 1964 and first exported in 1967. Natural gas production and small copper mines developed in the early 1980s and are a part of Oman's growing industries. The inhabitants are mostly Omani Arabs; there are also minorities of Pakistanis, Indians, Africans, Baluchis, and migrant workers of varied ethnicities.