General
Information
|
Total Land Area: |
309,500 km2 |
|
Land boundaries: |
1,374 km |
|
Coastline: |
2,092 km |
|
Capital: |
Muscat |
|
Other Large
Cities: |
Nizwa (Nazvah),
Samail |
|
Official
Language: |
Arabic |
|
National
Currency Unit: |
Omani Rial (OMR) |
|
National Day: |
November 18 |
Location and
Geography
Oman is located on
the South-eastern
corner of the
Arabian Peninsula.
It is bordered by
Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates
(UAE) in the West,
Yemen in the South,
the Strait of Hormuz
in the North and the
Arabian Sea in the
East. Oman has three
distinct
topographical
features. The first
consists of two
flat, relatively
fertile coastal
strips: one in the
North stretching
from Muscat to the
border with the UAE,
and the other
surrounding the
Southern coastal
town of Salalah. The
second feature
includes two
mountainous regions:
one in the North and
the other bordering
the Salalah plain in
the South. The third
feature is a sandy
wasteland along the
border with Saudi
Arabia. Oman has no
arable land or
permanent crops. The
climate is one of
the hottest in the
world with limited
rainfall and high
humidity.
Demography
|
Population:
|
2.53 million
(2002) |
|
Crude Birth
Rate:
|
26 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Crude Death
Rate:
|
3 per thousand
people (2002) |
|
Infant Mortality
Rate:
|
11 per thousand
(2002) |
|
Life Expectancy:
|
Male: 73 years,
Female: 76 years
(2002) |
|
Urban
Population:
|
77.0 percent
(2002) |
|
Adult Literacy:
|
73.00 percent
(2001) |
Economy
Oman’s economy is
based largely on
income from oil
production and
exports. The other
important natural
resources are
copper, asbestos,
marble, limestone,
chromium, gypsum and
natural gas. Copper
mining and smelting,
oil refining and
cement production
are the major
industries. The
construction
industry has been
developing as well.
Oman has an
excellent highway
system and modern
airports.
Agriculture is at
subsistence level
and represents one
of the major sources
of employment. Date,
lime, banana, wheat
and sorghum are the
main agricultural
products. There are
fisheries in the
Gulf of Oman and the
Arabian Sea. The
tourism industry is
also developing.
|
GDP at Current
Market Prices:
|
20283 million
US$ (2002) |
|
Per Capita GDP:
|
8017 US$ (2002) |
|
Share of Sectors
in GDP:
|
1.4%
Agriculture,
46.6% Industry,
52.0% Services,
(2001) |
|
Total Exports:
|
9290 million US$
(2002) |
|
Total Imports:
|
5709 million US$
(2002) |
|
Major Exports
Items: |
Petroleum, fish,
metals and
textiles |
|
Major Imports
Items: |
Machinery and
transportation
equipment,
manufactured
goods and
foodstuff |
|
Major Trading
Partners: |
UAE, US, Iran,
UK and Japan |
|
