|
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| 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. |
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