Detailed Description of Oman

Contents:-

I. INTRODUCTION
I. LAND AND RESOURCES
    A. Climate
III. POPULATION
    A. Religion and Language
    B. Education
IV. ECONOMY
    A. Agriculture and Fishing

    B. Manufacturing

    C. Petroleum
    D. Currency
    E. Trade
    F. Transport
    G. Communications
V. GOVERNMENT
    A. Health and Welfare
    B. Defence
    C. International Organizations
VI. HISTORY
    A. US Alliance

Description:-

I  INTRODUCTION

Oman, independent state in the Middle East, extending about 1,610 km (1,000 mi) along the south-eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, bordered on the north by the Gulf of Oman, on the east and south by the Arabian Sea, the south-west by the Republic of Yemen, the west by the Rub‘ al Khali ("Empty Quarter") of Saudi Arabia, and to the north-west by the United Arab Emirates. The country’s territory also includes the northern tip of the strategic Ra’s (Cape) Musandam, which juts between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman; this portion is separated from the rest of the country by territory of the United Arab Emirates. The country’s interior boundaries are not demarcated. Oman has an area of about 309,500 sq km (119,500 sq mi). The capital is Muscat, also known as Masqat.

II  LAND AND RESOURCES

Oman falls naturally into three physical divisions: a narrow coastal plain, ranges of mountains and hills, and an interior plateau. The coastal plain along the Gulf of Oman is known as al-Batinah and is the country’s principal agricultural region. Inland from the plain lie the Akhdar Mountains (Green Mountains), where some peaks reach elevations in excess of 3,000 m (9,843 ft). The coastal plain extending south along the Arabian Sea is largely barren, although some cultivation takes place in the Dhofar region of the extreme south-west. The principal natural resource is petroleum. Other known mineral resources include copper, asbestos, and marble.

A  Climate

The climate of Oman is generally hot and arid; however, the humidity along the coast is high. The average annual temperature is about 28.3° C (83° F). The average annual rainfall is generally less than 102 mm (4 in).

III  POPULATION

Oman has a population of 2,622,198 (2001). The overall population density is only about 8 people per sq km (22 per sq mi). Muscat has a population of 635,000 (1995 estimate); the adjacent town of Matrah is a leading port. In 2001 average life expectancy at birth was 70 years for men and 74 years for women. The population is overwhelmingly Arab, but significant minorities of Indians, Pakistanis, East Africans, and other expatriate workers are found in the principal ports.

A  Religion and Language

The majority of the population is Ibadhi Muslim; Sunni Muslims form the other major religious group. Arabic is the official language.

B  Education

Education is free, though not compulsory. The national educational programme expanded rapidly during the 1970s and the 1980s; in 1997-1998 313,516 students attended primary schools while some 217,246 were enrolled at secondary schools. There are also extensive programmes to combat adult illiteracy. Sultan Qabus University, a national university near Muscat, opened in 1986; in 1995 it had 4,296 students. In 1995, 4.5 per cent of the country’s gross national product (GNP) was spent on education. The adult literacy rate in 2001 was 98.3 per cent.

IV  ECONOMY

The economy of Oman is based around the oil industry, underpinned by traditional subsistence agriculture. Oil revenues are the principal contributor to national wealth; petroleum accounts for nearly 80 per cent of export earnings, about 75 per cent of government revenues, and roughly 40 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP). Industrial production increased in the 1990s, rising by 15.5 per cent (of GDP) in 1993 and by 5.6 per cent in 1994. Oman has not joined the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), and instead sells its oil without quotas. The country has tried to diversify its economy away from overdependence on oil reserves, which are finite, and to encourage inward investment. The economy depends greatly on foreign workers. In 1998 the estimated national budget figures showed US$3,679 million in revenue and US$4,734 million in expenditure. The GNP of Oman was US$10,552 million (World Bank Figure; 1993-1995 prices) in 1998, or about US$4,940 per capita.

A  Agriculture and Fishing

Agriculture is dominated by the cultivation of export crops, primarily dates and limes. Some grains and vegetables are grown for local consumption, but most food must be imported. Prospects for future agricultural development depend mainly on water supply, and over-pumping of ground water is a continuing problem. Ocean-fishing is a significant resource: the total fish catch in 1997 was around 117,049 tonnes.

B  Manufacturing

Oman’s industrial base is relatively small, with manufacturing contributing around 5 per cent of its GDP in the mid-1990s, following a government-instituted series of development plans to expand this. Industries include petroleum-refining and construction materials. Electricity production is by thermal generation: annual output in 1999 was 8.6 billion kWh.

C  Petroleum



D  Currency

The monetary unit of Oman is the Omani rial of 1,000 baiza (0.385 rials equal US$1; 2001).

E  Trade

Foreign trade is dominated by oil-exporting: exports in 1999 totalled approximately US$7,213 million (76 per cent fuels), while imports totalled US$4,674 million, mostly transport and construction equipment and manufactured goods. Principal trade partners include Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, South Korea, and Singapore.

F  Transport

Oman has no railways. A road-building programme was undertaken in the 1970s and 1980s, and most settlements are linked by a network of graded roads; Oman had a total of 32,800 km (20,381 mi) of roads in 1998, 30 per cent of which were paved. There were also 97 passenger cars per 1,000 people. Port facilities are near Masqaþ and Raysut (where a major new shipping terminal opened in 1998); Mina’ al-Fa?l is the leading oil terminal. There is an international airport at Seeb, near Muscat.

G  Communications

Oman has 4 daily newspapers, two in English. In 1999 there were approximately 90 telephones per 1,000 people, as part of a modern telecommunications system. There are 9 television broadcast stations, 1,600,000 televisions, and 1,400,000 radios in Oman.

V  GOVERNMENT

Oman is ruled by a sultan, who is advised by an appointed Cabinet, as well as an advisory council of 59 regional representatives. The country has no constitution, legislature, or political parties. No material that criticizes the government may be published. The judicial system is based on Islamic Shari’ah law. A chief court and court of appeals are located in Muscat.

A  Health and Welfare

In 1999 there were 2,362 people per doctor while in 2001 Oman had an infant mortality rate of 23 deaths per 1,000 live births; 7 per cent of government expenditure was spent on health care in 1998.

B  Defence

Defence spending in Oman was increased in response to the Gulf War, amounting to 32 per cent of government expenditure in 1998. The armed forces consist of an army of some 25,000 personnel, a navy of 4,200, and an air force of 4,100. There are around 3,700 expatriate personnel.

C  International Organizations

Oman is a member of the UN, the Arab League, and the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC).

VI  HISTORY

In ancient times the Dhofar region was famous for its incense, which was sold throughout the Old World. In the early 3rd century ad an Arab chief from Hira in Mesopotamia founded a kingdom in Oman that retained its independence until the first caliphate. The Omanis accepted Islam in the 7th century and elected their first imam in 751. In the 10th century the Qarmatians conquered the country, and it was later occupied by the Seljuks.

The Portuguese in 1507 were the first Europeans to arrive. They captured Muscat but were contested by the British, the Dutch, and the Iranians. The Portuguese were driven out of Muscat in 1650, and in 1741 Imam Ahmed bin Said, founder of the present dynasty, expelled the Iranians. In 1861 the ruler took the title of sultan. Special relations with Great Britain were established in the late 19th century.

In 1913 rivalry between the imam and the sultan broke out in rebellion, with inland tribes supporting the imam. Peace was restored in 1920 and lasted until 1954, when a succeeding imam began a new rebellion, aided by Egypt and Saudi Arabia. With British help, however, the Sultan’s forces put down the rebellion by 1959.

The ruling sultan, Said bin Taimur, who acceded to the throne in 1932, was overthrown by his son, Qabus bin Said, in a palace coup in 1970. The new ruler liberalized the regime and increased spending on development. He changed the name of the country from Muscat and Oman to Oman to symbolize its unity, but was long plagued by a divisive guerrilla war waged by Marxist rebels in the Dhofar supported by the People’s Democratic Republic of Yemen.

A  US Alliance

Concerned about the country’s safety after the Iranian revolution and the invasion of Afghanistan by the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) in 1979, and faced with growing Soviet influence in the area, the sultan in 1980 signed an agreement with the United States providing for military assistance in return for US access to Omani bases. Defence agreements with neighbouring Arab states were made in 1982. Oman was also part of the UN-mandated, 28-nation alliance that defeated Iraq in the Gulf War in 1991, and provided communications to US and UK forces during the conflict.

Oman’s relations with Israel improved during the mid-1990s at the time of the Peres government. In 1994 Oman’s partial economic boycott of Israel was ended, and discussions on the Middle East peace process were opened. The country maintains good relations with the West, as well as with Iran, while also calling for sanctions on Iraq to be eased.

In November 1997 the Sultan set up a succession procedure that compels the royal family to agree on a successor within three days, or accept the chosen candidate of the late sultan.

Relations between Oman and Iran improved at the end of 1998, when both countries agreed to exchange experts and develop military cooperation. An ongoing dispute over a contentious border section between Oman and the United Arab Emirates was settled in early 2000.