Country: Oman - Geography Total area: 212,460 km2; land area: 212,460 km2 Comparative area: slightly smaller than Kansas Land boundaries: 1,374 km total; Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, PDRY 288 km Coastline: 2,092 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: to be defined; Extended economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: Administrative Line with PDRY; no defined boundary with most of UAE, Administrative Line in far north Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south Terrain: vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south Natural resources: crude oil, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas Land use: NEGL% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 95% other; includes NEGL% irrigated Environment: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and duststorms in interior; sparse natural freshwater resources Note: strategic location with small foothold on Musandam Peninsula controlling Strait of Hormuz (17% of world's oil production transits this point going from Persian Gulf to Arabian Sea) - People Population: 1,457,064 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990) Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1990) Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1990) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990) Infant mortality rate: 105 deaths/1,000 live births (1990) Life expectancy at birth: 56 years male, 58 years female (1990) Total fertility rate: 6.8 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--Omani(s); adjective--Omani Ethnic divisions: almost entirely Arab, with small Balochi, Zanzibari, and Indian groups Religion: 75% Ibadhi Muslim; remainder Sunni Muslim, Shia Muslim, some Hindu Language: Arabic (official); English, Balochi, Urdu, Indian dialects Literacy: 20% Labor force: 430,000; 60% agriculture (est.); 58% are non-Omani Organized labor: trade unions are illegal - Government Long-form name: Sultanate of Oman Type: absolute monarchy; independent, with residual UK influence Capital: Muscat Administrative divisions: none Independence: 1650, expulsion of the Portuguese Constitution: none Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the sultan; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction Executive branch: sultan, Cabinet, State Consultative Assembly Legislative branch: none Judicial branch: none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent civil court system National holiday: National Day, 18 November Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970) Political parties: none Suffrage: none Elections: none Other political or pressure groups: outlawed Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (PFLO), based in South Yemen; small, clandestine Shia fundamentalist groups are active Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Awadh Bader AL-SHANFARI; Chancery at 2342 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 387-1980 through 1982; US--Ambassador Richard BOEHM; Embassy at address NA, Muscat (mailing address is P. O. Box 966, Muscat); telephone 738-231 or 738-006 Flag: three horizontal bands of white (top, double width), red, and green (double 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 at the top of the vertical band - Economy Overview: Economic performance is closely tied to the fortunes of the oil industry. Petroleum accounts for nearly all export earnings, about 70% of government revenues, and more than 50% of GDP. Oman has proved oil reserves of 4 billion barrels, equivalent to about 20 years' supply at the current rate of extraction. Although agriculture employs a majority of the population, urban centers depend on imported food. GDP: $7.8 billion, per capita $6,006; real growth rate - 3.0% (1987 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.0% (1988 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $3.1 billion; expenditures $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.0 billion (1989 est.) Exports: $3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--petroleum, reexports, processed copper, dates, nuts, fish; partners--Japan, South Korea, Thailand Imports: $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities --machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants; partners--Japan, UAE, UK, FRG, US External debt: $3.1 billion (December 1989 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 5.0% (1986) Electricity: 1,130,000 kW capacity; 3,600 million kWh produced, 2,760 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural gas production, construction, cement, copper Agriculture: accounts for 3.4% of GDP and 60% of the labor force (including fishing); less than 2% of land cultivated; largely subsistence farming (dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables, camels, cattle); not self-sufficient in food; annual fish catch averages 100,000 metric tons Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $122 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $92 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $797 million Currency: Omani rial (plural--rials); 1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000 baiza Exchange rates: Omani rials (RO) per US$1--0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986) Fiscal year: calendar year - Communications Highways: 22,800 km total; 3,800 km bituminous surface, 19,000 km motorable track Pipelines: crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km Ports: Mina Qabus, Mina Raysut Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft Airports: 128 total, 119 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 63 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: fair system of open-wire, radio relay, and radio communications stations; 50,000 telephones; stations--3 AM, 3 FM, 11 TV; satellite earth stations--2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT and 8 domestic - Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Oman Police Military manpower: males 15-49, 350,173; 198,149 fit for military service Defense expenditures: 16.5% of GDP, or $1.3 billion (1990 est.)