Brief History:
Oman's history goes back to the very dawn of civilization. The coastal area on the Gulf of Oman is believed to have been the land known to the Sumerians as Magan, from which as early as 3,000 B.C. they were importing copper. In the mid-8th century AD the tribes of northern Oman swept into the rest of Arabia, briefly conquering Medina, where they were subsequently overthrown by the Abbasids. Though defeated, Oman managed to remain relatively free of Abbasid control. The Portuguese occupied Oman for more than a century, until they were expelled by Imam Sultan bin Saif in 1650.
This victory marked the beginning of a great expansion: by the end of the 18th century the Omanis ruled a far-flung empire. In the late 18th century, Oman began its close ties with Great Britain, which still continue. At its peak in the 19th century, under Sultan Said bin Sultan, Oman controlled both Mombasa and Zanzibar and operated trading posts even further down the African coast. It also controlled portions of the Indian subcontinent. Oman was recognized as fully independent in 1951.
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Geography:
Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
Area: Total: 212,460 sq km Land: 212,460 sq km Water: 0 sq km
Land Boundaries: Total: 1,374 km
Natural Resources: Petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Environment - Current Issues: Rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources.
Demographics:
| Population | 2,903,165 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age Structure | 0-14 years: 42.4%
15-64 years: 55.1%
65 years and over: 2.5% |
| Population Growth Rate | 3.35% (2004 est.) |
| Birth Rate | 37.12 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death Rate | 3.91 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net Migration Rate | 0.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex Ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.49 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female
total population: 1.27 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant Mortality Rate | 20.26 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life Expectancy at Birth | total population: 72.85 years
male: 70.66 years
female: 75.16 years (2004 est.) |
| Total Fertility Rate | 5.9 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: NA
total population: 75.8%
male: 83.1% female: 67.2% (2003 est.) |
% of population with access to
safe water |
% of population with access to
adequate sanitation |
| Water - Total | 39 | Sanitation - Total | 92 |
| Water - Urban | 41 | Sanitation - Urban | 98 |
| Water - Rural | 30 | Sanitation - Rural | 61 |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $37.5 billion (2003 est.) |
| GDP - Real Growth Rate | 3.3% (2003 est.) |
| GDP - Per Capita | purchasing power parity - $13,400 (2003 est.) |
| GDP - Composition by Sector | agriculture: 2.1%
industry: 53.4%
services: 44.5% (2002 est.) |
| Inflation Rate (consumer prices) | 0.3% (2003) |
| Labor force | 920,000 (2002 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | Services - NA, Industry - NA, Agriculture - NA |
| Budget | revenues: $9.2 billion
expenditures: $6.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
| Industries | crude oil production and refining, natural gas production, construction, cement, copper |
| Exports | $11.7 billion f.o.b.(2003 est.) |
| Exports commodities | petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles |
| Exports partners | Japan 22.1%, South Korea 19.9%, China 15.2%, Thailand 12.6%, Taiwan 5.5%, Singapore 4.7%, US 4.4% (2002) |
| Imports | $5.659 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.) |
| Imports commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants |
| Imports partners | UAE 27.6%, Japan 16.7%, UK 7.4%, US 6.9%, Germany 5% (2002) |
| Currency | Omani Rial (OMR) |
| Exchange Rates | Omani rials per US dollar - 0.38 (2003), 0.38 (2002), 0.38 (2001), 0.38 (2000), 0.38 (1999) |
The Sultanate is one of the developing countries that has succeeded in achieving, within a very short period of time, a high level of economic growth in the mining, agriculture & fisheries, converting industries, electricity & water, and oil sectors. In addition, construction is the vital sector that plays a significant role in Oman's developments. With respect to foreign trade, the Sultanate enjoys full freedom of import from and export to the international markets. The degree of openness of the Omani economy, reflects the philosophy of the country's economic policy and the extent of its relations with the outer world.
Since the slump in oil prices in 1998/99, Oman has made active plans to diversify its economy and is placing a greater emphasis on other areas of industry, such as tourism and liquid natural gas. By 2020, it is expected that the Sultanate economy will not be reliant on oil, but rather, will have diversified into non-oil sectors, resulting in higher levels of savings and investments.
| Telephones - main lines in use | 227,600 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 464,900 (2002) |
| Telephone system | general assessment:modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable
domestic:open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
international:country code - 968; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) |
| Television broadcast stations | 13 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1999) |
| Internet country code | .om |
| Internet hosts | 676 (2002) |
| Internet users | 180,000 (2002) |
| Highways | total: 34,965 km paved: 9,673 km unpaved: 25,292 km (2001) |
| Waterways | none |
| Pipelines | gas 3,599 km; oil 3,187 km (2003) |
| Ports and harbors | Matrah, Mina' al Fahl, Mina' Raysut |
| Merchant marine | total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 15,430 GRT/6,360 DWT ships by type: passenger 2
registered in other countries: 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports | 135 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 6 |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 129 |
| Heliports | 1 (2003 est.) |
