Oman - geography
Oman's borders with neighboring countries have only been determined for a few
years. The border with Saudi Arabia was finally established and marked in 1992
and with Yemen in 1994; both go through deserts and are the result of
Sultan Qabus' desire for peace for land. The border with the United
Arab Emirates, on the other hand, remains negotiable; it is significantly more
complex because it goes through cities and cultivated areas. A special
detail is Oman's two exclaves, Mahda and Musandam, on the Strait of Hormuz,
where Mahda itself contains territories belonging to the Emirates. The
background for the complex border processes is that the national affiliations
follow family and clan relations from ancient times, when there was free
settlement.
The mountains
The vast majority of Oman is desert, 5% is cultivated land, while 15% is
mountains that in an arc extend from Muscatto Hormuz. Geologically, the mountain
range is a result of the meeting between the Indo-Australian Plate and the Arab
Plate. The Arabian Plate is formed by sea deposits, and in various tectonic
structures now lie some of the world's largest oil fields. Oman, however, holds
only a small fraction of Arabia's oil reserves. In the mountains of Oman, the
former seabed has been pushed up, and the geology here is exposed with a clarity
that only rarely occurs. Everywhere in the mountains you can see spectacular
faults, folds, formations and play of colors. The material is sand and
limestone, which absorbs the abundant and often heavy rainfall according to Arab
conditions. The water is released slowly, and in the mountain valleys a lush and
colorful life takes place. From the springs in the mountains the water is
carried in canals, valleys, to the fields and date plantations, where
it is distributed among the farmers according to an ingenious system that
measures both water volume and time. The time in which the family disposes of
the water of the falah is to this day measured by the sundial.
The capital Muscat is located below the mountains and is probably the warmest
city in the world at night, as the dark rocks act as heat reservoirs under the
scorching sun. On the whole, Oman has an extremely hot climate with regular
temperatures of around 50 °C, and modern city life is strongly influenced by
air conditioning.
The Desert and Dhofar
Especially the middle part of the country consists of desert. Large areas are
so flat and empty that several of Oman's topographical map sheets barely contain
a height curve. Other areas are part of al-Rub al-Khali, the huge 'empty
square' that also covers southern Saudi Arabia. On the edge of this lies one of
the world's largest salt deserts, Umm al-Samim. Elsewhere, there are faults with
300 km long mountain walls in magnificent formations. Towards the Indian Ocean
lies Wahiba, a small sand desert that largely consists of 50 approximately 150 km long
and 50 m high dune range, located parallel and in a north-south direction. In
the deserts, it is almost always a strong wind, and the hot winds set narrow
limits to life.
Further south is the province of Dhofar with the city of Salala, the
country's second largest. The city is surrounded by mountains, and here, as the
only place on the Arabian Peninsula, the monsoon is caught in the summer. In a
limited area, from May to August it is green and lush. The pleasant climate
makes the area a popular holiday destination for the wealthy of the Middle East,
and it is one of the world's few natural habitats for the incense tree, Boswellia
sacra, whose resin is still used for incense and perfume.
Population
It is estimated that the population in 2005 was 2.6 million, of which 27%
were foreigners (guest workers). Each woman gives birth to an average of six
children, giving one of the highest birth rates in the world. The health care
system has been greatly expanded since 1970, both quantitatively and
qualitatively, and child mortality is now on a par with that of the developing
world. The large population growth is recognized as a problem, and state
campaigns for family restriction are being conducted in a form that is unusual
for an Islamic country with TV features about condoms and birth control pills.
- Countryaah:
Do you know how many people there are in Oman? Check this site to see
population pyramid and resident density about this country.
Ethnically, the population is mixed with elements that reflect the long
history as a trading nation. The basic tribe is Arabic, but there are clear
Indian, Pakistani and not least Zanzibar features. A prominent group in southern
Oman is jibbali, which is native to Yemen.
Business and economics
Oman's rapid development has been mainly financed by oil revenues, but
compared to the other Gulf states, oil reserves are very small and great efforts
are being made to develop alternatives in other sectors, especially industry and
tourism.
Oman has 1/2 % of the world's known oil reserves, and
with current production they can reach approximately 20 years. In 2000, a liquefied
natural gas (LNG) plant was inaugurated near the town of Sur SE for Muscat. The
plant, which is the result of significant new gas discoveries, is located
directly by a shipping pier, from where the gas is sailed to customers in
Japan, South Korea and India.
approximately 60% of the population remains employed in agriculture and fisheries,
but a large proportion of the Omani are employed in the public sector (service
and military), which is obviously overcrowded, a deliberate policy of
redistributing oil wealth and reducing unemployment. Manual work is largely left
to guest workers.
Agriculture is only moderately mechanized; Dates are the dominant crop. The
fishing is mainly coastal fishing from smaller dinghies. The industry remains
weakly developed; the most important industries are cement, building materials
and metals.
Infrastructure and tourism
Before 1970, there were 10 km of paved roads in the country, and road
construction has had a high priority in the development under Sultan Qabus. The
expansion has helped to limit the migrations from country to town, which is
otherwise known in developing countries, as there are now both roads and
electricity supply to most villages. Tourism, which has been gradually expanding
since the turn of the millennium, is also dependent on investment in the
necessary infrastructure (hotels, services, maps, road signs).
Oman - language
In Oman, Omani-Arabic is spoken, which belongs to the eastern group of the
dialects of the Arabian Peninsula. In the southwestern province of Dhofar,
moreover, mehri and other southern Arabic languages are
spoken. Official language is standard Arabic, while English is widely used as a
second language. See also Arabic.
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