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Oman

2007 Schools Wikipedia Selection. Related subjects: Countries; Middle Eastern
Countries

                   سلطنة عُمان
   Salṭanat ʿUmān
   Sultanate of Oman

   Flag of Oman National Emblem of Oman
   Flag         National Emblem
   Motto: none
   Anthem: Nashid as-Salaam as-Sultani
   Location of Oman
   Capital
   (and largest city)     Muscat
                          23°61′N 58°54′E
     Official languages   Arabic
   Government             Absolute monarchy
    - Sultan              Qaboos bin Said Al Said
        Independence
    - Portuguese expelled 1650
                           Area
    - Total               309,500 km² ( 70th)
                          119,498 sq mi
    - Water (%)           negligible
                        Population
    - July 2005 estimate  2,567,000^1 ( 140th)
    - Density             8.3/km² ( 211th)
                          21.5/sq mi
         GDP ( PPP)       2005 estimate
    - Total               $40.923 billion ( 85th)
    - Per capita          $16,862 ( 41st)
        HDI  (2004)       0.810 (high) ( 56th)
          Currency        Rial ( OMR)
         Time zone        ( UTC+4)
    - Summer ( DST)       ( UTC+4)
        Internet TLD      .om
        Calling code      +968
   ^1 Population estimate includes 577,293 non-nationals.

   The Sultanate of Oman ( Standard Arabic: سلطنة عُمان , Salṭanat ʿUmān
   IPA: [sʌltˤʌnʌt ʕʊmaːn]) is a country in Southwest Asia, on the
   southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab
   Emirates in the northwest, Saudi Arabia in the west, and Yemen in the
   southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea in the south and
   east, and the Gulf of Oman in the northeast. The country also has an
   exclave enclosed by the United Arab Emirates.

History

   The Sultanate of Oman was once known by its Sumerian name Magan. Oman
   constituted one of the Satrapies of the Persian Empire. It was
   incorporated into that empire around 563 BC. This earlier empire was
   succeeded by the Sassanian Empire in the third century AD.

   By the beginning of the first century of the Common Era, Arab tribes
   began to settle in Oman. In 632, the Sassanids lost power and Arab
   dominance in Oman was established.

   In 751, Ibādī Muslims established an imāmate in Oman. Imāms exercised
   spiritual leadership over the country. The Ibādiyya are a branch of the
   Kharijites, the earliest Muslim sect which rejected both potential
   successors to Muħammad's leadership. This imāmate survived in Oman
   proper until the mid-twentieth century.

   Oman has been a centre for traders for centuries. In 1508, the main
   port, Muscat, was captured by the Portuguese, who were expelled in 1650
   . Oman was then taken by the Ottomans in 1659. The Ottomans were driven
   out in 1741, when the present line of sultans was formed by Aħmad ibn
   Saˤīd. However, Oman was occupied by Persia between 1743 and 1746.

   In the early nineteenth century, Muscat and Oman grew to be a major
   power, having possessions in Baluchistan and Zanzibar, but these were
   gradually all lost. The final one, Gwadar, was sold to Pakistan in
   1958. In 1891, Muscat and Oman became a British protectorate, which
   lasted until 1971.

   During 1970, while Oman was still a protectorate, Sultān Saˤīd ibn
   Taymūr was ousted by his son, Sultān Qabūs ibn Saˤīd as-Saˤīd, who has
   reigned since then. Sultān Qabūs has since greatly improved the
   economic situation of the country, remaining in peace with all other
   countries in the Middle East. In 1996, the sultan issued a decree
   promulgating a new basic law that clarifies the royal succession,
   provides for a bicameral advisory council with some limited legislative
   powers and a prime minister and guarantees basic civil liberties for
   Omani citizens.

   Military bases in Oman were used in 2001 by US forces involved in
   ground raids against Taliban forces in Afghanistan and Osama bin Laden.
   In 2003, the lower house of the advisory council was freely elected for
   the first time.

Politics

   Chief of state and government is the hereditary sultān, Qabūs ibn Saˤīd
   as-Saˤīd, who appoints a cabinet to assist him. In the early 1990s, the
   sultan instituted an elected advisory council, the Majlis ash-Shura,
   though few Omanis were eligible to vote.

   Universal suffrage for those over 21 was instituted on 4 October 2003.
   Over 190,000 people (74% of those registered) voted to elect the 83
   seats. Two women were elected to seats.

   The sultan functions as an absolute ruler.

Subdivisions

   Oman is divided into three governorates ( muhafazah) and five regions (
   mintaqat). These regions are subdivided into provinces ( wilayat). The
   governorates and regions are:

   Governorates
          Masqat (Muscat)
          Musandam
          Dhofar
          Al-Buraymi (created October 2006)

   Regions
          Ad Dakhiliyah
          Al Batinah
          Al Wusta
          Ash Sharqiyah
          Az Zahirah ( Ad Dhahirah)

Geography

   Wadi Shab
   Enlarge
   Wadi Shab

   A vast desert plain covers most of central Oman, with mountain ranges
   along the north ( Jebel Akhdar) and southeast coast, where the
   country's main cities are also located: the capital city Muscat, Matrah
   and Sur in the north, and Salalah in the south. Oman's climate is hot
   and dry in the interior and humid along the coast. During past
   millennia Oman was covered by ocean. Fossilized shells exist in great
   numbers in areas of the desert up to 50 miles from the modern
   coastline.

   Oman is considered to be one of the fifteen states that make up the
   so-called " Cradle of Humanity".

Exclaves and enclaves

   The peninsula of Musandam (Musandem), which has a strategic location on
   the Strait of Hormuz, is separated from the rest of Oman by the United
   Arab Emirates and is thus an exclave.

   Oman has one other exclave, this time inside UAE territory, known as
   Wadi-e-Madhah. It is located halfway between the Musandam Peninsula and
   the rest of Oman . The exclave is on the Dubai- Hatta road in the
   Emirate of Sharjah. Belonging to Musandam governorate, it covers
   approximately 75 square kilometres (29  sq mi). The boundary was
   settled in 1969. The north-east corner of Madha is closest to the
   Khorfakkan- Fujairah road, barely ten metres (30  ft) away. Within the
   exclave is an UAE enclave called Nahwa, belonging to the Emirate of
   Sharjah. It is about eight kilometres (five  mi) on a dirt track west
   of the town of New Madha. It consists of about forty houses with its
   own clinic and telephone exchange .

Economy

   Oman's economic hub is its capital Muscat.
   Enlarge
   Oman's economic hub is its capital Muscat.

   The economy of Oman is dominated by its dependence on crude oil. A
   joint venture called IPC drilled a number of dry holes from 1956
   onwards though the logistics of doing this were extremely difficult due
   to the lack of transport infrastructure.

   A lack of success, combined with worsening logistical problems and a
   glut of oil on the world market, led most of the partners to withdraw
   from the venture in 1960. Only Royal Dutch/Shell and Partex opted to
   remain in Oman to continue the search for oil. They struck oil at Fahud
   in 1962 at a site just a few hundreds of metres from the last dry hole.

   In June 1967, the Compagnie Française des Pétroles rejoined the
   partnership by taking over 10% of Partex's equity share, resulting in
   the following shareholding: Shell 85%, Compagnie Française des Pétroles
   10% and Partex 5%. The company changed its name to Petroleum
   Development (Oman). Shortly followed by the first export of Omani oil
   on 27 July 1967.

   On 1 January 1974 the Government of Oman acquired a 25% shareholding in
   the Petroleum Development (Oman); half a year later they increased it
   to 60%, backdated to the beginning of the year. As a result foreign
   shareholding in PD(O) was now made up of Royal Dutch/Shell (34%),
   Compagnie Française des Pétroles (now Total) (4%) and Partex (2%).

   In a Royal Decree of 15 May 1980, the company was registered as a
   limited liability company (LLC) under the name Petroleum Development
   Oman.

   Today Oman produces around 700,000 barrels (110,000 m³) of oil per day
   and there have been significant discoveries of natural gas and
   development of a liquefied natural gas terminal. Oil represents about
   90% of Oman's exports.

   The income generated was quickly deployed into building infrastructures
   of roads, schools, hospitals, water and electricity generating plants.
   All of this activity has made Oman a major success story for economic
   growth despite being the only oil-producing nation in the Middle East
   that is not a member of OPEC.

   Oman's economic performance improved significantly in 2000 due largely
   to the upturn in oil prices. The government is moving ahead with
   privatization of its utilities, the development of a body of commercial
   law to facilitate foreign investment, and increased budgetary outlays.
   Oman continues to liberalise its markets and joined the World Trade
   Organization in November 2000. GDP growth improved in 2001 despite the
   global economic slowdown.

   On 20 July 2006, the U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved a
   US-Oman Free Trade Agreement. Regarding labor rights, the Government of
   Oman made numerous commitments to revise its labor laws to satisfy
   Congressional concerns. With respect to the assertions that the
   Agreement threatend the ability of the United States Government to
   protect its essential national security, the Congressional Research
   Service prepared several papers explaining that such was not the case.
   A recent State Department report criticized Oman for not taking enough
   action to reduce human trafficking but also acknowledged that the
   country "is making significant efforts to do so." The treaty will
   immediately end all duties on trade in industrial and consumer goods
   and give American farmers duty-free access to Oman's market for 87% of
   their products. Proponents of the deal claim that the pact will help
   liberalise the Omani market and open it to U.S. goods.

   US President George W. Bush signed the bill into law on September 26
   2006 .

Demographics

   Oman is the world's easternmost Arabian country. The majority of Omanis
   are Arabs, although there are sizable Baloch and Swahili minorities. As
   in most other Arab countries, a large number of foreign workers live
   here, mostly from India and Pakistan. The official language is Arabic,
   but the minorities speak their own languages. A non-Arabic Semitic
   language Bathari is spoken in Dhofar.

   Islam is the predominant religion, mostly Ibādiyya, with a Sunni
   population in Dhofar. Exact numbers are not certain.The largest
   religious minority are the Hindus which account for 13% of the
   population.

   Retrieved from " http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman"
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   with only minor checks and changes (see www.wikipedia.org for details
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