244 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
244 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
OMAN
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 212,460 km2; land area: 212,460 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Kansas
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Land boundaries: 1,374 km total; Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km,
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Yemen 288 km
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Coastline: 2,092 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: to be defined;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: Administrative Line with Yemen; no defined boundary with
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most of UAE, Administrative Line in far north
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Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior;
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strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
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Terrain: vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and
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south
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Natural resources: crude oil, copper, asbestos, some marble,
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limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
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Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 5%; forest and woodland 0%; other 95%; includes
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irrigated NEGL%
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Environment: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and
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duststorms in interior; sparse natural freshwater resources
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Note: strategic location with small foothold on Musandam
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Peninsula controlling Strait of Hormuz (17% of world's oil production
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transits this point going from Persian Gulf to Arabian Sea)
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PEOPLE
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Population: 1,534,011 (July 1991), growth rate 3.5% (1991)
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Birth rate: 41 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 68 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Omani(s); adjective--Omani
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Ethnic divisions: mostly Arab, with small Balochi,
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Zanzibari, and South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) groups
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Religion: Ibadhi Muslim 75%; remainder Sunni Muslim, Shia
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Muslim, some Hindu
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Language: Arabic (official); English, Balochi, Urdu, Indian
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dialects
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Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
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Labor force: 430,000; agriculture (est.) 60%; 58% are non-Omani
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Organized labor: trade unions are illegal
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Sultanate of Oman
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Type: absolute monarchy; independent, with residual UK influence
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Capital: Muscat
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Administrative divisions: there are no first-order administrative
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divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 7 planning
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regions (manatiq takhtitiyah, singular--mintaqah
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takhtitiyah) that include 1 governorate* (muhafazah)
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and 50 districts (wilayat, singular--wilayah);
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al-Batinah--Awabi, Barka, Khabura, Liwa, Musanaa, Nakhl, Rustaq,
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Saham, Shinas, Sohar, Suwaiq, Wadi al-Maawil;
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al-Dakhiliah--Adam, al-Hamra, Bahla, Bidbid, Haima, Izki, Manah,
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Nizwa, Sumail;
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al-Dhahirah--al-Buraimi, Dhank, Ibri, Mhadha, Yanqul;
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al-Janubiah--Dhalqut, Mirbat, Rokhyut, Sadah, Salalah, Shalim,
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Taqa, Thamrait;
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al-Sharqiya--al Kamil and al-Wafi, al-Mudhaiby, al-Qabil,
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Bidiya, Dimaa and Tayin, Ibra, Jaalan Bani Bu Ali,
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Jaalan Bani Bu Hassan, Masirah, Sur, Wadi Bani Khalid;
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Musandam--Daba al-Biya, Bukha, Khasab, Madha;
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Muscat--Muscat*, Quriyat
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Independence: 1650, expulsion of the Portuguese
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Constitution: none
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Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate
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appeal to the sultan; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Executive branch: sultan, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: State Consultative Assembly (advisory
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function only)
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Judicial branch: none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent
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civil court system
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National holiday: National Day, 18 November
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--Sultan and Prime Minister
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QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970)
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Political parties: none
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Suffrage: none
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Elections: none
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Other political or pressure groups: outlawed Popular Front for the
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Liberation of Oman (PFLO), based in Yemen
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Member of: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD,
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ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
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ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
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WHO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Awadh Bader AL-SHANFARI;
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Chancery at 2342 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
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(202) 387-1980 through 1982;
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US--Ambassador Richard W. BOEHM; Embassy at address NA, Muscat
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(mailing address is P. O. Box 50200 Madinat Qaboos, Muscat); telephone
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698-989
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Flag: three horizontal bands of white (top, double width), red,
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and green (double width) with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist
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side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath
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superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered at
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the top of the vertical band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Economic performance is closely tied to the fortunes of
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the oil industry. Petroleum accounts for nearly all export earnings,
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about 80% of government revenues, and roughly 40% of GDP. Oman has
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proved oil reserves of 4 billion barrels, equivalent to about 20 years'
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supply at the current rate of extraction. Although agriculture employs a
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majority of the population, urban centers depend on imported food.
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GDP: $9.2 billion, per capita $5,870 (1990); real growth rate
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- 3.0% (1987 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (1989)
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Unemployment rate: NA%
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Budget: revenues $3.5 billion; expenditures $4.3 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $675 million (1989 est.)
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Exports: $3.9 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--petroleum, reexports, processed copper, dates, nuts,
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fish;
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partners--Japan, South Korea, Taiwan
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Imports: $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
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commodities--machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured
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goods, food, livestock, lubricants;
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partners--UK, UAE, Japan, US
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External debt: $3.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1989), including
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petroleum sector
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Electricity: 1,136,000 kW capacity; 3,650 million kWh produced,
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2,500 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural gas
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production, construction, cement, copper
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Agriculture: accounts for 6% of GDP and 60% of the labor force
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(including fishing); less than 2% of land cultivated; largely subsistence
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farming (dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables, camels, cattle); not
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self-sufficient in food; annual fish catch averages 100,000 metric tons
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $137
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $122 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $797 million
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Currency: Omani rial (plural--rials); 1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000
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baiza
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Exchange rates: Omani rials (RO) per US$1--0.3845 (fixed rate
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since 1986)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 22,800 km total; 3,800 km bituminous surface, 19,000 km
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motorable track
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Pipelines: crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km
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Ports: Mina Qabus, Mina Raysut
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Merchant marine: 1 passenger ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
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4,442 GRT/1,320 DWT
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Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 122 total, 114 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways;
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1 with runways over 3,659 m; 8 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 64 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: fair system of open-wire, radio relay, and
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radio communications stations; 50,000 telephones; stations--3 AM, 3 FM,
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11 TV; satellite earth stations--2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT,
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and 8 domestic
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Oman Police
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 348,849; 197,870 fit for
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military service; 20,715 reach military age (14) annually
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Defense expenditures: $1.0 billion, 12% of GDP (1991)
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