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Geography of Oman

Location:Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
Geographic coordinates:21 00 N, 57 00 E
Map references:Middle East
Area:total: 212,460 sq km
land: 212,460 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:total: 1,374 km
border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
Coastline:2,092 km
Maritime claims:territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Terrain:central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m
Natural resources:petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Land use:arable land: 0.12%
permanent crops: 0.14%
other: 99.74% (2005)
Irrigated land:720 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

Oman Quickstats

  • Population: 3,204,897
  • Area: 212,460 sq km
  • Density: 8.3 /km² (211th)
  • GDP (total): $40.923 million (85th)
  • GDP (per capita): $14,100 (41st)
  • Literacy: 81.4%

Languages of Oman

Useful to know

  • Currency: Rial (OMR)
  • Dial code: +968

International Trade

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