Oman
A country of the Middle East, Oman is known for its rocky deserts and tradition of sea trading. It is an Arab sultanate, or monarchy. Once a mainly rural nation, Oman became increasingly modernized in the last decades of the 20th century. The capital is Muscat.
Oman covers an area of 119,500 square miles (309,500 square kilometers). It lies on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. To the southwest is Yemen, to the west is Saudi Arabia, and to the northwest is the United Arab Emirates. Oman has coasts on the Arabian Sea in the east and south and the Gulf of Oman in the north. A small part of the country lies to the north of the United Arab Emirates.
Oman is generally very hot and dry. About three fourths of the country is covered by rocky desert. The only fertile, well-populated parts of Oman are coastal plains in the northeast and southwest. Humidity is high in these areas. The Al-Hajar Mountains run in a southeast direction near the Gulf of Oman coast. They rise to a height of 10,086 feet (3,074 meters) at Mount Al-Akhdar. Mountains in the southwest separate the coastal plain from the desert interior. The country has no permanent bodies of freshwater.
Few plants and animals can live in Oman's harsh climate. The southwestern corner of the country is unusual because it receives enough rainfall for tropical vegetation to grow. Since ancient times this region has been known for producing a substance called frankincense, which is taken from its trees. The little natural vegetation that exists elsewhere in Oman consists mostly of acacia trees. The government protects the country's rare animals, such as the Arabian oryx (a type of antelope), Arabian leopard, and mountain goat. Birds living in the southwest include gray-headed kingfishers, herons, and flamingos.
Most of the people of Oman are Arabs. Many are descended from the Bedouins, who have roamed the Arabian Desert for centuries. The population also includes many people from such Asian countries as India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh as well as from East Africa. Most of these people arrived in Oman after 1970 to work in oil, agriculture, and other industries. Arabic is the official language, but many people speak English or other languages. Most of the people are Muslim.
In the 20th century Oman changed from a mostly rural country into a largely urban one. At the start of the 21st century more than 80 percent of Omanis lived in cities or towns. Muscat, the capital, is the heart of a large urban area that is home to more than a third of the country's population. Matrah, just west of Muscat, has been a trading center since Oman's early history. Salalah, on the southwestern coast, is known for its marketplaces and beaches.
Oman's economy depends heavily on the oil industry. Oil accounts for most of the country's exports. Natural gas is also a major resource. Manufacturing in Oman is small in scale. Cement, textiles, food and beverages, and chemicals are among the products.
Very little of Oman's land is suitable for farming. Some dates and limes are exported, but most crops are grown for use at home. Date palms grow mainly on the northern coastal plain. Agriculture depends largely on an irrigation system in which a water channel called a falaj carries water to the fields. Cattle, goats, sheep, and camels are raised. Fishing in the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea is a source of food.
People have lived in what is now Oman for at least 10,000 years. The ancient Omanis produced and shipped frankincense to the Middle East and the Mediterranean region. Arabs first migrated to Oman in the 9th century BC. Most of them converted to Islam in the 7th century AD. All of Oman was ruled by Muslim leaders known as imams until 1154, when a dynasty of sultans, or kings, began to rule the coastal areas, including Muscat. For many centuries Oman saw a series of conflicts between the imams of the interior and the dynasties of the coast.
Because vast deserts separate Oman from the rest of the Arabian Peninsula, Omanis turned eastward to the sea for trade and travel. By the 15th century Omani traders had ranged as far as China. Portugal gained control of the Omani coast in 1507, but the Portuguese were forced to leave in 1650. The Al Bu Saʿid dynasty, founded in the mid-18th century, still rules Oman. Their empire extended into East Africa. For a time the Omani capital was in Zanzibar, which is now part of Tanzania. After 1861 Oman and Zanzibar were ruled separately.
The tribes of the Omani interior often fought with the ruling dynasty in support of the imams. With help from British troops, the last imam was forced out of Oman in 1959. In 1970 the ruling sultan's son, Qabus ibn Saʿid, rebelled against his father and took control of the government. The new sultan changed the name of the country from Muscat and Oman to the Sultanate of Oman. He began a program of modernization and economic development and expanded Oman's relationships with other countries. Qabus ibn Saʿid continued to rule into the 21st century. Population (2000 estimate), 2,416,000.
