Oman

"عُمان" redirects here. For the city with the same spelling in Arabic, see Amman.
Sultanate of Oman
سلطنة عُمان (Arabic)
Salṭanat ʿUmān
Flag of Omannnn
Flag
Emblem of Omannnn
Emblem
Anthem: نشيد السلام السلطاني
"as-Salām as-Sultānī"
"Sultanic Salutation"
Location of Oman (dark green)
Location of Oman (dark green)
Capital
and largest city
Muscat
23°35′20″N 58°24′30″E / 23.58889°N 58.40833°E / 23.58889; 58.40833
Official languagesArabic[1]
Religion
(2024)
Demonym(s)Omani
GovernmentUnitary Islamic absolute monarchy
• Sultan
Haitham bin Tariq
Theyazin bin Haitham
LegislatureCouncil of Oman
• Upper house
Council of State (Majlis al-Dawla)
• Lower house
Consultative Assembly (Majlis al-Shura)
Establishment
• Azd tribe migration
130
• Al-Julandie
629
• Imamate established[3]
751
1154
1507–1656
1624
1744
8 January 1856
• Sultanate of Oman
9 August 1970
6 November 1996 (established); 2011 (amended); 2021 (amended)[4]
Area
• Total
309,500 km2 (119,500 sq mi) (70th)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2021 estimate
4,520,471[5][6] (125th)
• 2010 census
2,773,479[7]
• Density
15/km2 (38.8/sq mi) (177th)
GDP (PPP)2023 estimate
• Total
Increase $200.295 billion[8] (78th)
• Per capita
Increase $39,336[8] (71st)
GDP (nominal)2023 estimate
• Total
Decrease $108.282 billion[8] (66th)
• Per capita
Decrease $21,265[8] (55th)
Gini (2018)30.75[9]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.819[10]
very high (59th)
CurrencyOmani rial (OMR)
Time zoneUTC+4 (GST)
DST is not observed.
Date formatdd.mm.yyyy
Drives onright
Calling code+968
Internet TLD.om, عمان.
Website
www.oman.om

Oman,[b] officially the Sultanate of Oman,[c] is a country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia. It overlooks the mouth of the Persian Gulf. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. The capital and largest city is Muscat. Oman has a population of about 5.28 million as of 2024, which is a 4.60% population increase from 2023.[11] and is the 123rd most-populous country. The coast faces the Arabian Sea on the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by United Arab Emirates on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and the Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.

From the 17th century, the Omani Sultanate was an empire, vying with the Portuguese and British empires for influence in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence and control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar.[12] In the 20th century, the sultanate came under the influence of the United Kingdom. For over 300 years, the relations built between the two empires were based on mutual benefit. The UK recognized Oman's geographical importance as a trading hub that secured British trading-lanes in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean and protected London's interests in the Indian sub-continent. Oman is an absolute monarchy led by a sultan, with power passed down through the male line. Qaboos bin Said was the Sultan from 1970 until his death on 10 January 2020.[13] Qaboos, who died childless, had named his cousin, Haitham bin Tariq, as his successor in a letter, and the ruling family confirmed him as the new Sultan of Oman.[14]

Formerly a maritime empire, Oman is the oldest continuously independent state in the Arab world.[15][16] It is a member of the United Nations, the Arab League, the Gulf Cooperation Council, the Non-Aligned Movement, and the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. It has oil reserves ranked 22nd globally.[15][17] In 2010, the United Nations Development Programme ranked Oman as the most-improved country in the world in terms of development during the preceding 40 years.[18] A portion of its economy involves tourism and trading fish, dates and other agricultural produce. The World Bank categorizes Oman as a high-income economy and as of 2023 Oman ranks as the 48th most peaceful country in the world according to the Global Peace Index.[19]

  1. ^ "Basic Statute of the State promulgated by Royal Decree 101/96". MINISTRY OF JUSTICE AND LEGAL AFFAIRS. Archived from the original on 7 July 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. ^ "National Profiles".
  3. ^ Oman. MSN Encarta. Archived from the original on 28 October 2009. Retrieved 20 November 2008. In 751 Ibadi Muslims, established an imamate in Oman. Despite interruptions, the Ibadi imamate survived until the mid-20th century.
  4. ^ "Oman". Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 15 July 2010. Retrieved 31 December 2021.
  5. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022". United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  6. ^ "World Population Prospects 2022: Demographic indicators by region, subregion and country, annually for 1950-2100" (XSLX) ("Total Population, as of 1 July (thousands)"). United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  7. ^ "Final Results of Census 2010" (PDF). National Center for Statistics & Information. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 7 January 2012.
  8. ^ a b c d "World Economic Outlook Database, October 2023 Edition. (Oman)". IMF.org. International Monetary Fund. 10 October 2023. Retrieved 13 October 2023.
  9. ^ "Urban – Gini index – Omani – Total". The National Centre for Statistics and Information, Sultanate of Oman. Archived from the original on 21 May 2018. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  10. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  11. ^ "Oman Population (2024)". Worldometer. Archived from the original on 10 June 2020. Retrieved 22 August 2024.
  12. ^ Kharusi, N. S. (2012). "The ethnic label Zinjibari: Politics and language choice implications among Swahili speakers in Oman". Ethnicities. 12 (3): 335–353. doi:10.1177/1468796811432681. ISSN 1468-7968. S2CID 145808915.
  13. ^ Cite error: The named reference rule was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  14. ^ "Haitham bin Tariq sworn in as Oman's new sultan". Al Jazeera. 12 January 2020. Archived from the original on 11 January 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2020.
  15. ^ a b "Oman profile – Overview". BBC News. 11 September 2012. Archived from the original on 12 March 2020. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  16. ^ Royal Air Force Museum, A History of Oman. Retrieved 19 November 2020
  17. ^ "Private sector gets Omanisation targets". Gulf News. 13 February 2011. Archived from the original on 9 October 2019. Retrieved 18 January 2013.
  18. ^ "Five Arab states among top leaders in long-term development gains". Hdr.undp.org. 4 November 2010. Archived from the original on 9 November 2013. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  19. ^ "Global Peace Index: 2021" (PDF). visionofhumanity.org. Global Peace Index and Institute for Economics and Peace. p. 9. Archived (PDF) from the original on 24 March 2022. Retrieved 6 April 2022.


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