Aminet 6/Aminet 6 - June 1995.iso/Aminet/docs/misc/wfbook93_texi.lha/texi/182.data

Text File | 1995-03-27 | 8.0 KB | 330 lines

@node Geography (Oman)
@section Geography (Oman)

@display

Location:
  Middle East, along the Arabian Sea, between Yemen and the United Arab
  Emirates
Map references:   Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
 total area:
  212,460 km2
 land area:
  212,460 km2
 comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
  total 1,374 km, Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
Coastline:
  2,092 km
Maritime claims:
 contiguous zone:
  24 nm
 continental shelf:
  to be defined
 exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
 territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  no defined boundary with most of UAE; Administrative Line with UAE in far
  north; a treaty with Yemen to settle the Omani-Yemeni boundary was ratified
  in December 1992
Climate:
  dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest
  summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Terrain:
  vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Natural resources:
  petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum,
  natural gas
Land use:
 arable land:
  less than 2%
 permanent crops:
  0%
 meadows and pastures:
  5%
 forest and woodland:
  0%
 other:
  93%
Irrigated land:
  410 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
  summer winds often raise large sandstorms and duststorms in interior; sparse
  natural freshwater resources
Note:
  strategic location with small foothold on Musandam Peninsula controlling
  Strait of Hormuz (17% of world's oil production transits this point going
  from Persian Gulf to Arabian Sea)



@end display

@node People (Oman)
@section People (Oman)

@display

Population:
  1,643,579 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.46% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
  40.56 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
  5.94 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  38.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
 total population:
  67.32 years
 male:
  65.47 years
 female:
  69.27 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.58 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
 noun:
  Omani(s)
 adjective:
  Omani
Ethnic divisions:
  Arab, Balochi, Zanzibari, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi)
Religions:
  Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu
Languages:
  Arabic (official), English, Balochi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Literacy:
 total population:
  NA%
 male:
  NA%
 female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  430,000
 by occupation:
  agriculture 40% (est.)



@end display

@node Government (Oman)
@section Government (Oman)

@display

Names:
 conventional long form:
  Sultanate of Oman
 conventional short form:
  Oman
 local long form:   Saltanat Uman
 local short form:
  Uman
Digraph:
  MU
Type:
  absolute monarchy with residual UK influence
Capital:
  Muscat
Administrative divisions:
  there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
  Government, but there are 3 governorates (muhafazah, singular - muhafazat);
  Musqat, Musandam, Zufar
Independence:
  1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
Constitution:
  none
Legal system:
  based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the sultan;
  has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
  National Day, 18 November
Political parties and leaders:
  none
Other political or pressure groups:
  outlawed Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (PFLO), based in Yemen
Suffrage:
  none
Elections:
  elections scheduled for October 1992
Executive branch:
  sultan, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  unicameral National Assembly
Judicial branch:
  none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent civil court system
Leaders:
 Chief of State and Head of Government:
  Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Sa'id Al Sa'id (since 23 July 1970)
Member of:
  ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
  IFC, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
  NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador Awadh bin Badr AL-SHANFARI
 chancery:
  2342 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
 telephone:
  [phone] through 1982
US diplomatic representation:
 chief of mission:
  Ambassador David DUNFORD



@end display

@node Government (Oman 2. usage)
@section Government (Oman 2. usage)

@display

 embassy:
  address NA, Muscat
 mailing address:
  P. O. Box 50202 Madinat Qaboos, Muscat
 telephone:
  [968] 698-989
 FAX:
  [968] 604-316
Flag:
  three horizontal bands of white (top, double width), red, and green (double
  width) with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national
  emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in
  scabbards) in white is centered at the top of the vertical band



@end display

@node Economy (Oman)
@section Economy (Oman)

@display

Overview:
  Economic performance is closely tied to the fortunes of the oil industry.
  Petroleum accounts for more than 85% of export earnings, about 80% of
  government revenues, and roughly 40% of GDP. Oman has proved oil reserves of
  4 billion barrels, equivalent to about 20 years' supply at the current rate
  of extraction. Agriculture is carried on at a subsistence level and the
  general population depends on imported food.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $10.2 billion (1991)
National product real growth rate:
  7.4% (1991)
National product per capita:
  $6,670 (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1.6% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
  revenues $4.1 billion; expenditures $4.8 billion, including capital
  expenditures of $1 billion (1991)
Exports:
  $4.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
 commodities:
  petroleum 87%, reexports, fish, processed copper, textiles
 partners:
  UAE 30%, Japan 27%, South Korea 10%, Singapore 5%
Imports:
  $3.0 billion (f.o.b, 1991)
 commodities:
  machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock,
  lubricants
 partners:
  Japan 20%, UAE 19%, UK 19%, US 7%
External debt:
  $3.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:   growth rate 10% (1989), including petroleum sector
Electricity:
  1,142,400 kW capacity; 5,100 million kWh produced, 3,200 kWh per capita
  (1992)
Industries:
  crude oil production and refining, natural gas production, construction,
  cement, copper
Agriculture:
  accounts for 6% of GDP and 40% of the labor force (including fishing); less
  than 2% of land cultivated; largely subsistence farming (dates, limes,
  bananas, alfalfa, vegetables, camels, cattle); not self-sufficient in food;
  annual fish catch averages 100,000 metric tons
Economic aid:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $137 million; Western (non-US)
  countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $148 million; OPEC
  bilateral aid (1979-89), $797 million
Currency:
  1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000 baiza
Exchange rates:
  Omani rials (RO) per US$1 - 0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year



@end display

@node Communications (Oman)
@section Communications (Oman)

@display

Highways:
  26,000 km total; 6,000 km paved, 20,000 km motorable track
Pipelines:
  crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km
Ports:
  Mina' Qabus, Mina' Raysut, Mina' al Fahl
Merchant marine:
  1 passenger ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,442 GRT/1,320 DWT
Airports:
 total:
  138
 usable:
  130
 with permanent-surface runways:
  6
 with runways over 3,659 m:
  1
 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  9
 with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  74
Telecommunications:
  modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radio communications
  stations; limited coaxial cable; 50,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2
  AM, 3 FM, 7 TV; satellite earth stations - 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1
  ARABSAT, and 8 domestic



@end display

@node Defense Forces (Oman)
@section Defense Forces (Oman)

@display

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Oman Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 370,548; fit for military service 210,544; reach military
  age (14) annually 20,810 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $1.6 billion, 16% of GDP (1993 est.)



@end display