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 sq km
land area: 212,460 sq km
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 defining 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 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment:
current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; sparse natural freshwater resources
natural hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior
international agreements: party to - Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Note: strategic location with small foothold on Musandam Peninsula controlling Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil

NOTE: The information regarding Oman on this page is re-published from the 1995 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Oman Geography 1995 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Oman Geography 1995 should be addressed to the CIA.