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About Oman

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Geography of Oman

y Oman lies on the Tropic of Cancer in the extreme southeast cornerof the Arabian Peninsula, covering an area (between latitude 16.40and 26.20 degrees north and longitude 51.50 and 59.40 degreeseast), of major strategic importance.

y

The countrys coastline stretches for over 1,700 kms, from theArabian Sea and the entrance to the Indian Ocean at its south-western extremity.

y The Hajar mountain range, which the Omanis compare to a humanbackbone, forms a great arc extending from the north-west of thecountry towards the south-east. Their highest peak, Jabal Shams, in

the Jabal al Akhdhar area of the Dakhiliyah region, reaches analtitude of 3,000 metres.

y In Musandam, where the Strait of Hormuz lies between the Omaniand Iranian coasts, the mountains soar to a height of 1,800 metresabove sea level.

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Culture in Oman

y Oman is culturally rich and diverse. Luxury hotels with mixed

Omani hospitality ensures that visitors gain a fascinating insight

into the people and culture on all of our tours and holidays,

Bedouin, carpet-weaving and pottery, remote terraced farming

villages, forts and souks.y Although Arabic is Oman's official language, there are native

speakers of different dialects, as well as Balochi.

y Oman is famous for its khanjar knives, which are curved daggers

worn during holidays as part of ceremonial dress.

y Today, traditional clothing is worn by most Omani men. Womenwear hijabs and abayas. Some women cover their faces and hands,

but most do not. HM has forbidden the covering of faces in public

office.

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Religion in Oman

y Around 75% of the population consists of Ibadhi, a form of

Islam distinct from the Sunni and Shia denominations, 17%

Shia Muslims and the Zikri forming the remaining 8% of the

indigenous population, originating from Bahrain, Iran and the

Ahsa province of Saudi Arabia, integrating well with thecommunity, concentrated in the capital area and along the

northern coast.

y The Oman government does not keep statistics on religious

affiliation, but most citizens are Muslims. Non-Muslim

religious communities individually constitute less than 5

percent of the population and include various groups of

Hindus, Buddhists, Zoroastrians, Sikhs, Baha'is, and

Christians.

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Tourism in Oman

y Oman is known for its popular tourist attractions. Wadis,

deserts, beaches, and mountains are areas which make Oman

unique.

y Numerous forts and castles are included among Oman's

cultural landmarks and, together with its towers and citywalls, have historically been used as defensive bastions or

look-out points.

y Souqs can be found in many of the towns throughout the

country. One of the oldest preserved souqs in Oman is

Muttrah, on the Corniche,.y Other popular tourist activities include sand skiing in the

desert, scuba diving, rock climbing, trekking, surfing &

sailing, cave exploration, bird watching, bull fighting, and

camel races.

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Development plans

y The Omani economy has been radically transformed over aseries of development plans beginning with the First Five-yearPlan (19761980). At Sultan Qaboos's instruction, "Vision2020", a plan for Oman's economic future up to the year 2020,was set out at the end of the first phase of the country'sdevelopment, from 19701995, outlining the country's

economic and social goals over the 25 years of the second phaseof the development process (19962020).

y Oman 2020, held in June 1995, has developed the followingaims with regard to securing Oman's future prosperity andgrowth:

To have economic and financial stability

To reshape the role of the Government in the economy and tobroaden private sector participation

To diversify the economic base and sources of national income

To globalize the Omani economy

To upgrade the skills of the Omani workforce and develop humanresources