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Background: The inhabitants of the area of Oman have long prospered on Indian Ocean trade. In the late 18th century, a newly established sultanate in Muscat signed the first in a series of friendship treaties with Britain. Over time, Oman's dependence on British political and military advisors increased, but it never became a British colony. In 1970, QABOOS bin Said al-Said overthrew the restrictive rule of his father; he has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world while preserving the longstanding close ties with the UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.
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Common Name: Oman
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Local Official Name: Uman
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Abbreviated Name: Sultanate of Oman
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Official Name: Saltanat Uman
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Official Script Name: Oman
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Local Common Name: Oman
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Former Name: Muscat and Oman
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Territory of: NA
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Head of State: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said
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Government Type: monarchy
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Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
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Constitution: none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a basic law considered by the government to be a constitution which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from h
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National Holiday: Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November
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International Organization Participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO
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Administrative Divisions: 5 regions (manaatiq, singular - mintaqat) and 3 governorates* (muhaafazaat, singular - muhaafaza) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat*, Musandam*, Zufar (Dhofar)*
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Dependent Areas: NA
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Legal System: based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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Suffrage: 21 years
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Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branches: Executive Branch:
Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said
Legislative Branch:
bicameral Majlis Oman consists of an upper chamber or Majlis al-Dawla (58 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and a lower chamber or Majlis al-Shura (83 seats; members elected by popular vote for four-year terms; body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only advisory powers)
elections: last held 4 October 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)
election results: NA
Judicial Branch:
Supreme Court
note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Shari'a law
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Party Leaders: NA
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International Disputes: boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah exclave, but details have not been made public
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Illicit Drugs: NA
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Location of Oman: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
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Continent: Middle East
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Land Area Total: 212,460 sq km
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Region: Middle Eastern |
Land Area Land: 212,460 sq km
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Capitol City: Muscat
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Land Area Water: 0 sq km
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Current: +4
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Latitude: 021 00 N
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Border Boundary Land: 1,374 km
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Longitude: 057 00 E
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Border Boundary Coastline: 2,092 km
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Arable Land: 0.12 %
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Pastures: 0.00 %
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Crops: 0.14 %
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Woodlands and Forests: 0.00
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Highest Elevation: 2,980 m
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Location: Jabal Shams
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Lowest Elevation: 0 m
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Location: Arabian Sea
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Largest City in Oman: Muscat
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Muscat Largest City Population: 887,000
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Threatened Species: 49
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Environmental Issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources
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Environmental Agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
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Irrigated Land: 720
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Bordering Countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
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Natural Resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
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Geographical Terrain: central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
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Comparative Area of Oman: slightly smaller than Kansas
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Oman's Geography: strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
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Click Here for detailed information about the weather conditions in Oman.
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General Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
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Natural Hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts
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Economic Overview: Oman is a middle-income economy in the Middle East with notable oil and gas resources, a substantial trade surplus, and low inflation. Work on a new liquefied natural gas (LNG) facility progressed in 2005 and will contribute to slightly higher oil and gas exports in 2006. Oman continues to liberalize its markets and joined the World Trade Organization (WTO) in November 2000. To reduce unemployment and limit dependence on foreign labor, the government is encouraging the replacement of foreign expatriate workers with local workers. Training in information technology, business management, and English support this objective. Industrial development plans focus on gas resources, metal manufacturing, petrochemicals, and international transshipment ports. In 2005, Oman signed agreements with several foreign investors to boost oil reserves, build and operate a power plant, and develop a second mobile phone network in the country.
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GDP: $40,390,000,000 USD
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Currency: Omani rial
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GDP per Capita: $13,500 USD
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Currency Code: OMR
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GDP Growth Rate: 5.60 %
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One $USD Equals: %fincurrencyequals% OMR
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Currency Exchange Rate History: Omani rials per US dollar - 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004), 0.3845 (2003), 0.3845 (2002), 0.3845 (2001)
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GDP of Agriculture: 2.70 %
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GDP of Industry: 39.00 %
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GDP of Services: 58.30 % |
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Inflation Rate: 1.20 % |
Population in Poverty: 0.00 %
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Unemployment Rate: 15.00 %
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Tourism: 502,000.00 visitors each year
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Consumption by lowest 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Revenue in USD: $14,360,000,000 USD
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Consumption by upper 10%: 0.00 %
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Budget Expenditures in USD: $10,610,000,000 USD
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Electricity Production: 10,300,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Exports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Consumption: 9,582,000,000 kWh
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Electricity Imports: 0 kWh
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Electricity Production by Source:
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Fossil Fuel Electricity Production: 100.00%
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Nuclear Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Hydro Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Other Electricity Production: 0.00%
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Oil Production: 769,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Production: 16,500,000,000 cu m
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Oil Consumption: 62,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Consumption: 7,090,000,000 cu m
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Oil Exports: 721,000 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Exports: 7,430,000,000 cu m
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Oil Imports: 0 barrels per day
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Natural Gas Imports: 0 cu m
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Proven Oil Reserves: 6,100,000,000 barrels
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Proven Natural Gas Reserves: 829,100,000,000 cu m
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External Debt: $4,361,000,000 USD |
Received in economic aid: $4,361,000,000 USD
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Donated in economic aid: $0 USD
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Agricultural Products: dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish
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Primary Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber
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Industrial Growth Rate: 4.10 %
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Import Amount in USD: $8,709,000,000 USD - machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants
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Import Partners: UAE 22.4%, Japan 15.7%, UK 7.7%, US 6.7%, Germany 5.8%, India 4.2%
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Export Amount in USD: $19,010,000,000 USD - petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles
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Export Partners: China 21.7%, South Korea 19.5%, Japan 14.3%, Thailand 12.7%, UAE 7.1%, Taiwan 4.1%
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GINI Index: 0.00%
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Labor Force Number of People: 920,000
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Labor Force by Occupations: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
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Radio Broadcast Stations: 14 |
Number of People with Radios: 1,400,000 |
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Television Broadcast Stations: 13 |
Number of People with Televisions: 1,600,000 |
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Number of People with Mainline Telephones: 265,200 |
Number of People with Mobile Phones: 1,333,000 |
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Internet Service Providers: 3,261 |
Internet Users: 245,000 |
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Internet Country Code: .om |
Newspapers: 29 |
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Two Letter Country Code: MU |
Weights and Measures: |
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Phone Country Code: 968 |
Electricity Voltage: 240 Volts |
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Telephone Systems: general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable
domestic: open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
international: country code - 968; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat
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Highways: 9,673 km |
Railways: 0 km
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Gas And Oil Pipelines: 6,966 km |
Waterways: 0 km
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Airports: 6 |
Heliports: 1
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Motor Vehicles: 174 per 1,000 people |
CO2 Emissions: 17,771,000 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Per capita CO2 emissions: 7.70 Metric Tons of CO2 per year |
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Merchant Marines: total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 10,797 GRT/5,040 DWT
by type: passenger 1
registered in other countries: 2 (Kazakhstan 2)
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Ports and Harbors: Mina' Qabus, Salalah
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Population: 3,102,229 people type - nationality |
Birth Rate: 36.24 births per 1,000 people |
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Population Density: 13.00 people per sq km |
Death Rate: 3.81 deaths per 1,000 people |
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Population Growth: 3.28% per year |
Fertility Rate per Women: 5.77 babies born per woman |
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Population Male 0-14: 675,423 |
Population Female 0-14: 648,963 |
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Population Male 15-64: 1,001,917 |
Population Female 15-64: 695,578 |
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Population Male 65+: 44,300 |
Population Female 65+: 36,048 |
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Population 0-14: 42.70% |
Literacy Rate: 75.80% |
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Population 15-64: 54.70% |
Literacy rate of Males: 83.10% |
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Population 65+: 2.60% |
Literacy rate of Females: 67.20% |
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Population that is Male: 62.50
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Population that is Female: 37.50% |
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Life expectancy at birth in years: 73.37 years |
Infant mortality rate - baby deaths per 1000 births: 18.89 Babies die per 1,000 births |
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Life expectancy at birth for Males: 71.14 years |
Life expectancy at birth for Females: 75.72 years |
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Rate of AIDS/HIV infection: 0.10%
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Number of people living with AIDS or HIV: 1,300
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Number of people who died of AIDS: 0 |
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Disease Risk:
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Diseases:
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Net Migration Rate per 1,000 people: 0.35
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Nationality: OMANI
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Ethnic Groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African
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Primary Language: Arabic
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Other Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
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Primary Religion: Ibadhi Muslim
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Other Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu
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Branches: Royal Omani Armed Forces: Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO)
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 18 years
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Manpower Available: 1,228,492 People
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Manpower Fit to Serve: 1,016,551 People
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Amount of Manpower Available each Year: 51,857 People per year
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Expenditures: $0 USD per year
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Expenditures as a Percentage of GDP: 11.40
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Note: Phrasebase uses a variety of sources when compiling the facts and information presented above. This information is continually updated throughout the year.
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Oman Spa and Resort Directory
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Oman Home Exchanges and Home Swaps
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Oman Vacation Rentals And Holiday Villas
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Oman City Information Game Earn Real Money
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