OmanGeography

Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE Geographic coordinates: 21 00 N, 57 00 E Map references: Middle East Area: total: 212,460 sq km
land: 212,460 sq km
water: 0 sq km Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas Land boundaries: total: 1,374 km
border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km Coastline: 2,092 km Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south Terrain: central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south Elevation extremes: lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas Land use: arable land: 0.12%
permanent crops: 0.14%
other: 99.74% (2001) Irrigated land: 620 sq km (1998 est.) Natural hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts Environment - current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources Environment - international 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 Geography - note: strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil More about Oman: Introduction People Government Economy Communications Transportation Military Transnational Issues