Oman vs. United Arab Emirates
Geography
| Oman | United Arab Emirates | |
|---|---|---|
| Location | Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and the UAE | Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia |
| Geographic coordinates | 21 00 N, 57 00 E | 24 00 N, 54 00 E |
| Map references | Middle East | Middle East |
| Area | total: 309,500 sq km land: 309,500 sq km water: 0 sq km | total: 83,600 sq km land: 83,600 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | twice the size of Georgia | slightly larger than South Carolina; slightly smaller than Maine |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,561 km border countries (3): Saudi Arabia 658 km, UAE 609 km, Yemen 294 km | total: 1,066 km border countries (2): Oman 609 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km |
| Coastline | 2,092 km | 1,318 km |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin |
| Climate | dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south | desert; cooler in eastern mountains |
| Terrain | central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south | flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert; mountains in east |
| Elevation extremes | highest point: Jabal Shams 3,004 m lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m mean elevation: 310 m | highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m mean elevation: 149 m |
| Natural resources | petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas | petroleum, natural gas |
| Land use | agricultural land: 4.7% (2018 est.) arable land: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.1% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 4.5% (2018 est.) forest: 0% (2018 est.) other: 95.3% (2018 est.) | agricultural land: 4.6% (2018 est.) arable land: 0.5% (2018 est.) permanent crops: 0.5% (2018 est.) permanent pasture: 3.6% (2018 est.) forest: 3.8% (2018 est.) other: 91.6% (2018 est.) |
| Irrigated land | 590 sq km (2012) | 923 sq km (2012) |
| Natural hazards | summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts | frequent sand and dust storms |
| Environment - current issues | limited natural freshwater resources; high levels of soil and water salinity in the coastal plains; beach pollution from oil spills; industrial effluents seeping into the water tables and aquifers; desertificaiton due to high winds driving desert sand into arable lands | air pollution; rapid population growth and high energy demand contribute to water scarcity; lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; land degradation and desertification; waste generation, beach pollution from oil spills |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Climate Change-Paris Agreement, Comprehensive Nuclear Test Ban, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping-London Convention, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea |
| Geography - note | consists of Oman proper and two northern exclaves, Musandam and Al Madhah; the former is a peninsula that occupies a strategic location adjacent to the Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil | strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil |
| Total renewable water resources | 1.4 billion cubic meters (2017 est.) | 150 million cubic meters (2017 est.) |
| Population distribution | the vast majority of the population is located in and around the Al Hagar Mountains in the north of the country; another smaller cluster is found around the city of Salalah in the far south; most of the country remains sparsely poplulated | population is heavily concentrated to the northeast on the Musandam Peninsula; the three largest emirates - Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah - are home to nearly 85% of the population |
Source: CIA Factbook
