Oman Geography Profile 2009

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: 309,500 sq km
land: 309,500 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% (2005)

Irrigated land

720 sq km (2003)

Total renewable water resources

1 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)

total: 1.36 cu km/yr (7%/2%/90%)
per capita: 529 cu m/yr (2000)

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; 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