Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) - Oman (2003)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) z Oman (2003)

	British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)	Oman (2003)

Administrative divisions	-	6 regions (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah) and 2 governorates* (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat, Musandam, Zufar; note - the US Embassy in Oman reports that Masqat is a governorate, but this has not been confirmed by the US Board on Geographic Names (BGN)
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 42.2% (male 603,664; female 580,469) 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 934,621; female 620,158) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 36,504; female 31,709) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish
Airports	1 (2001)	139 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)	total: 6 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 133 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 55 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 32 (2002)
Area	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago	total: 212,460 sq km land: 212,460 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Kansas
Background	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.	In 1970, QABOOS bin Said Al Said ousted his father and has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world and has preserved a long-standing political and military relationship with the UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.
Birth rate	-	37.47 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $9.2 billion expenditures: $6.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital	-	Muscat
Climate	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds	dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Coastline	698 km	2,092 km
Constitution	-	none; note - on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued a royal decree promulgating a new basic law which, among other things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens
Country name	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT	conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman conventional short form: Oman local long form: Saltanat Uman local short form: Uman former: Muscat and Oman
Currency	-	Omani rial (OMR)
Death rate	-	3.97 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	-	$5.7 billion (2002 est.)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Lewis BALTIMORE III embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat mailing address: P. O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Al-Sultan Qaboos, Muscat telephone: [968] 698989, extension 203 FAX: [968] 699771
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador Muhammad bin Ali bin Thani AL-KHUSSAIBY chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 through 1981, 1988 FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933
Disputes - international	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain	boundary agreement signed and ratified with UAE in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves
Economic aid - recipient	-	$76.4 million (1995)
Economy - overview	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.	Oman's economic performance improved significantly in 2000 due largely to the upturn in oil prices. The government is moving ahead with privatization of its utilities, the development of a body of commercial law to facilitate foreign investment, and increased budgetary outlays. Oman continues to liberalize its markets and joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO) in November 2000. GDP growth improved in 2001 despite the global slowdown and then fell back to 2.2% in 2002. In order to reduce unemployment, the government is trying to replace expatriate workers with local workers. Another government objective is the development of the nation's gas resources.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	8.625 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military	9.274 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m	lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m
Environment - current issues	NA	rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	-	Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African
Exchange rates	-	Omani rials per US dollar - 0.38 (2002), 0.38 (2001), 0.38 (2000), 0.38 (1999), 0.38 (1998)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch	chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970); note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
Exports	-	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	-	petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles
Exports - partners	-	Japan 20.5%, South Korea 18.5%, China 14.1%, Thailand 11.7%, UAE 9.2%, Singapore 4.3%, US 4.1% (2002)
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag	three horizontal bands of white, red, and green of equal width with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered near the top of the vertical band
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $22.4 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 3% industry: 55% services: 42% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $8,300 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	2.2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	6 00 S, 71 30 E	21 00 N, 57 00 E
Geography - note	archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility	strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
Heliports	-	1 (2002)
Highways	total: NA km paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km	total: 34,965 km paved: 9,673 km (including 550 km of expressways) unpaved: 25,292 km (2001)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	-	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	-	machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants
Imports - partners	-	UAE 27.5%, Japan 16.7%, UK 7.4%, US 6.9%, Germany 5% (2002)
Independence	-	1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
Industrial production growth rate	-	4% (2000 est.)
Industries	-	crude oil production and refining, natural gas production, construction, cement, copper
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 21.01 deaths/1,000 live births male: 24.03 deaths/1,000 live births female: 17.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	-0.5% (2002 est.)
International organization participation	-	ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	620 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has non-Islamic judges as well as traditional Islamic judges
Labor force	-	920,000 (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 1,374 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
Land use	arable land: NEGL permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)	arable land: 0.08% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 99.7% (1998 est.)
Languages	-	Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply	based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	-	bicameral Majlis Oman consists of an upper chamber or Majlis al-Dawla (48 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and a lower chamber or Majlis al-Shura (83 seats; members elected by limited suffrage for three-year term, however, the monarch makes final selections and can negate election results; 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 2006) election results: NA
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 72.58 years male: 70.4 years female: 74.86 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: NA total population: 75.8% male: 83.1% female: 67.2% (2003 est.)
Location	Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia	Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
Map references	Political Map of the World	Middle East
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM	contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	-	total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 17,291 GRT/9,457 DWT ships by type: container 1, passenger 2 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Singapore 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016	-
Military branches	-	Royal Omani Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force), Royal Omani Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$2.424 billion (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	12.2% (FY01)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 788,429 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 438,326 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	14 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 29,485 (2003 est.)
National holiday	-	Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940)
Nationality	-	noun: Omani(s) adjective: Omani
Natural hazards	NA	summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts
Natural resources	coconuts, fish, sugarcane	petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Net migration rate	-	0.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 3,599 km; oil 3,187 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	-	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	none
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.)	2,807,125 note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	3.38% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Diego Garcia	Matrah, Mina' al Fahl, Mina' Raysut
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)
Radios	NA	-
Railways	-	0 km
Religions	-	Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.51 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.28 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	-	in Oman's most recent elections in 2000, limited to approximately 175,000 Omanis chosen by the government to vote in elections for the Majlis al-Shura
Telephone system	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)	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: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	201,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	59,822 (1997)
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	13 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1999)
Terrain	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)	central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Total fertility rate	-	5.94 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	NA%
Waterways	none	none

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