Oman (2006) | Cayman Islands (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | 5 regions (manatiq, singular - mintaqat) and 4 governorates* (muhafazat, singular - muhafazat) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Buraymi*, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat*, Musandam*, Zufar (Dhofar)* | 8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 42.7% (male 675,423/female 648,963)
15-64 years: 54.7% (male 1,001,917/female 695,578) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 44,300/female 36,048) (2006 est.) |
0-14 years:
22.21% (male 3,807; female 4,084) 15-64 years: 69.74% (male 12,102; female 12,676) 65 years and over: 8.05% (male 1,318; female 1,540) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish | vegetables, fruit; livestock, turtle farming |
Airports | 137 (2006) | 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 6
over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006) |
total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 131
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 52 914 to 1,523 m: 35 under 914 m: 35 (2006) |
total:
1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 212,460 sq km
land: 212,460 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
259 sq km land: 259 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Kansas | 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
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. | The Cayman Islands were colonized from Jamaica by the British during the 18th and 19th centuries. Administered by Jamaica from 1863, they remained a British dependency after 1962 when the former became independent. |
Birth rate | 36.24 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 13.79 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $14.36 billion
expenditures: $10.61 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.) |
revenues:
$265.2 million expenditures: $248.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
Capital | name: Muscat
geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
George Town |
Climate | dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south | tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April) |
Coastline | 2,092 km | 160 km |
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 holding interests in companies doing business with the government, establishes a bicameral legislature, and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens | 1959, revised 1972 and 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman
conventional short form: Oman local long form: Saltanat Uman local short form: Uman former: Muscat and Oman |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Cayman Islands |
Currency | - | Caymanian dollar (KYD) |
Death rate | 3.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 5.15 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $4.361 billion (2005 est.) | $70 million (1996) |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Gary A. GRAPPO
embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat mailing address: P. O. Box 202, P.C. 115, Madinat Sultan Qaboos, Muscat telephone: [968] 24-698989 FAX: [968] 24-699771 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Hunaina bint Sultan bin Ahmad al-MUGHAIRI
chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 through 1981, 1988 FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933 |
none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | 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 | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $76.4 million (1995) | $NA |
Economy - 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. | With no direct taxation, the islands are a thriving offshore financial center. More than 40,000 companies were registered in the Cayman Islands as of 1997, including almost 600 banks and trust companies; banking assets exceed $500 billion. A stock exchange was opened in 1997. Tourism is also a mainstay, accounting for about 70% of GDP and 75% of foreign currency earnings. The tourist industry is aimed at the luxury market and caters mainly to visitors from North America. Total tourist arrivals exceeded 1.2 million visitors in 1997. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest outputs per capita and one of the highest standards of living in the world. |
Electricity - consumption | 9.582 billion kWh (2003) | 306.9 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2003) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 10.3 billion kWh (2003) | 330 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m |
lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: The Bluff 43 m |
Environment - current issues | rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources | no natural fresh water resources; drinking water supplies must be met by rainwater catchment |
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 |
- |
Ethnic groups | Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African | mixed 40%, white 20%, black 20%, expatriates of various ethnic groups 20% |
Exchange rates | Omani rials per US dollar - 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004), 0.3845 (2003), 0.3845 (2002), 0.3845 (2001) | Caymanian dollars per US dollar - 0.83 (3 November 1995), 0.85 (22 November 1993) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said al-Said (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); 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 (sultan since 23 July 1970 and prime minister since 23 July 1972); 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 |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Governor and President of the Executive Council Peter SMITH (since 5 May 1999) head of government: Kurt TIBBETTS (since November 2000) cabinet: Executive Council (three members appointed by the governor, four members elected by the Legislative Assembly) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor is appointed by the monarch |
Exports | 721,000 bbl/day (2004) | $1.5 million (1998) |
Exports - commodities | petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles | turtle products, manufactured consumer goods |
Exports - partners | China 21.7%, South Korea 19.5%, Japan 14.3%, Thailand 12.7%, UAE 7.1%, Taiwan 4.1% (2005) | mostly US |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
Flag description | 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 | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms on a white disk centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $930 million (1997 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2.7%
industry: 39% services: 58.3% (2005 est.) |
agriculture:
1.4% industry: 3.2% services: 95.4% (1994 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $24,500 (1997 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.6% (2005 est.) | 4.9% (1999 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 21 00 N, 57 00 E | 19 30 N, 80 30 W |
Geography - note | strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil | important location between Cuba and Central America |
Heliports | 1 (2006) | - |
Highways | - | total:
406 km paved: 304 km unpaved: 102 km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | vulnerable to drug money laundering and drug transshipment to the US and Europe |
Imports | NA bbl/day | $507.6 million (1998) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants | foodstuffs, manufactured goods |
Imports - partners | UAE 22.4%, Japan 15.7%, UK 7.7%, US 6.7%, Germany 5.8%, India 4.2% (2005) | US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan |
Independence | 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.1% (2005 est.) | NA% |
Industries | crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber | tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, construction materials, furniture |
Infant mortality rate | total: 18.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 16 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.) |
10.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.2% (2005 est.) | 3% (1998) |
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 | Caricom (observer), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UNESCO (associate) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 16 (2000) |
Irrigated land | 720 sq km (2003) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court
note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Shari'a law |
Summary Court; Grand Court; Cayman Islands Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 920,000 (2002 est.) | 19,820 (1995) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture 1.4%, industry 12.6%, services 86% (1995) |
Land boundaries | total: 1,374 km
border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.12%
permanent crops: 0.14% other: 99.74% (2005) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 8% forests and woodland: 23% other: 69% (1993 est.) |
Languages | Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects | English |
Legal system | based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | British common law and local statutes |
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 |
unicameral Legislative Assembly (18 seats, three appointed members and 15 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 8 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - NA |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 73.37 years
male: 71.14 years female: 75.72 years (2006 est.) |
total population:
79.03 years male: 76.24 years female: 81.43 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: 75.8% male: 83.1% female: 67.2% |
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
Location | Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE | Caribbean, island group in Caribbean Sea, nearly one-half of the way from Cuba to Honduras |
Map references | Middle East | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
exclusive fishing zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 1 ship (1000 GRT or over) 10,797 GRT/5,040 DWT
by type: passenger 1 registered in other countries: 2 (Kazakhstan 2) (2006) |
total:
106 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,656,452 GRT/2,643,036 DWT ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 5, chemical tanker 27, container 4, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 13, refrigerated cargo 30, roll on/roll off 4, specialized tanker 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 2, Denmark 2, Finland 1, Greece 11, Norway 3, UK 3, US 3 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | Royal Omani Armed Forces: Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman, RAFO) (2006) | Royal Cayman Islands Police Force (RCIPF) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $252.99 million (2004) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 11.4% (2003) | - |
National holiday | Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940) | Constitution Day, first Monday in July |
Nationality | noun: Omani(s)
adjective: Omani |
noun:
Caymanian(s) adjective: Caymanian |
Natural hazards | summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts | hurricanes (July to November) |
Natural resources | petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas | fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism |
Net migration rate | 0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) | 12.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: major destination for Cubans trying to migrate to the US |
Pipelines | gas 4,072 km; oil 3,405 km (2006) | - |
Political parties and leaders | none | there are no formal political parties but the following loose groupings act as political organizations; National Team; Democratic Alliance; Team Cayman |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 3,102,229
note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2006 est.) |
35,527 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 3.28% (2006 est.) | 2.12% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Cayman Brac, George Town |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 36,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu | United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Church of God, other Protestant |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.44 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.23 male(s)/female total population: 1.25 male(s)/female (2006 est.) |
at birth:
0.86 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | in Oman's most recent Majlis al-Shura elections in 2003, suffrage was universal for all Omanis over age 21 except for members of the military and security forces; the next Majlis al-Shura elections are scheduled for 2007 | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | 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 |
general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 1 submarine coaxial cable; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 265,200 (2005) | 19,000 (1995) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1.333 million (2005) | 2,534 (1995) |
Television broadcast stations | 13 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1999) | NA |
Terrain | central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south | low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs |
Total fertility rate | 5.77 children born/woman (2006 est.) | 2.04 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 15% (2004 est.) | 4.1% (1997) |
Waterways | - | none |