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Compare Western Sahara (2008) - Oman (2008)

Compare Western Sahara (2008) z Oman (2008)

 Western Sahara (2008)Oman (2008)
 Western SaharaOman
Administrative divisions none (under de facto control of Morocco) 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)*
Age structure 0-14 years: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421)


15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895)


65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 42.7% (male 698,461/female 670,793)


15-64 years: 54.6% (male 1,026,686/female 723,712)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 47,534/female 37,711) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish
Airports 9 (2007) 137 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 3


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
total: 7


over 3,047 m: 4


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 2 (2007)
total: 130


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 8


1,524 to 2,437 m: 51


914 to 1,523 m: 35


under 914 m: 34 (2007)
Area total: 266,000 sq km


land: 266,000 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 212,460 sq km


land: 212,460 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative about the size of Colorado slightly smaller than Kansas
Background Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. In April 2007, Morocco presented an autonomy plan for the territory to the UN, which the U.S. considers serious and credible. The Polisario also presented a plan to the UN in 2007. Since August 2007, representatives from the Government of Morocco and the Polisario Front have met three times to negotiate the status of Western Sahara, with a fourth round of negotiations planned for March 2008. 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.
Birth rate NA 39.95 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 35.76 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $NA


expenditures: $NA
revenues: $13.82 billion


expenditures: $13.67 billion (2007 est.)
Capital none


time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Muscat


geographic coordinates: 23 37 N, 58 35 E


time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Coastline 1,110 km 2,092 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
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Western Sahara


former: Spanish Sahara
conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman


conventional short form: Oman


local long form: Saltanat Uman


local short form: Uman


former: Muscat and Oman
Death rate NA 3.78 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $NA $3.483 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US none 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] 24-643-400


FAX: [968] 24-699771
Diplomatic representation in the US none 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
Disputes - international Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah exclave, but details of the alignment have not been made public
Economic aid - recipient $NA $30.68 million (2005)
Economy - overview Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006 the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara. Oman is a middle-income economy that is heavily dependent on dwindling oil resources, but sustained high oil prices in recent years have helped build Oman's budget and trade surpluses and foreign reserves. Oman joined the World Trade Organization in November 2000 and continues to liberalize its markets. It ratified a free trade agreement with the US in September 2006, and, through the Gulf Cooperation Council, seeks similar agreements with the EU, China and Japan. As a result of its dwindling oil resources, Oman is actively pursuing a development plan that focuses on diversification, industrialization, and privatization, with the objective of reducing the oil sector's contribution to GDP to 9 percent by 2020. Muscat is attempting to "Omanize" the labor force by replacing foreign expatriate workers with local workers. Oman actively seeks private foreign investors, especially in the industrial, information technology, tourism, and higher education fields. Industrial development plans focus on gas resources, metal manufacturing, petrochemicals, and international transshipment ports.
Electricity - consumption 79.05 million kWh (2005) 8.661 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 85 million kWh (2005) 11.89 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m


highest point: unnamed location 463 m
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m


highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m
Environment - current issues sparse water and lack of arable land rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements party to: none of the selected agreements


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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, Berber Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African
Exchange rates Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.2827 (2007), 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003) Omani rials per US dollar - 0.3845 (2007), 0.3845 (2006), 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004), 0.3845 (2003)
Executive branch none 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)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
Exports 0 bbl/day (2004) 733,100 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities phosphates 62% petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles
Exports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) China 23.6%, South Korea 17.9%, Japan 10.9%, Thailand 10.7%, South Africa 7.7%, UAE 6.3% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
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
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: 40%
agriculture: 2.2%


industry: 38.3%


services: 59.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate NA% 5.3% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 24 30 N, 13 00 W 21 00 N, 57 00 E
Geography - note the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
Heliports - 2 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports 1,698 bbl/day (2004) 15,440 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants
Imports - partners Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006) UAE 22.4%, Japan 16.4%, US 8.1%, Germany 5.5%, India 4.3% (2006)
Independence - 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 3.2% (2007 est.)
Industries phosphate mining, handicrafts crude oil production and refining, natural and liquefied natural gas (LNG) production; construction, cement, copper, steel, chemicals, optic fiber
Infant mortality rate total: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total: 18.28 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 20.96 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA% 4% (2007 est.)
International organization participation none ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Irrigated land NA 720 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court


note: the nascent civil court system, administered by region, has judges who practice secular and Shari'a law
Labor force 12,000 920,000 (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 50%


industry and services: 50%
agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
Land boundaries total: 2,046 km


border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
total: 1,374 km


border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
Land use arable land: 0.02%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 99.98% (2005)
arable land: 0.12%


permanent crops: 0.14%


other: 99.74% (2005)
Languages Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Legal system - 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 Majlis al-Dawla or upper chamber (70 seats; members appointed by the monarch; has advisory powers only) and Majlis al-Shura or lower chamber (84 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms; body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise has only advisory powers)


elections: last held 27 October 2007 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: new candidates won 46 seats and 38 members of the outgoing Majlis kept their positions; none of the 20 female candidates were elected
Life expectancy at birth total population: NA


male: NA


female: NA
total population: 73.62 years


male: 71.37 years


female: 75.99 years (2007 est.)
Literacy NA definition: NA


total population: 81.4%


male: 86.8%


female: 73.5% (2003 est.)
Location Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
Map references Africa Middle East
Maritime claims contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine - total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 12,155 GRT/7,244 DWT


by type: chemical tanker 1, passenger 1


registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2007)
Military branches - Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman, Royal Air Force of Oman (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Sultanat Oman, RAFO) (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 11.4% (2005 est.)
National holiday - Birthday of Sultan QABOOS, 18 November (1940)
Nationality noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)


adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
noun: Omani(s)


adjective: Omani
Natural hazards hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior; periodic droughts
Natural resources phosphates, iron ore petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Net migration rate - 0.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - gas 4,126 km; oil 3,558 km (2007)
Political parties and leaders - none
Political pressure groups and leaders none none
Population 382,617


note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
3,204,897


note: includes 577,293 non-nationals (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate NA 3.234% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)
Religions Muslim Ibadhi Muslim 75%, other (includes Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu) 25%
Sex ratio NA at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.041 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.419 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.26 male(s)/female


total population: 1.238 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed 21 years of age; universal; note - members of the military and security forces are not allowed to vote
Telephone system general assessment: sparse and limited system


domestic: NA


international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
general assessment: modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable


domestic: fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership both increasing; open-wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations


international: country code - 968; the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) and the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable provide connectivity to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat
Telephones - main lines in use about 2,000 (1999 est.) 278,300 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 0 (1999) 1.818 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations NA 13 (plus 25 repeaters) (1999)
Terrain mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Total fertility rate NA 5.7 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 15% (2004 est.)
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