Sultan, prime minister, foreign minister: Qaboos Bin Said Al Said
Population
313,847,465
3,090,150
Life Expectancy
78.490 years
74.470 years
Capital City
Washington, DC
Muscat
Largest city
New York City (population: 8,008,280)
Muscat (population: 797,000)
Human Development Index
0.95
0.839
GDP per capita
$49,000 US
$26,900 US
Literacy Rate
99%
81.4%
Corruption Perception Index
7.3
5.5
Percentage of Women in Parliament
16.6%
9.1%
Wealthiest Citizens
William Gates III ($40.0bn US)
NA
Unemployment Rate
9.000%
15.000%
Death Penalty
Legal
Legal
Political System
Constitution-based federal republic; strong democratic tradition
monarchy
Independence date
4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
Religions
Protestant 51.3%, Roman Catholic 23.9%, Mormon 1.7%, other Christian 1.6%, Jewish 1.7%, Buddhist 0.7%, Muslim 0.6%, other or unspecified 2.5%, unaffiliated 12.1%, none 4% (2007 est.)
Ibadhi Muslim 75%, other (includes Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu) 25%
Languages
English 82.1%, Spanish 10.7%, other Indo-European 3.8%, Asian and Pacific island 2.7%, other 0.7% (2000 census) note: Hawaiian is an official language in the state of Hawaii
Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Omani rials (OMR) per US dollar - 0.3845 (2008 est.), 0.3845 (2007), 0.3845 (2006), 0.3845 (2005), 0.3845 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
4.060%
11.400%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
110
0
Location
North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
Area
9,826,675 km sq
309,500 km sq
Coastline
19,924 km
2,092 km
Climate
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River, and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
