From the coastline, which is more than 2,100 km (1,300 mi.) long,
a coastal plain up to 19 km (12 mi.) wide extends to a range of
hills, which give way to a plateau with an average altitude of
305 m (1,000 ft). The mountainous north central area, the Hajar,
reaches 3,035 m (9,957 ft) at Mount Al-Sham in the Al-Akhdar Mountains.
Except for the highest parts of the Hajar, Most of the hills are
barren, and the plateau is cultivable only at oases.
The
extreme southwestern province of Dhofar, however, is very fertile.
Oman's climate is generally hot and dry, with temperatures ranging
from 18 deg to 34 deg C (64 deg to 93 deg F) and rainfall ranging
from 76 to 102 mm (3 to 4 in) per year.
The
population is mostly Arab, (Population of 1.9 million) with the
exception of about 0.4 million expatriate workers (mostly Indian
and Pakistani, Brits, Lebanese, Sudanese, Jordanians, Palestinians,
Sri Lankans, Filipinos), who constitute more than half of the
salaried labour force.
The
chief cities are MUSCAT, the capital and main port: Sohar, the
boat building center of Sur, Nizwah and the second largest city
in Oman, Salalah in the Dhofar region bordering Yemen. (info from
:Revi Nair: Salalah looks exactly like Kerala village, even tender
green coconuts are available on streets) In 1965, Oman had only
three primary schools and one 12-bed hospital, but education and
health-care facilities have increased dramatically since 1970.
Sultan Qaboos University was opened in 1986.
Oman's economy is based on petroleum, which accounts for the bulk
of its exports. Since 1970, petroleum revenues have been used
to build roads and housing, provide electricity, expand irrigation,
develop manufacturing, and modernize the fishing industry. A majority
of the population is engaged in subsistence farming, although
water shortages hamper agriculture and less than 1% of the land
currently is under cultivation.
Salary
variations across Nationalities differ even for the same profile
and experience : besides as in most Gulf states, expat westerners
generally get more the average salary for the same job than an
Asian employee.
