GEOGRAPHY

The Sultanate of Oman, with an area of 309,500 square kms, encompasses a diverse range of topography, including mountain ranges, arid deserts and fertile plains. It shares borders with the Republic of Yemen to the southwest, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the west and the United Arab Emirates to the north and can lay claim to a number of small islands in the Gulf of Oman and the Strait of Hormuz, including those known as “Salamah and Her Daughters”, and in the Arabian Sea, Masirah and the Hallaniyat islands.

Oman lies on the Tropic of Cancer in the extreme southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula, covering an area (between latitude 16.40 and 26.20 degrees north and longitude 51.50 and 59.40 degrees east), of major strategic importance.

The country’s breathtaking coastline stretches for over 1,700 kms, from the Arabian Sea and the entrance to the Indian Ocean at its south-western extremity, to the Gulf of Oman and Musandam in the north, where it overlooks the Strait of Hormuz and the entrance to the Arabian Gulf; a location that has played a vital part in Oman’s strategic development.

The Hajar mountain range, which the Omanis compare to a human backbone, forms a great arc extending from the north-west of the country towards the south-east. Their highest peak, Jabal Shams, in the Jabal al Akhdhar area of the Dakhiliyah region, reaches an altitude of 3,000 metres. In Musandam, where the Strait of Hormuz lies between the Omani and Iranian coasts, the mountains soar to a height of 1,800 metres above sea level.

Geology

Oman’s varied and spectacular landscapes are a blend of its geological history, and its climate over the past few million years. Superb rock outcrops in the Al Hajar Mountains, the Huqf and Dhofar are a paradise for international geologists. The rock record spans about 825 million years and includes at least three periods when the country was covered by ice, somewhat surprising given its present latitude and climate.

Oman, located at the southeast corner of the Arabian plate, is being pushed slowly northward, as the Red Sea grows wider. The lofty Al Hajar Mountains and the drowned valleys of Musandam are dramatic reminders of this.

In its geologically recent past it also lay at the margin of an ocean and the discovery of dark coloured Semail ophiolites, which are vol-canic rocks from that ocean, locally rich in copper and chrome, confirm this.

The Interior plains of Oman are of young sedimentary rocks, wadi gravels, dune sands and salt flats.Beneath them is a several kilometre thick stack of older sedimentary rocks that host the country’s hydrocarbon resources. Ancient salt, which comes to the surface in several salt hills such as Qarat Kibrit, play an important role in forming many of these oil and gas accumulations.

Climate

The country’s climate, like its topography is diverse, with humid coastal areas and a hot, dry desert interior. Although rainfall is generally light and irregular, Dhofar province in the south catches the Indian Ocean monsoon that falls between June and September. In the interior summer temperatures can soar to 130 degrees F (54 degrees C). Most tourists visit during the more temperate months between October and April, with visitors from the GCC countries preferring the months of July and August when the monsoon season comes to the Dhofar region.