Oman

The sultanate of oman has been involved in a modernization program since 1970 when Qaboos bin Said Al Said toppled his father's regime. The new Sultan began developing strong political and military ties to Britain and thereafter established Oman as a moderate among Middle Eastern nations. Oman's status as an oil-producing nation has raised the country to middle-income status with a per capita income of $13,400. The United Nations Development Programme Human Development Reports rank Oman 71st in the world in overall quality-of-life issues.

In addition to petroleum, other natural resources include copper, asbestos, marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, and natural gas. Less than one percent of the land area is arable. Oman's population of 3,001,583 people includes approximately 577,293 nonnationals. In an effort to curb the ...