Oman , [ b ] officially the Sultanate of Oman , [ c ] is a country on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia. The capital and largest city is Muscat. Oman has a population of about 5. The coast faces the Arabian Sea on the southeast, and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast.
The Madha and Musandam exclaves are surrounded by United Arab Emirates on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz which it shares with Iran and the Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries. From the 17th century, the Omani Sultanate was an empire , vying with the Portuguese and British empires for influence in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean.
At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence and control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar. For over years, the relations built between the two empires were based on mutual benefit. The UK recognized Oman's geographical importance as a trading hub that secured British trading-lanes in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean and protected London's interests in the Indian sub-continent.
Oman is an absolute monarchy led by a sultan , with power passed down through the male line. Qaboos bin Said was the Sultan from until his death on 10 January Formerly a maritime empire, Oman is the oldest continuously independent state in the Arab world.
It has oil reserves ranked 22nd globally. The World Bank categorizes Oman as a high-income economy and as of [update] Oman ranks as the 37th most peaceful country in the world according to the Global Peace Index.
