Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Terrain: vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Natural resources: crude oil, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Land use: NEGL% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 95% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and duststorms in interior; sparse natural freshwater resources
Note: strategic location with small foothold on Musandam Peninsula controlling Strait of Hormuz (17% of world's oil production transits this point going from Persian Gulf to Arabian Sea)
- People
Population: 1,457,064 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)