Environment - current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified:
none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to
Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
People Oman
Population: 2,713,462 note: includes 527,078 non-nationals (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 41.9% (male 579,065; female 556,923) 15-64 years: 55.7% (male 914,494; female 597,948) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 34,555; female 30,477) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.41% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 37.76 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 4.03 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)