'''Sultanate of Oman''' ('''سلطنة عُمان''') is an [[Arab]] nation on the south east corner of the [[Arabian peninsula]]. Oman has a narrow coastal plain up to only 16 kilometers in width, and then wide barren mountain ranges and waterless plateaus further inland. Oman also controls the access to the Persian Gulf with the Musandam peninsula, a separate enclave to the north. The total area is 309,500 km<sup>2</sup>, although its boundaries with the [[United Arab Emirates]] and [[Saudi Arabia]] are still undefined.
Oman has a population of over 3,200,000 and the capital city is Muscat, which is a major port in the southwest region of the Arabian peninsula. Like many middle eastern countries some 600,000 expatriates perform much of the menial work in the country.
==History==