Geography |
The Sultanate of Oman, located at the south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, borders Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). To the east is the Arabian Sea and to the north the Gulf of Oman. It has an isolated northern extension at the tip of the Musandam Peninsula (separated from the rest of Oman by the UAE) overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. It covers a total area of about 212 460 km2.
Most of Oman is dry and rocky. The Musandam Peninsula in the north consists of barren mountains. Al Batinah, a narrow but fertile coastal plain, lies along the Gulf of Oman. Steep, rugged mountains called Al Hajar separate Al Batinah from the interior. The interior is a vast, flat wasteland. The Rub al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert covers western Oman. Most of Oman's coast along the Arabian Sea is barren and rocky. But tropical vegetation grows along the coastal plain of Dhofar, a region in the south adjacent to Yemen. Dhofar is famous for its frankincense trees, the best of which grow on a plateau north of the Jabal al Qara mountain range.
Oman is one of the hottest countries in the world, with summer temperatures often reaching 54° C. The winters are warm. Most of the country receives less than 150 mm of rain per year. However, the climate of the coastal plain and mountains of Dhofar is moderated by monsoons that deposit about 760 mm of rain annually on the south side of the mountains.