Travel Oman- A brief look into the land of Oman
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(Experience Oman, 2017)
A Brief Introduction
Occupying 82,000 square miles, the country of Oman is only slightly bigger than the state of Kansas. The country has a population of 3,424,386 people. The capital of Muscat (the red pin on the map to the right) is home to 838,000 residents. The origin of the country's name is not clear, but "Omana" was mentioned by Pliny the Elder in the first century A.D and "Omanon" was referenced by Ptolemy in the second century. Oman's name could thus date back some 2,000 years. Its borders include Saudi Arabia, Yemen, and the United Arab Emirates. The Arabian Sea is its only maritime border, and the coastline tends to be hot and humid while areas further inland tend to be made up of dry deserts. Due to such extremes, there is little arable land, and areas dedicated to agriculture are small. Summer sandstorms can cause occasional droughts though the biggest problems facing the entire country include rising soil salinity, beach pollution, and limited freshwater resources.
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Fish auction in Al-Seeb
(Abdelghani, 2010) |
People
Immigrants make up about 45 percent of the total population of Oman. The ethnic groups present in the country include Arab, Baluchi, South Asian, and African. Males aged 0-14 represent the largest portion of the population and those 65 or older the smallest. Also, a large amount of the population is made up of those without Omani origin. Many from India, Pakistan, and Iran live in the area as foreign workers (Editorial Team of the Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics, 2006, p. 29).The small elderly population is due to the fact that these expatriates are not eligible to stay as a citizen past the retirement age of 60 (Al Shaibany, 2018). Many people reside in the areas located around the Al Hagar Mountains which are located in the northern territories of the country. Residents in general are expected to live to an average of 75.7 years of age. Those of or above the age of 21 are able to vote, though those who participate in the military or security forces are prohibited from doing so. Gender has recently become an important issue in Oman. In a recent study conducted by Denman, Roche, and Sinha where students and instructors of an English medium institution were asked to express their views on various statements, there was a majority of students who believed that the separation of men and women best facilitated education (2015, p. 49). It is important to note on this subject that women attend school an average two years more than men.
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Language
The languages spoken in Oman include Arabic (the official language of the country), English, Baluchi (Balochi), Urdu, and an assortment of Indian dialects. This range is mostly due to the amount of foreign workers who live in Oman (Editorial Team of the Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics, 2006, p. 29). There are variations of the standard Arabic used in the informal sector, which include Omani Arabic, Gulf Arabic, and Dhofari Arabic (p. 29). Mehri, a language along the boarder of Oman and Yemen, also has a significant following along with Shihhi, an Iranian language (Rubin, 2014, p. 1). The Swahili language is also used in more populated areas like the coastline and the capital due to the Zanzari people fleeing from Africa after much political disturbance in the 1960's. Swahili is thus considered one of first modern Arabian languages in about a century.
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(Bair Al Zubair, n.d)
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Culture
The dominant religion of Oman is Muslim with 85.9 percent of the population subscribing to this faith. The remainder fall into Christian, Hindu, Buddhist, or Jewish. More recently, there has been a large concern with Omani people regarding the topics of immigration and nationality (Pradhan & Tuzlukova, 2013, p. 122; Meilaender, 2001). This is due to the large increase in foreign labor and increasing urbanization and globalization of the country. The country has modernized while also keeping much of the pride in its history, importance, and people (Funsch, 2015b, p. 130). For example, the picture to the left is of the Bait Al Zubair. This house turned museum is located in the heart of Muscat and houses many Omani artifacts and pictures concerning the history of the country (Funsch, 2015b, p. 139). It is a demonstration of the cultural and national pride still present.
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Government
The country of Oman gained independence in 1650 with the expulsion of the Portuguese. Citizenship is not guaranteed through birth without the father being a citizen of Oman himself. The people of Oman are now governed under an absolute monarchy with the sultan providing the Basic Law which also serves as the constitution for the country. Amendments can be created by the Sultan or proposed by the Council of Oman. These amendments then go through the council and must then be sent and approved by the royal line. The election of any new offices (including that of a new Sultan) are determined by the ruling family council members. In the case of a new sultan, if no unanimous decision is able to be reached in three days then the predetermined heir by the previous sultan is given the title. Lastly, the organization of political parties is considered illegal, though there are certain groups that will form with tribal associations.
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The national anthem of Oman
"As-Salam as- Sultani"- Royal Salutation (Defonseca, 2014)
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A photo of Fort Al Mirani in 1933. It was built by the Portuguese in 1588.
(British Naval officer, 1933) (HDNetWorldReport, 2011)
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HistoryOman used to incorporate more territory than it does today. The island of Zanzibar and the enclave Gwadur in Pakistan used to be part of the country. Besides a brief overthrow in the sixteenth and seventeenth century by the Portuguese (Editorial Team of the Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics, 2006, p. 29), Oman has been a sovereign country (Funsch, 2015, p. xi). It stands as "the oldest independent state in the Arab world" (p. 9). After the Portuguese were expelled, Oman eventually became a strong competition in the maritime trading world (p. xi).
In the 20th century the economy became oil-based (Editorial Team of the Encyclopedia of Language & Linguistics, 2006, p.29). Around the same time there was a trend of low literacy rates. This began to change as oil revenues increased and several literacy campaigns were started by Sultan Qaboos bin Said al Said (or simply Sultan Qaboos bin Said). The country itself has historically been seen as an equal to surrounding nations in religion, geography, and language but it also has presented itself as "the exception to the rule" in many other areas such as women's rights (Funsch, 2015, p. 1). As Funsch states, "in 2010 women comprised the majority of students at the under- graduate level (at 68 percent), with their graduation rates exceeding those of their male cohorts" (2015b, p. 85). The video to the left helps to further describe girls education in modern Oman and how it has historically seperated itself from surrounding nations. |
Kiana Vanderham, Winter 2018