The Country
Oman lies at the far south-eastern part of the Arabian Peninsula between latitudes 16.40oN and 26.2oN and longitudes 51.50oE and 59.40oE. Its coasts extend about 1,700 kms from the Strait of Hormuz in the north to the borders of Yemen, providing shorelines adjacent to the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Oman borders the UAE and the Strait of Hormuz in the north, Saudi Arabia in the west, Yemen in the south-west and the Arabian Sea in the east. It has a total area of 309,500 sq.km. ranking second in terms of land area among the GCC countries.
The Hajar Mountain range extends in the form of a bow from the Ras al-Jibal area in Musandam to Ras al-Hadd, which forms the south-eastern headland of the Arabian Peninsula. The mountains in Musandam reach 1,800 metres above sea level. The coastal land area bordering the Gulf of Oman, known as Al Batinah, consists of a low sand and gravel plain formed by sediments deposited by outwash from mountain valleys on its landward side. Its width varies from 5 to 80 km and it is more than 300 km in length. The area lying to the west is called Al Dhahirah, consisting of plains formed by wadi deposits which are criss-crossed by many wadis. Towards the eastern area.
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