Oman
Oman, officially known as the Sultanate of Oman, is a country located on the southeastern coast of the 
Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia. He is bordered by the 
United Arab Emirates to the northwest, 
Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The 
Arabian Sea lies to the south and east, and the Gulf of Oman to the northeast, providing Oman with an extensive and strategic coastline.
Oman boasts a population of approximately 4.5 million people, with a significant expatriate community. Arabic is the official language, and 
Islam is the predominant religion, with the majority of Omanis adhering to the 
Ibadi sect, a distinct branch of Islam.
History
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In 1970, sultan 
Qaboos bin Said al Said overthrew his father, the paranoid sultan 
Said bin Taimur, in a bloodless coup with 
British support. This marked the beginning of a new era for Oman, transitioning from a subsistence economy to one driven by oil revenue and extensive modernization. At the time, Oman had minimal infrastructure, including no secondary schools, just one hospital, and only 10 kilometers of paved roads. Sultan Qaboos redirected the country's oil revenue towards building modern infrastructure, establishing schools, electrifying the country, and constructing numerous roads.
In 1971, Oman joined the United Nations and the Arab League, signaling its entry into the international community. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Sultan Qaboos's modernization programs significantly improved the country's infrastructure. By 1980, Oman had 28 hospitals, 363 schools, and 12,000 kilometers of paved roads. The Dhofar Rebellion, an insurgency in the southern region, was defeated with substantial military investment and international support, including Iranian troops.
In 1981, Oman became a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), promoting economic, political, and military cooperation among Gulf states. In 1996, Sultan Qaboos issued the Basic Statute of the State, serving as Oman's constitution. This statute outlined citizens' rights and established a bicameral advisory council, the Majlis Oman, consisting of the State Council (Majlis al-Dawla) and the Consultative Council (Majlis al-Shura). By 2003, Omani citizens were able to directly elect members of the Consultative Council for the first time.
In response to the Arab Spring protests in 2011, Sultan Qaboos pledged reforms, including job creation, salary increases, and greater legislative powers for the Majlis al-Shura. These measures aimed to address public grievances and promote political stability.
Following Sultan Qaboos's death in 2020, his cousin Haitham bin Tariq succeeded him as Sultan. Sultan Haitham pledged to continue Oman's path of modernization and maintain its neutral foreign policy stance. In 2021, he undertook significant economic reforms to reduce the national deficit and dependency on oil revenues, as part of Vision 2040 aimed at economic diversification and sustainable development.
