PEOPLE
About 55% of the population lives in Muscat and the Batinah coastal plain northwest of the capital; about 215,000 live in the Dhofar (southern) region, and about 30,000 live in the remote Musandam Peninsula on the Strait of Hormuz. Some 660,000 expatriates live in Oman, most of whom are guest workers from South Asia, Egypt, Jordan, and the Philippines.
Since 1970, the government has given high priority to education to develop a domestic work force, which the government considers a vital factor in the country's economic and social progress. In 1986, Oman's first university, Sultan Qaboos University, opened. It has continued to expand, recently adding a law college, and remains the country’s only major public university. More than 300 full and partial scholarships are awarded each year for study abroad.
There are three private universities and twenty post-secondary education institutions in Oman, including a technical college, banking institute, teacher’s training college, and health sciences institute. A select few of these institutions offer four-year degrees, while the remainder provide two-year post-secondary diplomas. Since 1999, the government has embarked on reforms in higher education designed to meet the needs of a growing population. Approximately 40% of Omani high school graduates pursue some type of post-secondary education.
Nationality: Noun--Oman. Adjective--Omani.
Population (2005 est.): 2.51 million.
Annual growth rate (2005 est.): 2.5%.
Ethnic groups: Arab, Baluchi, East African (Zanzabari), South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi).
Religions: Ibadhi; Sunni Muslim, Shia Muslim, Hindu, Christian.
Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Swahili, Hindi and Indian dialects.
Education: Literacy--approx. 80% (total population).
Health (2005 est.): Infant mortality rate--10.28/1,000. Life expectancy--74.28.
Work force (920,000): Agriculture and fishing—approx. 50%.
