ABSTRACT
The country of Oman, situated in the southeastern quarter of the Arabian Peninsula, has a topography, social composition, and traditional economic pattern very typical of the Middle East. The country is virtually cut off from the rest of the peninsula by the Rub al-Khali desert, and its topography is dominated by mountains. International trade has meant that Oman has had many overseas contacts with the Indian subcontinent, Africa, and even China. These contacts have had great influence on the countries predominately Arab Muslim population, which has a tribal social organization remarkably divided along religious and ethnic lines. Agriculture has long been the basis of Omani society. Less than 1 percent of the sultanate's land is cultivatable, agriculture is by far the most important economic activity in the country, accounting for the livelihood of 85 percent of the people. The sultanate lies on the boundary of the Saharo-Arabico subtropical system and the Indian Ocean monsoon.
