Oman lies between latitudes 16th parallel north and 28th parallel north, and longitudes 52nd median east and 60th median east. A gravel desert plain covers most of central Oman, with mountain ranges along the north (Hajar mountains ) and southeast coast (Dhofar mountains),where the country's main cities are located: the capital city Muscat, Sohar and Sur in the north, and Salalah in the south and Musandam. Oman's climate is hot and dry in the interior and humid along the coast.
Like the rest of the Persian Gulf, Oman generally has one of the hottest climates in the world—with summer temperatures in Muscat and northern Oman averaging 30 to 40 °C (86.0 to 104.0 °F). Oman receives little rainfall, with annual rainfall in Muscat averaging 100 mm (3.9 in), occurring mostly in January. In the south, the Dhofar Mountains area near Salalah has a tropical-like climate and receives seasonal rainfall from late June to late September as a result of monsoon winds from the Indian Ocean, leaving the summer air saturated with cool moisture and heavy fog. Summer temperatures in Slalah range from 20 to 30 °C (68.0 to 86.0 °F)—relatively cool compared to northern Oman.
Indegounous mammals include the leopard, hyena, fox, wolf, hare, oryx and ibex Birds include the vulture, eagle, stork, bustard, Arabian partribgde bee eater, falcon and sunbird. In 2001, Oman had nine endangered species of mammals, five endangered types of birds, and nineteen threatened plant species. Decrees have been passed to protect endangered species, the Arabian oryx, Mountain gazelle, Arabian tahr,green sea turtle , hawksbill turtle and olive ridely turtle. However, the Arabain oryx Sanctuary is the first site ever to be deleted from Unesco's World Heritage List, following the government's 2007 decision to reduce the site's area by 90% to clear the way for oil prospectors.
Oman's Basic Statute of the State expresses in Article 11 that the "national economy is based on justice and the principles of a "free economy". By regional standards, Oman has a relatively diversified economy, but remains dependent on oil exports. In terms of monetary value, mineral fuels accounted for 82.2 percent of total product exports in 2018. Tourism is the fastest-growing industry in Oman. Other sources of income, agriculture and industry, are small in comparison and account for less than 1% of the country's exports, but diversification is seen as a priority by the government. Agriculture, often subsitence in its character, produces dates, limes, grains and vegetables, but with less than 1% of the country under cultivation, Oman is likely to remain a net importer of food.
By 2020, Oman's population exceeded 4.5 million. The fertility rate in 2020 was estimated to be 2.8 children born per woman; this rate has been rapidly decreasing in recent years. About half of the population lives in Muscat and the Batinah coastal plain northwest of the capital. Omanis are entirely Arab, with certain groups of Baluchi and African descent. Around 20 percent of Omanis are of Baloch descent whose ancestors migrated to Oman centuries ago, and are now considered native.
Even though the Oman government does not keep statistics on religious affiliation, statistics from the US's Central Intelligence Agency state that adherents of Islam are in the majority at 85.9 percent, while 6.4 percent are christians , 5.7 percent Hindus, 0.8 percent Buddihts, and fewer than 0.1 percent are Jews; members of other religious affiliations comprise 1 percent and the unaffiliated 0.2 percent.
Arabic is the official and most widely spoken language of Oman. It belongs to the Semitic branch of the Afroasiatic family. There are several dialects of Arabic spoken, all part of the Peninsular Arabic family: Dhofari arabic (also known as Dhofari, Zofari) is spoken in Salalah and the surrounding coastal region. Gulf Arabic is spoken in parts bordering the UAE; whereas Omani Arabic distinct from the Gulf Arabic of eastern Arabia and Bahrain, is spoken in Central Oman, although with recent oil wealth and mobility has spread over other parts of the Sultanate.