Oman 🇴🇲

Oman is a country in Asia with a population of 4,576,298. Its capital is Muscat. The official currency is OMR, and the main languages are Arabic.

Quick facts

Capital: Muscat
Continent: Asia
Population: 4,576,298
Area: 309,500 km²
Density: 14.8 people per km²
Currency: OMR
Languages: Arabic
ISO code: OM

Where Oman sits

Oman 🇴🇲 is one of 48 countries in Asia, with its capital at Muscat. It covers 309,500 square kilometres — 70th in the world — and is home to about 4,576,298 people, 126th globally.

The countries it shares a continent with include China, India, Indonesia, Pakistan and Bangladesh. If you are learning geography region by region — which works far better than alphabetically, because memory for places is spatial — those are the ones to learn alongside it.

How Oman compares

Raw figures are hard to hold on their own, so it helps to anchor them. In population, Oman sits closest to Mauritania and Panama. In land area, its nearest counterparts are Poland and Italy.

At 14.8 people per square kilometre it is about 4.0 times below the world average of 59.4. It ranks higher by area than by population, so it is more spacious than its population alone suggests.

Arabic is an official language in 25 countries here, among them Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and Comoros, and 20 others. The OMR is used by Oman and no one else.

To see Oman next to every other country, sort the country rankings by population, area or density; its currency and languages are listed alongside every other country's in world currencies and world languages.

How to remember Oman

Muscat lies on the Gulf of Oman, and the Hajar Mountains rise up behind it. Remember 'M for Muscat, M for Mountains'. For the flag, look for the dagger and swords in the top left corner.

The flag of Oman: white, red and green

🇴🇲 The flag is three horizontal stripes of white, red and green, with a red vertical band on the left that holds the national emblem, a dagger (khanjar) over two crossed swords, in white. White stands for peace and prosperity, red for battles against foreign invaders, and green for the Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountains) and fertility.

Region and neighbours

Oman is a country on the southeastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula in West Asia, with long coasts on the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman. It shares land borders with 3 countries: United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Oman also has two small exclaves, Musandam and Madha, which are surrounded on land by the United Arab Emirates. Musandam looks out over the Strait of Hormuz.

United Arab Emirates 🇦🇪 — capital Abu Dhabi
Saudi Arabia 🇸🇦 — capital Riyadh
Yemen 🇾🇪 — capital Sana'a

Three facts about Oman

Oman has been ruled by the same family, the Al Bu Said dynasty, since 1744.
Bahla Fort, built between the 12th and 15th centuries, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Arabian oryx, the Arabian leopard and the Nubian ibex are among the wild animals native to Oman.

Sources: Wikipedia: Oman, Wikipedia: Flag of Oman, Wikipedia: Muscat, Wikipedia: Jebel Akhdar (Oman), CIA World Factbook.

Quiz yourself on Oman

Asian capitals quiz — match Oman to Muscat
Asian flags quiz — spot the Oman flag among its neighbours

Quizzes that include Oman

Three angles are worth covering for any country — where it is, what its flag looks like, and what its capital is. For Oman those are:

Asia map quiz — place it on a blank map
Asia flags quiz — identify its flag among its neighbours
Asia capitals quiz — match it to Muscat
Oman capital quiz — five quick questions starting with Oman, plus the answer quizzes most often try to trick you with
Daily Map Challenge — five countries to find on a blank world map, the same five for everyone each day

Doing all three for one continent before moving on is far more efficient than learning flags globally, then capitals globally, then the map.

Nearby countries

Afghanistan 🇦🇫 — capital Kabul
Armenia 🇦🇲 — capital Yerevan
Azerbaijan 🇦🇿 — capital Baku
Bahrain 🇧🇭 — capital Manama
Bangladesh 🇧🇩 — capital Dhaka
Bhutan 🇧🇹 — capital Thimphu
Brunei 🇧🇳 — capital Bandar Seri Begawan
Cambodia 🇰🇭 — capital Phnom Penh
China 🇨🇳 — capital Beijing
Georgia 🇬🇪 — capital Tbilisi
India 🇮🇳 — capital New Delhi
Indonesia 🇮🇩 — capital Jakarta

Frequently asked questions

What are the colours of the Oman flag?

The flag of Oman is three horizontal stripes of white, red and green, with a red vertical band on the left that holds the national emblem, a dagger (khanjar) over two crossed swords, in white. White stands for peace and prosperity, red for battles against foreign invaders, and green for the Jebel Akhdar (Green Mountains) and fertility.

Which countries border Oman?

Oman shares land borders with United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. Oman also has two small exclaves, Musandam and Madha, which are surrounded on land by the United Arab Emirates. Musandam looks out over the Strait of Hormuz.

How can I remember the capital of Oman?