FAX: 699189

FAX: (202) 745-4933

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
John B. CRAIG

embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat

mailing address: international: P. O. Box 202, Code No. 115, Medinat Al-Sultan Qaboos, Muscat

telephone: 698989

Flag description: three horizontal bands of white, red, and green of equal width with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered at the top of the vertical band

Oman Economy

Economy - overview: Oman's economic performance improved significantly in 2000 due largely to the upturn in oil prices. The government is moving ahead with privatization of its utilities, the development of a body of commercial law to facilitate foreign investment, and increased budgetary outlays. Oman continues to liberalize its markets and joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO) in November 2000.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $19.6 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.6% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,700 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3%

industry: 40%

services: 57% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.8% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 850,000 (1997 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $4.7 billion

expenditures: $5.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $490 million (1999)

Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural gas production, construction, cement, copper

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 8.63 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 8.026 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels, cattle; fish

Exports: $11.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles

Exports - partners: Japan 27%, China 12%, Thailand 18%, UAE 12%,
South Korea 12%, US (1999)

Imports: $4.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants

Imports - partners: UAE 26% (largely reexports), Japan 16%, UK 9%,
Italy 7%, Germany 6%, US (1999)

Debt - external: $4.5 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $76.4 million (1995)

Currency: Omani rial (OMR)

Currency code: OMR

Exchange rates: Omani rials per US dollar - 0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Oman Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 201,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 59,822 (1997)

Telephone system: general assessment: modern system consisting of open wire, microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited coaxial cable

domestic: open wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations

international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 9, shortwave 2 (1999)

Radios: 1.4 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 13 (plus 25 low-power repeaters) (1999)

Televisions: 1.6 million (1997)

Internet country code: .om

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: 50,000 (2000)

Oman Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 32,800 km

paved: 9,840 km (including 550 km of expressways)

unpaved: 22,960 km (1996)

Waterways: none

Pipelines: crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km

Ports and harbors: Matrah, Mina' al Fahl, Mina' Raysut

Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,167
GRT/11,307 DWT

ships by type: cargo 2, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 143 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 6

over 3,047 m: 4

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 137

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 6

1,524 to 2,437 m: 56

914 to 1,523 m: 37

under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Oman Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes
Royal Oman Police)

Military manpower - military age: 14 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 771,919 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 429,811 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 26,469 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.4 billion (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 13% (FY00)

Oman Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: boundary with the UAE has not been bilaterally defined; northern section in the Musandam Peninsula is an administrative boundary

@Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean Introduction Top of Page

Background: The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.

Pacific Ocean Geography

Location: body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere

Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 160 00 W

Map references: World

Area: total: 155.557 million sq km

note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East
China Sea, Flores Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Java Sea,
Philippine Sea, Savu Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China
Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies

Area - comparative: about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world

Coastline: 135,663 km

Climate: planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December

Terrain: surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana
Trench -10,924 m

highest point: sea level 0 m

Natural resources: oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish

Natural hazards: surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December

Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea

Geography - note: the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean

Pacific Ocean Economy

Economy - overview: The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of Australia, NZ, China, US, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has slowed but not stopped new drillings.

Pacific Ocean Transportation

Ports and harbors: Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Kao-hsiung
(Taiwan), Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South
Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China),
Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington
(NZ), Yokohama (Japan)

Transportation - note: Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)

Pacific Ocean Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)

@Pakistan

Pakistan Introduction

Background: The separation in 1947 of British India into the Muslim state of Pakistan (with two sections West and East) and largely Hindu India was never satisfactorily resolved. A third war between these countries in 1971 resulted in East Pakistan seceding and becoming the separate nation of Bangladesh. A dispute over the state of Kashmir is ongoing. In response to Indian nuclear weapons testing, Pakistan conducted its own tests in 1998.

Pakistan Geography

Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the north

Geographic coordinates: 30 00 N, 70 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area: total: 803,940 sq km

land: 778,720 sq km

water: 25,220 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries: total: 6,774 km

border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km

Coastline: 1,046 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north

Terrain: flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest;
Balochistan plateau in west

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: K2 (Mt. Godwin-Austen) 8,611 m

Natural resources: land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone

Land use: arable land: 27%

permanent crops: 1%

permanent pastures: 6%

forests and woodland: 5%

other: 61% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 171,100 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)

Environment - current issues: water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban

Geography - note: controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

Pakistan People

Population: 144,616,639 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.47% (male 30,131,400; female 28,391,891)

15-64 years: 55.42% (male 40,977,543; female 39,164,663)

65 years and over: 4.11% (male 2,918,872; female 3,032,270) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.11% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 31.21 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 9.26 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 80.5 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 61.45 years

male: 60.61 years

female: 62.32 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.41 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 74,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 6,500 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Pakistani(s)

adjective: Pakistani

Ethnic groups: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India at the time of partition and their descendants)

Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%

Languages: Punjabi 48%, Sindhi 12%, Siraiki (a Punjabi variant) 10%,
Pashtu 8%, Urdu (official) 8%, Balochi 3%, Hindko 2%, Brahui 1%,
English (official and lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most
government ministries), Burushaski, and other 8%

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 42.7%

male: 55.3%

female: 29% (1998)

Pakistan Government

Country name: conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan

conventional short form: Pakistan

former: West Pakistan

Government type: federal republic

Capital: Islamabad

Administrative divisions: 4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital
territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*,
Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier Province, Punjab,
Sindh

note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region includes Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas

Independence: 14 August 1947 (from UK)

National holiday: Republic Day, 23 March (1956)

Constitution: 10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985; suspended 15 October 1999

Legal system: based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's status as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal; separate electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for non-Muslims

Executive branch: note: following a military takeover on 12 October 1999, Chief of Army Staff and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee, Gen. Pervez MUSHARRAF suspended Pakistan's constitution and assumed the additional title of Chief Executive; exercising the powers of the head of the government, he appointed an eight-member National Security Council to function as Pakistan's supreme governing body; President Mohammad Rafiq TARAR remains the ceremonial chief of state; on 12 May 2000, Pakistan's Supreme Court unanimously validated the October 1999 coup and granted MUSHARRAF executive and legislative authority for three years from the coup date

chief of state: President Mohammad Rafiq TARAR (since 31 December 1997)

head of government: Chief Executive Gen. Pervez MUSHARRAF (since 12 October 1999)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the chief executive

elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; election last held 31 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by the National Assembly; election last held 3 February 1997 (next to be held NA); note - Gen. Pervez MUSHARRAF overthrew the government of Prime Minister Mohammad Nawaz SHARIF in the military takeover of 12 October 1999; in May 2000, the Supreme Court validated the October 1999 coup and set a three-year limit in office for Chief Executive MUSHARRAF

election results: Rafiq TARAR elected president; percent of Parliament and provincial vote - NA%; results are for the last election for prime minister prior to the military takeover of 12 October 1999 - Mohammad Nawaz SHARIF elected prime minister; percent of National Assembly vote - NA%

Legislative branch: note - Gen. Pervez MUSHARRAF dissolved Parliament following the military takeover of 12 October 1999; bicameral Parliament or Majlis-e-Shoora consists of the Senate (87 seats; members indirectly elected by provincial assemblies to serve six-year terms; one-third of the members up for election every two years) and the National Assembly (217 seats - 10 represent non-Muslims; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: Senate - last held 12 March 1997 (next to be held NA); National Assembly - last held 3 February 1997 (next to be held NA); note - no timetable has yet been given for elections following the military takeover

election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PML/N 30, PPP 17, ANP 7, MQM/A 6, JWP 5, BNP 4, JUI/F 2, PML/J 2, BNM/M 1, PKMAP 1, TJP 1, independents 6, vacant 5; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PML/N 137, PPP 18, MQM/A 12, ANP 10, BNP 3, JWP 2, JUI/F 2, PPP/SB 1, NPP 1, independents 21, minorities 10; note - Gen. Pervez MUSHARRAF dismissed Parliament 15 October 1999

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (justices appointed by the president); Federal Islamic or Shari'a Court

Political parties and leaders: note: Gen. Pervez MUSHARRAF
dissolved Parliament following the military takeover of 12 October
1999, however, political parties have been allowed to operate; Awami
National Party or ANP [Wali KHAN]; Balochistan National
Movement/Hayee Group or BNM/H [Dr. HAYEE Baluch]; Baluch National
Party or BNP [Sardar Akhtar MENGAL]; Jamhoori Watan Party or JWP
[Akbar Khan BUGTI]; Jamiat-al-Hadith or JAH [Sajid MIR]; Jamiat
Ulema-i-Islam, Fazlur Rehman faction or JUI/F [Fazlur REHMAN];
Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Niazi faction or JUP/NI [Abdul Sattar Khan
NIAZI]; Millat Party [Farooq LEGHARI]; Milli Yakjheti Council or MYC
is an umbrella organization which includes Jamaat-i-Islami or JI
[Qazi Hussain AHMED], Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami-ul-Haq faction or
JUI/S [Sami ul-HAQ], Tehrik-I-Jafria Pakistan or TJP [Allama Sajid
NAQVI], and Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Noorani faction or JUP/NO [Shah
Ahmad NOORANI]; Mutahida Qaumi Movement, Altaf faction or MQM/A
[Altaf HUSSAIN]; National People's Party or NPP [Ghulam Mustapha
JATOI]; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party or PKMAP [Mahmood Khan
ACHAKZAI]; Pakhtun Quami Party or PQP [Mohammed AFZAL Khan];
Pakistan Awami Tehrik or PAT [Tahir ul QADRI]; Pakistan Muslim
League, Functional Group or PML/F [Pir PAGARO]; Pakistan Muslim
League, Junejo faction or PML/J [Hamid Nasir CHATTHA]; Pakistan
Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction or PML/N [Nawaz SHARIF];
Pakistan National Party or PNP [Hasil BIZENJO]; Pakistan People's
Party or PPP [Benazir BHUTTO]; Pakistan People's Party/Shaheed
Bhutto or PPP/SB [Ghinva BHUTTO]; Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaaf or PTI
[Imran KHAN]

note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently

Political pressure groups and leaders: military remains important political force; ulema (clergy), landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential

International organization participation: AsDB, C (suspended), CCC,
CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAS
(observer), OIC, OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UPU,
WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Maleeha LODHI

chancery: 2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: (202) 939-6200