Oman

A nation in Western Asia, Oman is formally known as the Sultanate of Oman. The country is located on the southeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Oman, which was once a maritime empire, is the Arab world's oldest continuously sovereign state and the region's first independent state. Geographically situated at the mouth of the Persian Gulf in a strategic location, the nation has land borders with the United Arab Emirates to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest, as well as sea borders with Iran and Pakistan. The shoreline is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast, with the Arabian Sea on the southeast. The both Madha and Musandam emirates are bordered by the United Arab Emirates on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz (which it shares with Iran) and the Gulf of Oman constituting the coastline limits of Musandam. Muscat, the country's capital and biggest city, is located on the Arabian Sea.

From the late 17th century forward, the Omani Sultanate was a strong empire, competing for dominance in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean with the Portuguese and British empires. At its height in the nineteenth century, Omani influence or authority stretched beyond the Strait of Hormuz to modern-day Iran and Pakistan, as well as all the way down to Zanzibar in the Indian Ocean. Following a period of decline in the twentieth century, the sultanate became more under the control of the United Kingdom. In the course of more than 300 years, the ties that developed between the two empires were founded on the principle of mutual benefit. Britain recognised Oman's geographic significance as a trade centre that safeguarded their commerce routes in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean while also protecting their empire on the Indian subcontinent and on the Indian subcontinent. The port of Muscat has historically been the most important commercial port in the Persian Gulf area. Muscat was also a major trade port in the Indian Ocean, ranking among the most significant in the world.