r/geography • u/Necessary_Wing799 Geography Enthusiast • 18d ago

Oman - a country rarely spoken about. What's happening there? Discussion

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Oman is located in a area we heat about a lot for an array of reasons - there are many famous and newsworthy spots close by from dubai to Doha to Iran and Yemen...... what goes on in Oman? Let us know how life is here and any relevant info on its current state....

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u/AssumptionExtra9041 17d ago

Oman is stable, is relatively rich. It is not involved as much in international politics as its neighbors and it also does not prominently commit human right violations.

So, to keep it short: (almost) everything going on in the neighboring countries is also happening in Oman but to a much shallower degree.

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u/leonevilo 17d ago

only visited once a few years ago and it was a lot like i imagined the arabian peninsula to be when i was a kid, when i was only influenced by old tales and not current news.

it's wealthy, but not in your face rich, laid back, open to the world and the good life, and quite diverse. it has some of the oldest forts and ports in the world, with settlements dating back over 10k years and remnants of trade with east africa and the indus valley dating back almost as far. some surprisingly green areas (especially after monsoon) and pretty good diving.

even in salalah you won't realize there's a civil war going on next door in yemen (i realize most of the fighting is in western areas of yemen).

i understand it's not all roses, but if the rest of the gulf was more like oman this world would have a lot less problems.

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u/gattomeow 17d ago

The distances in the Arabian peninsula are really quite vast. From Muscat in Oman to Sa'naa in Yemen is about 2400 km.

To put that into context for Benelux people (many of whom lurk on Reddit), that's about the same distance as Rotterdam to Gibraltar.

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u/BayouByrnes 17d ago edited 16d ago

For those in the US, think Grand Rapids, Michigan (middle of the state) to Miami, Florida. 1,453 miles. Muscat to Sa'naa is 1,465 miles.

EDIT: To clarify, I just used google maps and driving routes to get these distances. These are not straight line numbers.

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u/JunketAvailable4398 17d ago

For those in Australia, its just up the road.