Oman – also known as the Sultanate of Oman - is a country in southwest Asia on the Arabian Peninsula. It borders the United Arab Emirates on the northwest, Saudi Arabia on the west and Yemen on the southwest.

The country has it all: a huge – and thriving - expat community, an excellent work environment, beautiful beaches, dazzling mountains and vast deserts, along with all of the comforts of a bustling, modern metropolis.

The country has a population of 3.3 million, which includes close to 600,000 expats. Oman’s Head of State is Sultan Qaboos bin Said, who is assisted by a cabinet of ministers.

Muscat

Muscat, Oman’s capital and the largest city of the Sultanate of Oman, is a sub-section of a group of cities and towns strung about 40 kilometres along the coast of the Gulf of Oman. These towns are located the sea to the north and a rocky range of mountains to the south.

The capital city, a prosperous and strategically located Arabian port, features a fairly medieval appearance, largely due to two old Portuguese forts there, Jelali and Merani. These remarkable structures form a striking contrast to the modern, commercial, and residential areas of the adjoining coastal towns, and contribute to Muscat’s unique atmosphere.

Since Qaboos bin Said’s ascension to the throne in 1970 as the Sultan of Oman, Muscat has witnessed a vigorous increase in infrastructural expansion and urbanization.

Considering it is a city on the Arabian peninsula and has a considerably hot climate, Muscat is amazingly green and chock full of flowers.

As one visitor to the capital states, Muscat "...enchants visitors in a way that no other city in the Gulf can even begin to match."

Economy

Oman has undergone – fairly quickly - a significantly high level of economic growth.

The country’s free market economy encourages competition and free trade. The economy continues to be the main focus of Oman's overall growth plan, and the country encourages and supports private sector enterprises.

Oman joined the World Trade Organization in late 2000 and has continued to liberalize its markets over the past years. The country approved a free trade agreement with the United States in 2006, and is seeking to establish similar agreements with the European Union, China and Japan.

The country is vigorously pursuing a development plan that targets diversification, industrialization, and privatization.

Doing Business in Oman

Oman actively seeks private foreign investors, most notably in the information technology, industrial, tourism, and higher education realms. The country liberalized its markets, partly due to its effort to accede to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and gained membership in 2000.

Among the country’s incentives to non-nationals for doing business in Oman:

• Capital and profits of a business entity is fully transferable
• Political stability
• Free trade and open market policy
• Foreign ownership in businesses allowed
• No personal income tax
• All individuals can fully repatriate their savings
• Low income tax for jointly-owned companies; double taxation treaties exist with many countries
• Income tax holiday period of five years, renewable for further period of five years, available for business entities engaged in priority areas of economic development
• Geographically ideally located, proximity to Gulf, Asian and African markets
• Well-regulated stock exchange
• Certain industries can obtain interest-free loans, exemption from custom duty on import of plant, equipment and raw materials and export credit insurance
• Government-leased land available
• Inexpensive utilities and natural gas
• Modern infrastructure
• State-of-the-art telecommunications

New trade and investment laws have been implemented, which have further assisted in Oman’s economic growth.

Leisure Pursuits

Oman's wonderfully varied landscape is a leisure-pursuer’s dream come true, offering the absolute gamut of positively enjoyable choices.

Rock climbers have their pick of splendid mountains, rising to 3,000 metres, amongst a jumble of spurs and valleys, vast canyons and picturesque cliffs. For those who prefer to hike at lower altitudes, Oman offers a wealth of walking paths and hiking trails.

Angling enthusiasts will be more than pleased with the country’s game fishing. The sport is reasonably priced and Omani waters house a wide range of large catch. The Sur and Masirah coasts are considered particularly well-suited for this exceptional sport.

For scuba diving fans, Oman has a diverse coastline that is more than 1600 kilometres long, which offers a wealth of underwater flora, marine life and diving thrills. In addition to diving, a host of other sea-bound pleasures in Oman also provide excellent leisure-time pursuits. Go sailing, speed-boating, jet-skiing, and a long list of other water sports.

Photography aficionados will find more ‘photo opps’ than they can possibly desire – from grandiose mountain ranges, to tranquil sandy beaches, to verdant jungles. Wildlife, pastoral villages, and imposing forts provide beautiful backdrops for even the most discriminating photographer.

Do you like to watch bull fighting? Well, Oman offers bull fighting with a difference! Two Brahmin bulls compete against each other, and the first one to fall or flee is declared the loser. And, unlike the Spanish variety of the sport, the bulls do not get injured.

Shopping & Culinary Delights

As with its neighbours in the UAE, Oman offers some of the best shopping available. Several cities feature ultra-modern shopping centres. Muscat hosts several major shopping malls, which are fully air-conditioned, and feature a broad mix of shops, cafes and food courts, and children’s play areas.

Omani cuisine, like much Middle Eastern cooking is fairly spicy and typically served with rice. The country also offers a wide selection of excellent international cuisines – including Chinese, Thai, French and British - at restaurants throughout the country.

An extremely stable country, Oman is considered to be “one of the finest places on planet earth to be”.

---

For further information about Oman we recommend that you visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oman where you will find many useful links and informative articles to prepare you for your move.