APPENDIX  A: COUNTRY DATA

1.  Profile

According to preliminary results of the first national census
carried out in December 1993, Oman's total population is
2,017,591.  Of this, 537,060 (26 percent) are expatriates, most
of South Asian origin.  The remainder are Omanis.  Estimates of
the population growth rate vary, but most fall within the range
of an increase of 3.5-3.9 percent each year.  Virtually all
Omanis are Muslim.  Half are adherents of the Ibadhi sect, the
others are Sunni with a small number of Shi'a in the country as
well.  The Shi'a are particularly prominent in commerce.  The
expatriates follow a variety of Indian and Western religions and
there are places of worship for their faiths in Oman.

The government led by Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id consists of the
Council of Ministers, the Majlis Ash-shura (consultative
council) and various specialized councils and the ministries.
The Council of Ministers is the highest executive authority,
deriving its power from the Sultan.  The country is divided into
59 Wilayats (districts), most under the jurisdiction of the
Ministry of the Interior.

A Wali (governor) heads each wilayat.  The Majlis Ash-shura
contains members representing each wilayat.  Economic and social
development is carried out through five year plans; the current
plan runs from 1991 through 1995.  International treaties,
agreements and charters approved by the Sultan become law from
the date of their publication in the Official Gazette.  The
Sultanate of Oman is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council,
the Arab League, the Organization of Islamic Conference
Organization and many other regioal and international bodies.
On January 1, 1994, Oman began serving its two year seat on the
United Nations Security Council.

The official language of Oman is Arabic, although Swahili,
Farsi, Urdu, Baluchi, and various Indian dialects are quite
common.  English is the accepted language of business and is
widely spoken in commercial and government circles.  Certain
business documents, however, such as company registration
papers, must be in Arabic.

As Oman is an Islamic country, visiting businessmen should not
expect to schedule appointments or transact business on Friday,
the official day of rest.  Government offices and the American
Embassy are closed on Thursdays; some banks have limited hours.

Saturday and Sunday are normal workdays.  Local time is four
hours ahead of GMT and nine hours ahead of Eastern Standard
Time.

2.  Domestic Economy

Complete data is not available on all aspects of Oman's economy,
particularly for calendar years 1993 and 1994.  In addition, the
Omani economy's reliance on oil revenues and the vagaries of the
price of oil make it impossible to make useful projections of
Omani economic developments.  Reliable data will only be
presented here for the year 1992.  The 1993 figures are
provisional and the 1994 figures are for the first quarter only.

                        1992      1993         1994
                        ----      ----         ----

GDP at Purchasers'
  Values (USD
  Billions)             11.5      11.7          2.4
                                  (Prov.)    (1st qrtr.)
GDP Growth Rate          9.1       1.7         -5.3
                                               (est.)
GDP per capita          5,928     5,801         N/A
                        (est.)    (prov.)
Government spending as percent
  of GDP   50.0         48.2        N/A
                                   (prov.)
Inflation   1.4          0.9        N/A
Unemployment             N/A        N/A         N/A
Foreign Exchange
  Reserves 1.72          N/A        N/A
  (USD Billions)
USD 1.00/R.O.             .385      .385         .385
Debt Service
  Ratio                  N/A        N/A         N/A
U.S. Economic/
  Military
  Assistance
  (USD Million)          3.6       1.1          0.1


3.  Trade

                        1992       1993          1994
                        (IN USD MILLIONS)

Total Exports           5,554      5,298          N/A

Total Imports           3,768      4,113          N/A

U.S. Exports              257        265          N/A

U.S. Imports              207        305          N/A

U.S. Share of
  Omani Imports           7.0       N/A           N/A
  (Percent)

None of the detailed data by Standardized International Trade
Classification is available for the years after 1992.  In that
year, Oman imported USD 72.7 million worth of manufactured goods
and USD 92.2 million worth of agricultural goods.  Oman imports
the majority of both its manufactured and its agricultural
needs.  The Sultanate consistently runs trade deficits with its
trading partners, at least in terms of its non-oil exports.
Oman's trade deficits with its three largest trading partners
in 1992 were USD 876 million with Japan; USD 595 million with
the United Arab Emirates (mostly re-exports); and USD 299
million with the United Kingdom.

The top five exports and imports between Oman and the United
States in 1992 were as follows:

U.S. Exports to Oman (per the Harmonized Code):

1.  Boring machinery (Code 84314300):  USD 51.3
    million.

2.  Motor vehicles (Code 87032000):  USD 21.1 million.

3.  Miscellaneous (Code 9903000):  USD 15.4 million.

4.  Cigarettes (Code 24022000):  USD 11.3 million.

5.  Parts for boring machinery (Code 84314900):  USD
    8.9 million.
(Sources for the data above are the following:  Central Bank of
Oman, Annual Report 1992;  Directorate General of Customs,
Foreign Trade Statistics 1992; Development Council, Statistical
Yearbook 1992.)