These images reflect the beauty of autumn in the Governorate of Dhofar

Regions and Governorates of Sultanate Of Oman

Regions and Governorates of Sultanate Of Oman

           







 The Sultanate of Oman lies on the south east corner of the Arabian Peninsula between latitudes 16˚40' and 26˚-20' north and longitudes 51˚50', and 59˚40' east. Its coast runs to a distance of 1,700 km from the Strait of Hormuz in the north to the borders of the Republic of Yemen, thus overlooking three seas, the Arabian Gulf, the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.

    It is bordered to the west by the UAE and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, to South by the Republic of Yemen, the Strait of I Hormuz to the North and the Arabian Sea to the East.

     The Sultanate occupies a total area of about (309,500) square kms and includes different terrains that vary front plain, to highlands and mountains. The coastal plain overlooking the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea forms the most important plain of Oman, the area of which amounts to 3% of the total landmass while the mountain make up 15% or the total area, paramount among which are two ranges: Al Hajr mountains which stretches in the form of an are from Ras Musandam in the north to Ras Al Had. The second is Al Qara mountain range situated in the far side of south west of Oman. Sand and desert cover the greatest area as they represent approximately 82% of the total area: most of it is the Empty Quarter.

    The Sultanate's climate varies from one area to another. In the coastal areas we find a hot and humid weather in summer while it is hot and dry in the interior, except for some high areas as the weather is moderate over the whole year. In the southern area the weather is more moderate. Rain in Oman is scarce and irregular. However, sometimes heavy rainfall is also reported. Governorate of Dhofar is an exception, where heavy and regular rain is registered from June to October due to monsoon.

     The Sultanate is divided administratively into Four governorates, Muscat, Dhofar, Musandam and Al Buraimi and five regions, Al Batinah, Adh Dhahirah, Ad Dakhliyah, Ash Sharqiyah and Al Wusta. These governorates and regions consist of' Wilayats amounting to 61 in number. Each region has one or more regional center. The total regional centers amount to 12

salalah

                                                                                       Salalah

Salalah is the second largest city in the Sultanate of Oman, and the largest city in the Dhofar Provence. The coastal city of Salalah is a traditional stronghold and birthplace of the Sultan, Qaboos bin Said. The Sultan traditionally lives in Salalah rather than in Muscat, the capital and largest city in Oman; Qaboos has bucked this trend, and has lived in Muscat since he ascended to the throne in 1970. He does however visit Salalah fairly regularly to meet with influential tribal and local leaders; his last visit was in 2006 and before that he visited in 2002. In mid-2009 the massive Sultan Qaboos Mosque was opened in Salalah, 39 years after he had taken the throne.