Final posting

thank you for viewing my blog about the geography of Oman, I hope that you have enjoyed looking at my blog and reading about all about Oman. thank you. =]

Oman's Landscape

Oman is a fairly mountainous country, and this makes it beautiful and interesting. The scenery throughout Oman is amazing and it is a pleasure to gaze upon.

The picture to the left is of a natural Wadi that has formed itself in the mountainous area of Oman. Wadi's are very commonly found all over Oman and are used by people and tourists to bathe and relax in the hot climate.

Oman's natural and cultural landscapes are famous for their astonishing beauty, dramatic high peaks and canyons, ancient oasis settlements with their traditional forts and houses, dense monsoon forests, barren gravel wildernesses, sand seas furrowed by high dunes, to coastal cliffs and fiords. To geologists they tell the story of millions of years of Oman's history because, unlike temperate countries where rock formations are mostly covered by soil and vegetation, the geography of Oman is visible for all to see.

In today's crowded industrial world, wildernesses have a special appeal to the international tourist, many of whom wish to go to places where they will not be among crowds of other tourists: This makes Oman an ideal place to visit or spend a holiday as not many people know about it or where it is situated. Oman is able to offer this experience as well as the more conventional types of holiday.The landscape is the foundation of responsible tourism, a sustainable way to support the economy of rural areas, through employment. It contains all Oman's terrestrial species, so care of the landscape helps to protect what is in it. Aside from tourism, a beautiful landscape sustains the quality of life for all those who live and work within it, encouraging their sense of ownership and pride.

Oman's Natural Resources and Environmental Concern's

Oman's natural resources include:

Petroleum, Copper, asbestos, marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas and frankincense.


This is a picture of one of the factories in Oman which produce petroleum.

Natural hazards: Summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in the interior during periodic droughts. Following rain, Wadis can fill with rainwater water and vast tracts of land can be flooded.

Environment - current issues: Soil salinity is rising. There is beach pollution from oil spills. There are very limited natural fresh water resources.

Geographical note: Oman is in a strategic location on Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil.

The Climate Of Oman

With the exception of Dhofar region, which has a strong monsoon climate and receives warm winds from the Indian Ocean, the climate of Oman is extremely hot and dry most of the year.
Summer begins in April and lasts until October. The highest temperatures are registered in the interior, where readings of more than 53°C in the shade are common.


On the Al Batinah plain, summer temperatures usually exceed 47°C, but, because of the low elevation, the humidity may be as high as 90 percent. The average summer temperature in Muscat is 33°C, but the gharbi (western Oman), a strong wind that blows from the Rub Al Kahli, can raise temperatures from the towns on the Gulf of Oman by 6°C to 10°C.
Winter temperatures are mild and pleasant, ranging between 18°C and 26 degrees.


Precipitation on the coasts and on the interior plains ranges from twenty to 100 millimeters a year and falls during mid- and late winter. Rainfall in the mountains, particularly over Al Jabal al Akhadar, is much higher and may reach 900 millimeters.


Because the plateau of Al Jabal al Akhdar is porous limestone, rainfall seeps quickly through it, and the vegetation, which might be expected to be more lush, is meager. However, a huge reservoir under the plateau provides springs for low-lying areas. In addition, an enormous wadi channels water to these valleys, making the area agriculturally productive in years of good rainfall.

Dhofar, benefiting from a southwest monsoon between June and September, receives heavier rainfall and has constantly running streams, which make the region Oman's most fertile area.

Cyclones In Oman

Over time Oman had been exposed to many cyclones. The most recent of these was the Cyclone Gonu. This cyclone hit the coast of Oman in 2007. It was so big that it was classified as a Super Cyclonic Storm, and was classified as a category 5 cyclone, making it one of the biggest to ever hit Oman. It is also tied as the strongest to ever hit the Indian Ocean. It hit the coasts on June 3rd with winds of up to 240 km/h (150 mph).


Intense cyclones like Gonu have been extremely rare over the Arabian Sea, as most storms in this area tend to be small and dissipate quickly. The cyclone caused about $4 billion in damage and nearly 80 deaths in Oman. The cyclone was considered the worst natural disaster to ever hit the nation, and the worst to ever hit the Arabian Sea.

Gonu dropped heavy rainfall near the eastern coastline, reaching up to 610 mm (24 inches), which caused flooding and heavy damage. In Iran, the cyclone caused 23 deaths and $215 million in damage.



http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=2897485n

The Muscat International Airport in Muscat, Oman reopened after three days of closure. The port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates reopened on June 7 after it was closed the day before. The cyclone caused little impact to oil facilities along its path, and as a result oil prices dropped over US $2 per barrel.

In Oman, production of desaltinated water was interrupted, as both of Oman's desalination plants failed. The first, Ghubrah, lost supplies of natural gas, halting production; while the second, Barka, sustained a damaged switchgear due to flooding. These plants provided water to Muscat's 631,000 residents and surrounding areas, triggering severe water shortages across eastern Oman.

To rectify the situation, officials emptied water tanks. The water returned to near normal in five days, as the two plants returned to service. Around 20,000 people were said to have been affected in this cyclone, many of whom lost their homes and belongings.

Oman

This is Oman. Oman is situated in the middle east(south east asia), and is bordered by: The United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Yemen. The capital of Oman is Muscat and has a total population of 2,577,000. Oman is a very strange and wonderfull country. It consists of mainly desert and is spread over a large area. Also Oman is one of the only coutries in the world that doesn't have to pay taxes. The income they get from the selling of oil provides the government with enough money to pay for everything that they need.

The original name is the Sultanate of Oman. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the south and east, and the Gulf of Oman to the north. The Capital, Muscat, has a total population of about 638,000.

There is not one main or dominent language in Oman. There are a total of five alnguages spoken in Oman which include: Arabic, English, Baluchi, Urdu and Indian Dialects. There are also four main religions of Oman, these include: Ibadhi Muslim, Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim, and Hindu. The currency of Oman is the Omani Rial.

In Oman the life expectancy is very high, compared to other countries. The average life expectancy for all People is 73 years of age.

This is the Omani national flag. The national emblem consists of Khanjar Dagger in a sheath that is superimposed upon two crossed swords. This is the traditional symbol of Oman.

Introduction to my blog

Hey there people, my name is Eoghan Donnelly. I attend wesley college in dublin and I am in fourth year(transition year). I am doing my blog on Oman, the country where I was born and where I lived for 4 years of my life. I have chosen to do my blog on oman because it is a country that not many people know about and I feel that it would be a really good topic to do my project on. I hope you enjoy. Please feel free to comment on any of my postings.