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Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world. It is strategically placed at the mouth of the Gulf at the south-east corner of the Arabian Peninsula.

From the 17th Century onwards, the Omani Sultanate was an empire and competed with the Portuguese and British empires for influence in the Persian Gulf and Indian Ocean.

In the 19th Century, Oman's extended across the Strait of Hormuz to Iran and Pakistan and down the East African coast to Zanzibar.

After deposing his father in 1970, Sultan Qaboos opened up the country and embarked on a policy of modernisation - abolishing slavery which had once been a key part of its trade.

Oil reserves in Dhofar were discovered in 1964. The main threat to Oman's territorial integrity came with the 1965-75 Dhofar Rebellion, which saw pro-Soviet secessionist forces pitted against government troops. It was finally put down with military support from the UK, Iran, Jordan and Pakistan.

Oman has not been immune from the groundswell of political dissent in the region, however. Sultan Qaboos responded to the rare outbreak of discontent in 2011, following the wave of pro-democracy protests across the Arab world, by promising more jobs and benefits after initially suppressing demonstrations.

However, he also determined that the centre of political power, combining both executive and legislative powers, should remain his personal prerogative, closed off from any debate.
Source: BBC.com