Editing Geography of Oman (section)

==Geographical regions==
[[File:Oman Map FBOI.gif|thumb|right|250px|Map of Oman]]
[[File:Oman 1996 CIA map.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Detailed map of Oman]]

Natural features divide the country into six distinct areas: [[Ru'us al-Jibal]], including the northern Musandam Peninsula;<ref name="Lancaster&Lancaster2011">{{cite book |last1=Lancaster |first1=Fidelity |last2=Lancaster |first2=William |title=Honour is in Contentment: Life Before Oil in Ras Al-Khaimah (UAE) and Some Neighbouring Regions |publisher=[[Walter de Gruyter]] |pages=3–598 |isbn=978-3-1102-2339-2 |location=[[Berlin]], New York City |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Le0Ryxzh7cQC&q=ru%27us+al-jibal+musandam+western+hajar |year=2011}}</ref> [[Al Batinah Region|the Batinah]] plain running southeast along the Gulf of Oman coast;<ref name="Cavendish2007"/> the Oman interior behind the Batinah coast comprising the Hajar Mountains, their foothills, and desert fringes; the coast from [[Muscat]]-[[Matrah]] around the point of [[Ras Al Hadd]],<ref name="Cavendish2007"/> and down the [[Arabian Sea]]; the offshore island of Masirah; and finally the barren coastline south to the [[Dhofar]] region in the south.

Except for the foggy and fertile Dhofar, all of the coast and the lowlands around the Hajar mountains are part of the [[Gulf of Oman desert and semi-desert]] ecoregion, while the mountains themselves are a distinct habitat.

===Musandam Governorate===
The northernmost area, [[Musandam Governorate|Musandam]], extends from the tip of the Musandam Peninsula to the boundary with the [[United Arab Emirates]] (UAE) at [[Dibba Al-Hisn|Hisn al-Dibba]]. It borders the [[Strait of Hormuz]], which links the [[Persian Gulf]] with the [[Gulf of Oman]], and is separated from the rest of the sultanate by a strip of territory belonging to the UAE. This area consists of low mountains forming the northernmost extremity of the Western Hajar.<ref name="Lancaster&Lancaster2011"/> Two inlets, [[Elphinstone Inlet|Elphinstone]] (''Khawr ash-Shamm'') and Malcom (''Ghubbat al-Ghazirah''), cleave the coastline about one third of the distance from the [[Strait of Hormuz]] and at one point are separated by only a few hundred meters of land. The coastline is extremely rugged, and the Elphinstone Inlet, {{convert|16|km|mile|abbr=off}} long and surrounded by cliffs {{convert|1000|to|1,250|m|ft|abbr=on}} high, has frequently been compared with [[fjord]]s in [[Norway]].

===Al-Batinah===
{{main|Al Batinah Region}}
The UAE territory separating Ru'us al Jibal from the rest of Oman extends almost as far south as the coastal town of [[Shinas]]. A narrow, well-populated coastal plain known as ''Al-Batinah''<ref name="Cavendish2007"/> runs from the point at which the sultanate is re-entered to the town of As-Sib, about {{convert|140|km|mile|abbr=on}} to the southeast. Across the plains, a number of [[wadi]]s, heavily populated in their upper courses, descend from the Western Hajar Mountains to the south. A ribbon of oases, watered by wells and [[qanat|underground channels (''aflaj'')]], extends the length of the plain, about {{convert|10|km|ft|abbr=on}} inland.

===Muscat-Matrah coastal area===
South of [[Seeb, Oman|As Sib]], the coast changes character. For about {{convert|175|km|mile|abbr=on}}, from As-Sib to Ras al-Hadd, it is barren and bounded by cliffs almost its entire length; there is no cultivation and little habitation. Although the deep water off this coast renders navigation relatively easy, there are few natural harbors or safe anchorages. The two best are at Muscat and Matrah, where natural harbors facilitated the growth of cities centuries ago. 

===Al-Sharqiyah===
Al Sharqiyah is the northeastern region of the Sultanate of Oman and overlooks the Arabian Sea to the east and includes the inner side of the Eastern Hijr Mountains.<br>
The region consists of the following governorates:
# South Al Sharqiyah: The province of Sur is its administrative capital in addition to the provinces of Jalan Bani Bu Ali and Jalan Bani Bu Hassan, Kamel and Alwafi and Masirah.<br>
# North Al Sharqiyah: The province of Ibra is its administrative capital in addition to the provinces of Bidiyah, Al-Mudhaibi, Qabil, Wadi Bani Khalid, Damma and Al-Tayyeen.<br>

===Coastal tract, and island of Masirah===
The desolate coastal tract from Jalan to Ras Naws has no specific name. Low hills and wastelands meet the sea for long distances. Midway along this coast and about fifteen kilometers offshore is the barren [[Masirah Island]]. Stretching about {{convert|70|km|mile|abbr=on}}, the island occupies a strategic location near the entry point to the Gulf of Oman from the Arabian Sea. Because of its location, it became the site of military facilities used first by the British and then by the United States, following an access agreement signed in 1980 by the United States and Oman.

===Oman Governorate===
West of the coastal areas lies the tableland of central Oman. The Wadi [[Samail]] (the largest [[wadi]] in the mountain zone),{{cn|date=January 2019}} a valley that forms the traditional route between Muscat and the interior divides the Hajar range into two subranges: ''Al-Ḥajar Al-Gharbī'' (The [[Western Hajar Mountains|Western Hajar]]) and ''Al-Ḥajar Ash-Sharqī'' (The [[Eastern Hajar Mountains|Eastern Hajar]]).<ref name="Cavendish2007"/> At the same time, mountains in the central region, where the highest of the Hajar are located, are recognised as the "[[Central Hajar Mountains|Central Hajar]]".<ref name="CullenKusky2010">{{cite encyclopedia |last1=Cullen |first1=Katherine E. |last2=Kusky |first2=Timothy M. |title=Encyclopedia of Earth and Space Science |publisher=[[Infobase Publishing]] |chapter=Arabian geology |pages=26–38 |isbn=978-1-4381-2859-7 |location=New York City |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vMk4t21fOvoC&q=central+hajar+mountains&pg=PA33 |year=2010}}</ref> The general elevation is about {{convert|1200|m|ft|abbr=on}}, but the peaks of the high ridge known as [[Jebel Akhdar (Oman)|Jebel Akhdar]] ("Green Mountain"), rise to more than {{convert|3000|m|mile|abbr=on}}. Jabal Akhdar is a home of the [[Arabian tahr]], a unique species of wild goat. In the hope of saving this rare animal, Sultan [[Qabus ibn Said]] has declared part of the mountain a national park. Behind the Western Mountains are two inland regions, Az-Zahirah and Inner Oman, separated by the lateral range of the Rub al Khali. Adjoining the Eastern Hajar Mountains are the sandy regions of Ash-Sharqiyah and Jalan, which also border the desert.

===Dhofar Governorate===
{{main|Dhofar}}
Dhofar region extends from Ras ash-Sharbatat to the border of Yemen and north to the clearly defined border with Saudi Arabia. Its capital, [[Salalah]], was the permanent residence of Sultan [[Said Bin Taimur of Muscat|Said ibn Taimur Al Said]] and the birthplace of the present sultan, [[Qaboos ibn Said]]. The highest peak of the [[Dhofar Mountains]], [[Jabal Samhan]], is about {{convert|2000|m|mile|abbr=off}}.<ref name="OmanTourismSamhan">{{cite web |publisher=Ministry of Tourism, Sultanate of Oman |title=Samhan Mountain |url=http://www.omantourism.gov.om/wps/portal/mot/tourism/oman/details/!ut/p/a1/ldHLUoMwFAbgZ3HBNjkkEII7bgIFpE5kWrNxqCLNKJcBtK8v7biqWvTsMvP9kzn_wRJvsWzLD1WXk-ra8u34luzRTqxAEGCQp64FsSgiXYQuDVdsBg8z8EInMqwUANzEgzgJ7pJ7mung6P_NG5xA7LuRb9kZQMz-lodfxoGl_AbLE2G3N-k68HXIuT7_K3jGhPAoEFgABlkAufkFLpV0Br63cAIX1lxhqXYNOjw1CBAhJmfUoibY3AYg9FiT0-4or7EcqpdqqAb0Pszn3U9TP15roEHVooN6VX31rErUDbUGP4X23Tjh7bnFfVMUW1CxWjcbPjpXn7hhG68!/dl5/d5/L2dJQSEvUUt3QS80SmlFL1o2XzlLN0VTMjA2ME81NzEwSVNQUTBLRUwxR1A3/?WCM_GLOBAL_CONTEXT=/wps/wcm/connect/mot_english_lib/mot/experience/nature/mountains/jabal+samhan |access-date=14 January 2019}}</ref> The coast of Dhofar is fertile, being watered by monsoonal fogs from the Indian Ocean and is part of the [[Arabian Peninsula coastal fog desert]] [[ecoregion]].

Al Dharerah region consists of three parts: Dhank, [[Ibri]] and Yanqul.{{cn|date=December 2018}}