Military
Oman

Military branches:

Sultan's Armed Forces (SAF): Royal Army of Oman, Royal Navy of Oman,
Royal Air Force of Oman (2008)

Military service age and obligation:

18-30 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2008)

Manpower available for military service:

males age 16-49: 802,455
females age 16-49: 626,841 (2008 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:

males age 16-49: 663,881
females age 16-49: 543,410 (2008 est.)

Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:

male: 34,238
female: 33,139 (2008 est.)

Military expenditures:

11.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues
Oman

Disputes - international:

boundary agreement reportedly signed and ratified with UAE in 2003
for entire border, including Oman's Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah
exclave, but details of the alignment have not been made public

Trafficking in persons:

current situation: Oman is a destination country for men and women
primarily from Bangladesh, India, Sri Lanka, and Pakistan who
migrate willingly, but some of whom become victims of trafficking
when subjected to conditions of involuntary servitude as domestic
workers and laborers; mistreatment includes non-payment of wages,
restrictions on movement and withholding of passports, threats, and
physical or sexual abuse; Oman may also be a destination country for
women from Asia, Eastern Europe, and North Africa for commercial
sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 3 - Oman was rated as Tier 3 for the second
consecutive year because it did not report any law enforcement
efforts to prosecute and punish trafficking offenses in 2007 and
continues to lack victim protection services or a systematic
procedure to identify victims of trafficking (2008)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008

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@Pacific Ocean

Introduction
Pacific Ocean

Background:

The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans
(followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and
Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the
La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres
Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization
in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean,
removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.