The Sultanate of Oman Trivia Quiz

Answer: Italy

Comprising 309,501 sq km (119,499 sq mi) the Sultanate of Oman sits at the southeast tip of the Arabian Peninsula, where the Gulf of Oman meets the Persian Gulf. A 2011 discovery of stone tools indicates the area may have been inhabited for more than 100,000 years.

Answer: tombs

In Oman, these tombs are found in Bat, Al-Ayn and Al-Khutm in the northern part of the country. They date back as much as 5,000 years. Some show signs of repeated usage. The area was named a World Heritage site by UNESCO in 1998.

Answer: Yes

While most of Oman receives little annual rainfall (some places receive 100 mm/ 3.9 in or less), the south and northeastern mountain areas receive enough to support agriculture and be classified as almost tropical. Though not typical, there can be snow cover in the mountains in the winter.

Answer: Muscat

The Muscat grape (Vitis vinifera) is a sweet grape that is so old it may be the progenitor of all the other table grapes. It is native to the Mediterranean and the Arabian Peninsula and its name has been linked to Muscat, the capital of Oman.

Answer: Portugal

The Portuguese arrived in Muscat in 1507 and stayed until 1650. The city was an important location for anyone wishing to control the sea lanes into the Persian Gulf. The Portuguese were driven out twice by the Ottoman Turks in the 16th century but retook Muscat until finally being driven out by rebellious Omani tribes.

Answer: absolute monarchy

The house of Al Said ejected Persians from Oman in 1749 and have held dynastic rule over the country ever since. There is a parliament, with the sultan appointing the representatives to the upper house and an elected lower house, the members of which must be approved by the sultan.

The judicial branch is also subordinate to the sultan. There have been complaints of civil rights violations and torture.

Answer: oryx

The Arabian oryx was declared extinct in the wild in 1970. Because of breeding in zoos and game preserves it was reintroduced to the wild in 1980 and later classified as endangered. UNESCO added the sanctuary to its World Heritage List in 1994 but removed it in 2007 because of the Omani government's decision to reduce the size of the sanctuary by 90 percent to allow for oil exploration.

Answer: dhow

No one is certain when and where the dhow originated. There is speculation that it came from Arabia or India. Some claim that one type of dhow was influenced by Portuguese caravels. Dhows are moderately-large boats, used to move heavy cargo; they often have 12 to 30 crew members.

Answer: Madha

An exclave is a portion of a country surrounded by territory of another country. Oman's exclave Madha is in the Musandam Peninsula, part of the United Arab Emirates; the boundary was disputed but finally settled in 1969. Exclaves are not as uncommon as you might first think; more uncommon is the fact that there is an exclave inside Madha, Nahwa, which belongs to the UAE.

The correct term for this is counter-enclave.

Answer: soil salinity

With limited rainfall in most parts of Oman, an adequate water supply is one of the country's biggest problems. Ninety-four percent of water in Oman is used for agriculture. Due to drawing down the water table, soil along the coasts shows increased salinity due to seawater encroachment.