The Musandam peninsula is an exclave of Oman, separated from the rest of the country by the United Arab Emirates. The Peninsula has an area of 1,800 square km. Rocky and rugged, the Musandam Peninsula juts into the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entry into the Persian Gulf, from the Arabian Peninsula. The Musandam (Persian: مسندم) peninsula is an exclave of Oman, separated from the rest of the country by the United Arab Emirates. Its location gives Oman partial control, shared with Iran, of the strategic strait. In the northern section of Musandam, around Kumzar, the current language is Kumzari, which is one of the south-western Iranian languages and a sub-branch of Persian. The Musandam Peninsula has an area of 1,800 square kilometers and a population of 28,727 people. Connectivity has traditionally been a problem for the region, but this has greatly improved since August 2008 with the world's fastest passenger ferry launching service between Muscat and Musandam The peninsula is mainly inhabited by the Shihuh, who are fishermen and herdsmen and are probably descended from the original inhabitants of northern Oman, pushed into the mountains by successive Muslim and Portuguese invasions. Fishing is the peninsula’s main industry with packing plants at al-Khaṣab and Bayʿah. There are reserves of petroleum off the western coast of the Musandam Peninsula. Communication is mostly by sea, since no roads cross the forbidding terrain. The Sultanate of Oman has created the Musandam Development Committee for building fishing jetties, construction of the Khaṣab dam and food storage, and undertaking the Bayʿah power expansion project during the Second Development Plan (1981–85). The main population centre is the oasis town of Dibā on the peninsula’s southeastern coast.
The Peninsula is the rough northern part of Oman on the other side of the border with the UAE. With the visum situation improved, this shouldn't pose much of a problem, but note that if you rent a car, your insurance might not cover you while you are on UAE soil. The fjord like canals yield spectacular views and chartering a boat is a good option to experience the area, if not very cheap. A lot of Iranians come to the peninsula to smuggle all kinds of contraband. The Musandam Peninsula is the northernmost part of Oman jutting out into the Strait of Hormuz at the entrance to the Persian Gulf. The province, or governorate of Musandam as it is officially known, is separated from the rest of Oman by various of the United Arab Emirates - Ras al Khaimah and Fujairah. Musandam more or less begins where the mountains rise from the plains of Ras al Khaimah. The mountains have isolated communities for centuries. Coastal villages can be reached only by boat rather than by road. Pockets of flat land support meagre agriculture. The population of approximately 29,000 is concentrated in the capital, Khasab (18,000 in 2004) in the north and Dibba (5,500) on the east coast. Fishing is the principal economic activity supported by employment in government jobs. Tourism could be a major earner. Traders from Iran boost the port trade of Khasab. At its nearest point Musandam is just 55 km from Iran across the strait. See the satellite image which will open in a separate window. The file size is 72.5 K and takes up to 30 seconds to download fully at 28.8K. In 2000, we flew from Muscat to Khasab, the main town, in Oman Air's twin engine aircraft. A new, international airport opened at Khasab late in 2003, which can take larger aircraft flying from Dubai. Background: In 1970, QABOOS bin Said Al Said ousted his father and has ruled as sultan ever since. His extensive modernization program has opened the country to the outside world and has preserved a long-standing political and military relationship with the UK. Oman's moderate, independent foreign policy has sought to maintain good relations with all Middle Eastern countries.
peninsula, northeastern extension of the Arabian Peninsula, separating the Gulf of Oman on the east from the Persian Gulf on the west to form the Strait of Hormuz to the north. The Ruʾūs al-Jibāl (the Mountaintops), the northernmost extremity of the al-Gharbī al-Ḥajar (Western Hajar mountains), occupy the northern tip of the Musandam Peninsula; this area is a part of Oman, and is separated from the rest of the country (to the south) by the United Arab Emirates. The peninsula is generally about 22 mi (35 km) wide. The Khawr (channel) ash-Shamm (also called Elphinstone Inlet) and the Ghubbat (bay) al-Ghazīrah (Malcom Inlet) deeply incise the coastline from west and east a few miles south of the Strait of Hormuz and come within several hundred yards of bisecting the peninsula. The Khawr ash-Shamm is about 10 mi long and is bordered by cliffs that rise to heights of 3,000 to 4,000 ft (900 to 1,200 m). The highest elevation on the mountainous peninsula is 6,847 ft at Jabal (mount) al-Ḥartīm. The mountains slope steeply seaward forming an extremely rugged and rocky coast that makes Musandam a hazard to navigation. Wadi beds, where sporadic rains have carved deep ravines, are fertile with vegetation and the lower mountain slopes are covered with wild olive trees; juniper trees grow at the summits. Dates and vegetables are the main crops on the peninsula.
