Oman, officially called the Sultanate of Oman, is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. The head of state and of the government is the hereditary sultān, Qaboos bin Said Al Said.
Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id assumed power on July 24, 1970, in a bloodless palace coup directed against his father, Sa'id bin Taymur, who later died in exile in London. The new sultan was confronted with insurgency in a country plagued by endemic disease, illiteracy, and poverty.
One of the new sultan's first measures was to abolish many of his father's harsh restrictions, which had caused thousands of Omanis to leave the country, and offer amnesty to opponents of the previous regime, many of whom returned to Oman. He also established a modern government structure; and launched a major development program to upgrade educational and health facilities, build a modern infrastructure, and develop the country's resources.
Since the 1970s, the Sultanate of Oman has rapidly entered the modern world. Today, it is an economically, politically, and socially progressive country. The population of modern Oman is approximately 3.3 million.
