It is a country about the size of Kansas, with a population of about three million individuals. Along with Yemen, its neighbor to the southwest, Oman has been one of the most isolated of the countries in the Arabian Peninsula. Until 1970 the entire country had only 10 kilometers of paved roads, two schools, and two hospitals (Gorden 142). A dramatic change has occurred in subsequent years, owing primarily to two factors: the bloodless coup by the present Sultan, and the foreign investment made in oil exploration by a consortium of five global shareholders, whose names over the years became the companies we know today as Exon, Partex, Total/Fina/Elf, Shell, and British Petroleum (Petroleum par. 2).

             By the middle of the 20th Centrury, unlike neighbors like Kuwait, Qatar, and Bahrain, Oman had stagnated in terms of trade, politics, and social institutions. The ruling sultan of the time lived a reclusive life in his palace at Salalah, and rarely made any efforts to modernize his country, which had high rates of infant mortality and illiteracy (Gorden 144). On July 23, 1970, with some help from Britain, the Sultan"s 30 year old son, Qabus bin Said Al Said, stormed the palace, and forced his father to abdicate and accept exile. This coup was the beginning of a new Oman, and is always refered to as "The Renaissance.".

             The facts are hard to dispute. This new hard-working, enlightened monarch has brought health, wealth, work, education, transportation, and pride to a nation that was languishing in isolation before his ascent to the throne. It"s oil income is modest (much lower than the other Arabian countries), and it is not a member of OPEC or OAPEC. As historian and political scientist, J.E. Peterson has noted in his article, "Oman: Three and a Half Decades of Change and Development":.

             In terms of political and economic development, generally speaking, Oman has accomplished as much or more than its fellow Gulf monarchies, despite starting from scratch considerably later, having less oil income to utilize, dealing with a larger and more rugged geography, and resolving a bitter civil war along the way (125).