Country Oman Capital Khasab | Area 1,800 km² | |
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The Musandam Governorate (Arabic: محافظة مسندم Muḥāfaẓat Musandam) is a governorate of Oman. It is located on the Musandam peninsula, which juts into the Strait of Hormuz, the narrow entry into the Persian Gulf, from the Arabian Peninsula. The Governorate is an exclave, separated from the rest of Oman 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 language is Kumzari, which is a southwestern Iranian language closely related to Larestani and Luri. The Musandam Peninsula has an area of 1,800 square kilometers (695 sq mi) and a population of 31,425 people.
Contents
Map of Musandam Governorate, Oman
Access to the peninsula was formerly difficult, with the only options being limited flights or a ten-hour drive through four immigration posts. The Shinas fast ferry service between Muscat and Musandam was launched in August 2008 to alleviate this problem and make the region more accessible. The governorate is accesible by land only from the United Arab Emirates. Mainland Musandam can be accessed by Ras Al Khaimah near Al Jeer and an exclave of Sharjah, Dibba Al Hisn. Oman Air provides an air link between the capital of the country, Muscat and the main administrative town of the governorate, Khasab.
Provinces
Musandam Governorate consists of four provinces:
Khasab city is the regional centre of the Governorate.
The area has great strategic importance owing to its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz.
The administrative head of Governorate is the Muhafiz (محافظ; Governor). The current Muhafiz is HE Al-Sayyid Khalifa Bin Murdas Bin Ahmad Al-Busaidi (السید خلیفہ بن مرداس بن احمد البوسیدی).
Geography
The rugged coastline resembles the glacier-carved coasts of polar regions, but in this case, the coast was shaped by the movement of Earth’s crust. The Arabian plate is slowly pushing under the Eurasian plate, creating the earthquake-prone mountains of Iran. On the leading edge of the Arabian plate, the Musandam Peninsula is sinking. The higher elevation mountains remain above the water, but the sea has rushed in to fill the valleys with fingers of water.