Land Degradation in the Sultanate of Oman: Reasons and Intervention Measures - Combating Desertification in Asia, Africa and the Middle East - page 386

3.45 million tonnes of feed/year. There are 647,250 TLU (Tropical Livestock
Unit) in the Sultanate of Oman. The livestock inventory in 2005 was comprised
of 117,000 camels, 351,000 sheep and 1,557,000 goats. Camels are widely kept
in the Sultanate. They are mostly managed extensively although some are kept in
pens.

Keywords Desert development • Sustainable development • Water • Agricul-
ture • Feed balance • Livestock inventory • Camel • Desert encroachment

1 Introduction

1.1 Basic Geographical Features

The Sultanate of Oman occupies the south-eastern corner of Arabian Peninsular
between the latitudes 16 ı ,40 0 East, it has a coastline extending almost 1,700 km
from the straits of Harmuz in the North to the border of the Republic of Yemen.
It is bounded by the Arabian Sea, the Sultanate borders with Saudi Arabia and the
United Arab Emirates in the West and with the Republic of Yemen in the South
(Fig. 19.1 ). The total Area of the Sultanate is approximately 300,000 km 2 and it is

the third largest country in the Arabian Peninsular.

Fig. 19.1 The Sultanate of
Oman that lies adjacent to the
Arabian Sea and borders on
Saudi Arabia, UAE, and
Ye m e n