The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.

The Sultanate of Oman, located at the south-eastern corner of the Arabian Peninsula, borders Yemen, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). To the east is the Arabian Sea and to the north the Gulf of Oman. It has an isolated northern extension at the tip of the Musandam Peninsula (separated from the rest of Oman by the UAE) overlooking the Strait of Hormuz. It covers a total area of about 309,500km2.

Most of Oman is dry and rocky. The Musandam Peninsula in the north consists of barren mountains. Al Batinah, a narrow but fertile coastal plain, lies along the Gulf of Oman. Steep, rugged mountains called Al Hajar separate Al Batinah from the interior. The interior is a vast, flat wasteland. The Rub’ al Khali (Empty Quarter) desert covers western Oman. Most of Oman's coast along the Arabian Sea is barren and rocky. But tropical vegetation grows along the coastal plain of Dhofar, a region in the south adjacent to Yemen. Dhofar is famous for its frankincense trees, the best of which grow on a plateau north of the Jabal al Qara mountain range.

Oman is one of the hottest countries in the world, with summer temperatures often reaching 54°C. The winters are warm. Most of the country receives less than 150 mm of rain per year. However, the climate of the coastal plain and mountains of Dhofar is moderated by monsoons that deposit about 760 mm of rain annually on the south side of the mountains.

The Sultanate of Oman harbours important summer and winter breeding areas at the Gulf of Oman in the north of the country, particularly in the areas of Salalah / Al-Najed, Bediya / Wahiba Saud, Rostaq / Jammah and Barka / Wadi Al Abiad during the winter season and Jalan / Wadi Sal, Bediya / Wahiba Saud, Rostaq / Jammah and Barka / Wadi Al Abiad during the summer season.

The national Locust Control Unit in Oman is working under the umbrella of the Directorate General of Agriculture Development of the Ministry of Agriculture in Muscat. The staffing level at the Locust Control Unit itself is limited it is therefore closely collaborating in all Desert Locust management aspects with 41 Agricultural Development Centres of Batinah, Sharqiya, Dakhliya, Dhahera, Musandam and Dhofar regions. The national Locust Control Centre in Oman is operating a Locust Information Office, equipped with a modern data management system, Reconnaissance and Management System of the Environment of Schistocerca (RAMSES).