Musandam Governorate in the context of "Madha"

Oman, officially the Sultanate of Oman, is a country in the southeastern Arabian Peninsula in West Asia. It shares land borders with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen. Oman's coastline faces the Arabian Sea to the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The exclaves of Madha and Musandam are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, while Musandam's coastal boundaries are formed by the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman. It has a population of approximately 5.46 million and an area of 309,960 km (119,680 sq mi). Muscat is the capital and largest city.

Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world, and has been continuously ruled by the Al Bu Said dynasty since 1744. Beginning in the 17th century, Oman became a regional power with an empire that competed with the Portuguese Empire and British Empire for influence in the Persian Gulf and the Indian Ocean. At its peak in the 19th century, Omani influence and control extended across the Strait of Hormuz to present-day Iran and Pakistan, and as far south as Zanzibar. In the 20th century, Oman had come under the influence of the British Empire while de jure remaining sovereign.

The Strait of Hormuz (/hɔːrˈmuːz/ Persian: تنگهٔ هُرمُز Tangeh-ye Hormoz listen, Arabic: مَضيق هُرمُز Maḍīq Hurmuz) is a strait between the Persian Gulf and the Gulf of Oman. It provides the only sea passage from the Persian Gulf to the open ocean and is one of the world's most strategically important choke points. It has been so for centuries, with vast hinterlands rich in luxury trade good, but no easy access to lucrative trading ports. Babur's memoirs recount how almonds had to be carried from the distant Ferghana region in Central Asia to Hormuz to reach markets.

On the north coast lies Iran, and on the south coast lies the Musandam Peninsula, shared by the United Arab Emirates and the Musandam Governorate, an exclave of Oman. The strait is about 104 miles (90 nmi; 167 km) long, with a width varying from about 60 mi (52 nmi; 97 km) to 24 mi (21 nmi; 39 km).

Khasab (Arabic: خَصَب, romanized: Ḫaṣab) is a town and capital of the Musandam Governorate which is an exclave of Oman bordering the United Arab Emirates at the tip of the Musandam Peninsula by the Strait of Hormuz. It has been dubbed the "Norway of Arabia" because of its extensive fjord-like craggy inlets and desolate mountainscapes.

The town is surrounded by the northern mountains of the Western Hajar Range. Khasab has a fully functional hospital and several hotels, beaches and parks across the city. The city's population is dominated by ethnic Omanis from the mainland. Khasab also has a fort which is known as Khasab Fort. The sea port is dominated by the dhows which take tourists for a cruise across the natural, dry "fjords".

Kumzar (Arabic: كُمْزَار), is a village in Musandam, the northernmost province of Oman. It is the second most northerly inhabited part of the country, and the most northerly inhabited part on its mainland, located on the Strait of Hormuz. The village is only accessible by boat, and its inhabitants speak their own language, known as Kumzari.

Shinas is a catamaran ferry in service on the Shinas–Khasab route in Oman, reportedly the fastest diesel ferry in the world. The route connects Musandam Governorate, an exclave of Oman at the tip of the Musandam peninsula, to Oman proper, without crossing through United Arab Emirates like the overland route.

The A13, also officially known as Khasab–Tibat Road (Arabic: طريق خصب - تيبات) and formerly designated as Route 2 (Arabic: طريق ٢), is an arterial road in the Sultanate of Oman specifically in the Musandam exclave. The main road runs from the border of the United Arab Emirates to the regional capital Khasab. The A13 starts with only one lane on each side until it merges into a dual carriageway right after entering the city of Khasab and almost always runs along the coast of the Persian Gulf.

Dibba Al-Hisn (Arabic: دبا الحصن, white Dibba) is a semi-exclave of the emirate of Al-Sharjah, one of the seven United Arab Emirates. It is bordered by the Gulf of Oman from the East, Dibba Al-Baya (a province of Oman in Musandam) from the North, and Dibba Al-Fujairah from the South. It is also geographically part of the Dibba region. It is the smallest in size among the Dibbas. It is mostly known for its fish market and the ancient fortress from which it got its name. Also, it is known for its high density of population relative to the other Dibbas.