Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world, placed at the end of the Arabian Peninsula. It was called Muscat (now the name of the capital) until 1970, 20 years after the country gained independence. Earlier, in 1856, the Omani Empire split into the Sultanates of Oman and Zanzibar, with Zanzibar now being owned by Tanzania. The Omani Empire was famous for being the largest trader of goods with other continents, being strategically placed on the Arabian Peninsula. Even before this, Oman had an industrial presence in Asia more than 100,000 years ago. Oman also has one of the oldest populated cities inthe world, being populated as far back as 10,000 years ago. This country’s history is ancient!