Prior to 1970, Oman had no infrastructure to speak of. With Sultan Qaboos' accession to the throne, the country has been pulled sharply into the 21 st century.
Oman enjoys a strong communications network.
There are a number of industrial estates based at Rusayl, Sohar, Raysut and Nizwa which manufacture, amongst other products, chemicals, electrical and building materials, steel structures and poly-products. The functions of the Ministry of National Economy are segregated into two groups. The Central Bank has increased in capital since it was first established in April 1975, from RO1 million, to RO250 million as at April 1999. As well as being the government's bank, CBO supports the State's general reserves by the annual reserves it makes from realised profits. It has set a number of rules and regulations concerning banking practises.