Oman! With it's beautiful deserts, lush wadis and vibrant cities, the sultanate is fast becoming one of the region's top tourist destinations. However, while you may know that Oman has top-notch beaches and picturesque sand dunes, you might not have known these 15 facts about the country.

1. Oman is the oldest independent state in the Arab world

2. Oman has been self-governing ever since 1741, except for a brief period of Persian invasion

3. The official name of the country was changed in 1970 from the Sultanate of Muscat and Oman to just the Sultanate of Oman

4. Oman's ancient city Al Wattih is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, dating back some 10,000 years

5. The ancestors of modern-day Omanis accepted Islam freely in the 7th century leading Prophet Mohammad to say, "God’s mercy be on the people of Al Ghubaira (the people of Oman)... They have believed in me although they had not seen me"

6. Numerous Portuguese forts are scattered throughout Oman, remnants of more than a century of colonization

7. Oman militarily expelled the Portuguese from its land and the coastal regions north of Mozambique in Africa

8. The sultanate has been a powerful trading power since ancient times

9. Ancient Sumerian tablets refer to Oman as Magan or Makan, referring to the region's ancient copper mines

10. The name Oman is believed to have originated from the Arab tribes that immigrated to the area from the Uman region in Yemen

11. Oman and the British have a long history of friendship, first signing a Treaty of Friendship in 1798

12. Sultan Qaboos bin Said introduced the "Basic Statutes of the States" in 1996, the country's first written constitution

13. Since the 1970s, Oman has tried to maintain positive foreign relations with all major regional and international governments, sometimes functioning as a negotiator between rival powers

14. Oman has a relatively diversified economy in the context of the region, however it still depends heavily on oil revenues

15. Tourism is the fastest growing sector of Oman's economy, so you should definitely visit the country ASAP ...