Geographic Definitions Population Locality

This refers to any independent population locality that has a specified and known name, which includes one or more permanent housing unit, even if it is not occupied at the counting period. Any site is considered as a population locality if it bears a specific name, and nomadic Bedouins may stay there from time to time, even if it does not consist of permanent houses.

Accordingly, the population locality may be a city, a village or a Bedouin site, or just a site inhabited by nomads i.e. there was no population or buildings during the time of counting.


Town/Village

For the purpose of the census, the following are classified as cities: The Wilayats of Muscat, Mutrah, Bawshar, As Seeb and Centers of other Wilayats. Also every stable locality which has a population of (2,500) persons or more, provided that it contains at least three of the following basic services: a preparatory or secondary school, public electricity supply, public dispensary or telephone services. Any other locality is considered a village.


The Current Place of Regular Residence

It is the Wilayat (or country) where the individual spends most of the year or intends to do so if he/she moved to it recently.

Apart from this definition, every individual of the household members available abroad at the time of census will be counted with his/her family irrespective of his/her absence.


The Place of Previous Residence

It is the last place in which the individual actually lived as a regular place of residence provided that the move to this place happened within the last ten years and that it was not a transfer from one Wilayat to another within Muscat Governorate. When applying this definition, the following should be kept in mind:

• The individual shall not have any previous residence if he/she has stayed in the present place of residence for more than ten years.
• Muscat Governorate is considered as one Wilayat. Accordingly, the relocation from one Wilayat to another within this Governorate shall not be considered a change of place of residence.