Barka (Arabic: بركاء‎) is a coastal town in the region Al Bāţinah, in northern Oman. It is located at about 23°42′33″N 57°53′13″E / 23.70917°N 57.88694°E / 23.70917; 57.88694. The town is emerging as a tourist resort.^{[citation needed]} It has an interesting fort.^{[citation needed]}

There are two major resorts in Barka, the Al-Sawadi resort and the Al-Nahda resort. In addition, a new quarter is now under construction in Barka called "Blue City" (Arabic: المدينة الزقاء‎) which is located in Suwadi. The development is 8 km from Suwadi beach, and many international companies are involved in Barka development projects. There is an estimated $15 billion in new construction currently taking place in Barka.

Oman (ⁱ/oʊˈmɑːn/ oh-MAAN; Arabic: عمان‎ ʻUmān), officially called the Sultanate of Oman (Arabic: سلطنة عُمان‎ Salṭanat ʻUmān), is an Arab state in southwest Asia on the southeast coast of the Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to the northwest, Saudi Arabia to the west, and Yemen to the southwest. The coast is formed by the Arabian Sea on the southeast and the Gulf of Oman on the northeast. The Madha and Musandam enclaves are surrounded by the UAE on their land borders, with the Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman forming Musandam's coastal boundaries.

For a period, Oman was a moderate regional power, formerly having a sultanate extending across the Strait of Hormuz to Iran, and modern day Pakistan, and far south to Zanzibar on the coat of south-east Africa. Over time, as its power declined, the sultanate came under heavy influence from the United Kingdom, though Oman was never formally part of the British Empire, or a British protectorate. The Omani royal family claim that Oman has been ruled by the Al Said dynasty since 1744, although without substantial proof. Oman has long-standing military and political ties with the United Kingdom and the United States, although it maintains an independent foreign policy.