|
Area
309,500 sq km (119,500 sq miles).
Population
2,401,256 (2000).
Population Density
7.8 per sq km.
Capital
Muscat. Population: 661,145 (2000).
Geography
The Sultanate of Oman occupies the southeastern tip of
the Arabian Peninsula with almost 1700km (1062 miles) of
coastline stretching along the Indian Ocean and the
Arabian Gulf. It is bordered by the Kingdom of Saudi
Arabia to the west and the Republic of Yemen to the
south. The United Arab Emirates lies to the northwest of
Oman and to the east lies the Arabian Sea and the Gulf
of Oman.
Government
Sultanate since 1744. Head of State and Government:
Sultan Qabus bin Sa'id since 1970.
Language
Arabic is the official language. English is widely
spoken. Swahili is also spoken by the population from
East Africa. German and French are spoken by hotel
staff.
Religion
Predominantly Ibadi Muslim, with Shiite Muslim, Sunni
Muslim and Hindu minorities.
Time
GMT + 4.
Electricity
220/240 volts AC, 50Hz.
Telephone
IDD is available. Country code: 968. Outgoing
international code: 00.
Mobile telephone
GSM 900 network. The Oman Telecommunications Company (Omantel)
is the local operator (website: www.omantel.net.om).
Fax
Services are available from Omantel. There are fax
facilities in most hotels and in the major cities.
Telegram
Services are available at the counter in the Central
Telegraph Office, Muscat. In case of difficulty,
visitors may book calls through the international
operator.
Internet
There are Internet cafes in the cities of Nizwa and
Muscat. ISPs include Omantel (website:
www.omantel.net.om) and WebOman (website:
www.weboman.com).
Post
Airmail to Western Europe takes three to four days.
Press
English-language newspapers include The Times of Oman
and The Oman Daily Observer.
Radio
BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice)
and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be
received. From time to time the frequencies change and
the most up-to-date can be found online.
|
