Capital:
Muscat
Government:
Monarchy with a provisional
legislature (the Majlis Ash Shura)
Head
of State: His Majesty Sultan
Qaboos bin Said
Major industries:
Oil, natural gas, agriculture, and fishing
Ruling body:
His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said is
Head of State and rules by decree.
He is assisted by a cabinet of ministers,
Diwan of the Royal Court (the central
body of bureaucratic affairs), and the
Majlis Ash Shura, a body of representatives
elected by the populace.
 Population:
Approximately 2 million. Around 1.5 million
are Omani nationals. The remaining
are expatriates from India, Asia,
other Arab countries, Europe and
USA.
Area:
The Sultanate encompasses an area
of 300,000 sq kms.
Airport:
Muscat International Airport, 40 km from
Muscat city centre.
Muscat International Airport, located
in Muscat, serves many international
airlines such as British Airways,
KLM, Kuwait Airways, Swiss Air and Emirates.
The national carrier is Oman Air, which
flies to the United Arab Emirates
(UAE), India, Pakistan, Qatar, Egypt,
and Sri Lanka as well as performing domestic
flights to Salalah, Masirah Island and
Musandam.
Climate: The country's climate
is predominantly arid and varies
slightly from one region to another. In
the coastal areas, the weather is
hot and humid during the summer
months, while it is dry elsewhere in the
interior. Milder weather dominates
the mountains and Dhofar region
all the year round. Winter temperatures
can be as low as 15°Celsius and summer
temperatures can be as high as 48°
Celsius in Muscat and as high as
54° in the desert.
Dhofar, located in the southernv
region of the country however, enjoys
a regular monsoon between June and
October, every year.
Best
Time to visit : The  best
time of the year to visit Oman
is between October and April,
when the weather is pleasantly
warm in the day and cool in
the evening. Temperature averages
at 25-35 degrees centigrade
during the day and dips to
17-19 degrees centigrade at
night.
Religion:
Islam, predominantly Ibadhi sect.
Language:
Official language is Arabic. Other languages
spoken include Urdu, Swahili and Baluchi.
English is widely spoken and along
with Arabic is the common business
language. Most Hotel staff speak German
and French as well.
Culture:
Like all the Arab  countries,
Arab Islamic Culture dominates the
life style in the Sultanate. However,
being an international market, people
of various other nationalities are
also present.
National
Dress: Men - dishdasha (robe),Kimah
(cap),mussar (turban).
Women - jallabia (dress), sirwall
(trousers), thobe (overdress cloak,
lahaf (head shawl), abaya (black
cloak). Women generally leave their
face and hands exposed, while in
the desert, women of the Bedouin tribes
wear a mask, called a "birqa."
Working Hours:
Ministries
and government establishments -
7:30 am to 2:30 pm (Sat-Wed, week-end
is Thursday and Friday)
Private
sector companies - 8:00am to 1:00pm;
4:00pm to 7:00pm (Saturday-Wednesday)
8:00am to 1:00pm on Thursdays.
Markets -
8:00am to 1:00pm, 4:00pm to 9:00pm.
Banks-
8:00 am to 12 noon.
Timings differ
during Ramadan
Ramadân, the holy month of
fasting, is the ninth month on the
Arabic calendar which is a lunar calendar.
Every year Ramadân shifts back about
ten days on the western solar calendar.
In the year 2001 Ramadân will
begin in the third week of November. Restaurants
and other eateries are closed during daylight
hours during the Holy Ramadân period.
Shopping
hours:
Shopping establishmen ts
are open from 9am to
1 pm and 4pm to 9 pm. Department
stores, supermarkets and shopping
complexes are open throughout
the day during Ramadân from
9am to 10 pm, with a short lunch
break all through the week, except
Fridays. These timings could vary with
different shops. |
