Middle
East, southeastern tip of Arabian
Peninsula. Area 309,500 sq km
(119,500 sq miles). Population 3
million (UN, 2005). Population
Density 9.69 per sq
km. Capital Muscat. Population: 1.65
million (including the Batinah coastal plain,
northwest of Muscat).
Flag
Government Sultanate since 1744.
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. 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 some hotel
staff. Religion Predominantly Ibadi Muslim,
with Shi’ite Muslim, Sunni Muslim and Hindu
minorities. Time GMT + 4. Social
Conventions Shaking hands is the usual form of
greeting. A small gift, either promoting your company or
country, is well received. As far as dress is concerned,
it is important that women dress modestly, ie long
skirts or dresses (below the knee) with long sleeves,
men should wear trousers and shirts with sleeves.
Tight-fitting clothes must be avoided and although this
is not strictly followed by Westerners, it is far better
to adopt this practice and avoid causing offence. Shorts
should never be worn in public and beachwear is
prohibited anywhere except the beach. Collecting sea
shells, abalone, corals, crayfish and turtle eggs is
also prohibited. Dumping litter is forbidden. It is
polite not to smoke in public, but generally no-smoking
signs are posted where appropriate. Homosexual behaviour
is illegal. Photography: Visitors should ask permission
before attempting to photograph people or their
property. â€کNo Photography’ signs exist in certain places
and must be observed. Electricity 220/240
volts AC, 50Hz. Head of State Sultan Qaboos
bin Sa’id since 1970.
