World  > Middle East  > Oman
For a breakdown of information on Oman - Middle East, select from the following list(s):
Travel Information >>> Useful addresses General information Passport & visa Money Duty Free Public holidays Health Getting there Getting around Accommodation Social profile Business profile Climate History & government Maps	Regions and Cities >>> Resorts & Excursions - Overview Sport & Activities
General Information Area: 309,500 sq km (119,500 sq miles). Population: 2,325,438 (1999). Population Density: 7.5 per sq km. Capital: Muscat. Population: 635,279 (1999). 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 Qaboos bin Said 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 Shi’ite Muslim, Sunni Muslim and Hindu minorities. Time: GMT + 4. Electricity: 220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Communications:   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.gto.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.gto.net.om) and Oman Online (website: www.omanonline.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. BBC World Service and Voice of America frequencies: From time to time these change. BBC (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice): MHz 15.58 11.76 9.410 1.413 Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov): MHz 15.21 11.82 9.760 1.197 From www.columbusguides.com, Copyright © 2004 Highbury Columbus Travel Publishing Terms and Conditions apply.