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: Seeb international airport, 40 km from Muscat city
centre.
Seeb
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.
Average Temperature in Oman (in Degree Celsius)
| |
Summer
|
Winter
|
|
|
Day
|
Night
|
Day
|
Night
|
|
Muscat
|
43 C
|
32 C
|
25 C
|
17 C
|
|
Salalah
|
30 C
|
28 C
|
28 C
|
20 C
|
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 Ramadān.
Ramadān, the holy month of fasting, is the ninth month on
the Arabic calendar which is a lunar calendar. Every year
Ramadān shifts back about ten days on the western solar
calendar. In the year 2001 Ramadān will begin in the third week
of November. Restaurants and other eateries are closed during
daylight hours during the Holy Ramadān period.
Shopping hours:
Shopping establishments are open from 9am to 1 pm and 4pm to 9
pm. Department stores, supermarkets and shopping complexes are
open throughout the day during Ramadān from 9am to 10 pm, with a
short lunch break all through the week, except Fridays. These
timings could vary with different shops.
Source:
http://www.destinationoman.com/know.html
