Land area
309,500 sq km
Population
2.87m (2008 Ministry of National Economy mid-year estimate), including 900,000 expatriates
Main regions
Population (2008)
Muscat (capital): 834,760
Dhofar: 273,052
Al Batinah: 760,454
Al Dhahirah: 258,567
Al Sharqiyah: 367,966
Musandam: 35,473
Al Dakhiliyah: 308,730
Al Wusta: 28,426
Climate
Coastal areas, especially Batinah and Muscat: very hot and humid in summer; winters mild. Interior desert: summers hot and dry; winters cool. Dhofar receives monsoon rains in June-September
Weather in Muscat (altitude 5 metres)
Hottest month: June, 31-38°C (average daily minimum and maximum). Coldest month: January, 20-25°C. Driest months: July and August, 1 mm average rainfall. Wettest month: January, average rainfall 28 mm, but considerably higher on Hajar mountains in the interior
Languages
Arabic; English, Urdu, Baluchi and Swahili are also widely used
Measures
Metric system
Currency
Omani riyal (OR) = 1,000 baisa. The currency is pegged to the US dollar at OR0.3845:US$1
Time
4 hours ahead of GMT
Public holidays
The Islamic holidays—Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan, August 30th 2011), Eid al-Adha (Feast of the Sacrifice, November 6th 2011), Islamic New Year (November 26th 2011) and Mawlid al-Nabi (the birthday of the Prophet, February 15th 2011)—are public holidays, the dates of which vary according to the lunar calendar and are therefore approximates. New Year's Day (January 1st), National Day and birthday of Sultan Qaboos (November 18th), and New Year's Eve (December 31st) are also public holidays