The majority of the population live in Northern Oman. Some English is spoken, especially in government and business. Swahili and Urdu are among the other languages in use. The traditional cuisine of Oman consists of foods such as goat's meat, fish, bread and fruit. Indian food is readily available, because of the large number of migrant workers.
Omani culture dates back many thousands of years.
The area is first mentioned is in Sumerian texts as a source of copper. Frankincense has always been valuable because of its scarcity and has been used in religious ceremonies from Ancient Egypt onwards. The Roman historian and geographer Pliny wrote that the trade in incense had made the people who controlled it the richest in the world. Islam came to Oman in the seventh century. In the early sixteenth century, the Portuguese used Hormuz and then Muscat as a naval base.