Sultan Qabus Bin Said since 1970. 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.
Some hotels provide facilities.
Services are available at the counter in the GTO office, Muscat. In case of difficulty, book calls through the international operator. Airmail to Western Europe takes up to two weeks. English-language newspapers include The Times of Oman and The Oman Daily Observer. From time to time these change.