Muscat is the capital and largest city in the Sultanate of Oman. It is the largest city in the muhafazah (governorate) of Muscat (sometimes referred to as Masqat to differentiate it from the city).
In general, Muscat presents a relatively homogeneous appearance of low (rarely more than five story), generally white buildings, with residential, government and commercial architecture frequently recalling, at least by allusion, historic regional styles. For a city at the edge of the Arabian Peninsula and in the midst of Oman's sometimes fierce climate, Muscat is remarkably green. There are tree-lined main streets linking the various city districts, several sizeable public parks, and grass, shrubs and flowers decorating many traffic circles and other public areas.