Qatar

The State of Qatar (قطر) is an emirate in the Middle East. Situated on a small peninsula off the larger Arabian Peninsula, it borders Saudi Arabia to the south and is otherwise surrounded by the Persian Gulf.

The English pronunciation of Qatar varies; see List of words of disputed pronunciation.

دولة قطر
Dawlat Qatar

Flag of Qatar
Official language	Arabic
Capital	Doha
Emir	Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa
Area  - Total  - percent water	Ranked 162nd 10,360 km² Negligible
Population  - Total (July 2003)  - Density	Ranked 154th 817,052 79/km²
Independence  - Recognised	September 3, 1971
Currency	Qatari riyal (QR) = 100 dirhams
Time zone	UTC +3
National anthem	As Salam al Amiri
Internet TLD	.QA
Calling Code	974

History

Main article: History of Qatar

Qatar is one of many new emirates in the Arabian Peninsula. After being dominated by Persians for thousands of years and recently by Bahrain, the Ottoman Turks, and the British, Qatar became an independent country in 3 September 1971. Unlike most neighboring emirates, Qatar declined to become a part of Saudi Arabia or the United Arab Emirates.

The discovery of oil, beginning in the 1940s, completely transformed the nation's economy. Before, Qatar was a poor fishing and pearling region with widespread poverty. Now, the country has a high standard of living and all the amenities of any modern nation.

Politics

Main article: Politics of Qatar

Qatar is a traditional monarchy under the rule of Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. Qatar has been governed by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s. Islamic law dominates family and personal matters. Qatari citizens do not pay income tax.

The controversial Arabic satellite TV station Al Jazeera is located in Qatar, but unlike most Arabic-language stations it is not run by the government. It enjoys far more freedom of the press than most other Arabic stations.

Cities

Main article: Cities of Qatar

Doha (al-Dawhah), the capital, is the most important city in the country, and over half of Qataris live there. The port city of Umm Sa'id (Musa'iyd), on the east coast, is another major city. Over 90 percent of Qataris live in cities.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Qatar

Qatar's national income is primarily derived from oil and natural gas exports. The country's oil reserves are estimated to be 15 billion barrels (2.4 km³). Qataris' wealth and standard of living are comparable to those of Western European nations.

Map of Qatar

Geography

Main article: Geography of Qatar

The Qatari peninsula juts 160 km (100 miles) into the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia. Much of the country is a low, barren plain, covered with sand.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Qatar

Nearly all Qataris are Muslim. Besides ethnic Arabs, much of the population migrated from various nations to work in the country's oil industry. Arabic is the official language, but English is widely understood.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Qatar

• Music of Qatar

Miscellaneous topics

• Communications in Qatar
• Transportation in Qatar
• Military of Qatar
• Foreign relations of Qatar
• List of cities in Qatar
• Public holidays in Qatar

External links

• Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs (http://english.mofa.gov.qa/)

Arab League
Algeria | Bahrain | Comoros | Djibouti | Egypt | Iraq | Jordan | Kuwait | Lebanon | Mauritania | Morocco | Oman | Palestinian Territories | Qatar | Saudi Arabia | Somalia | Sudan | Syria | Tunisia | United Arab Emirates | Yemen

Wikimedia Commons has multimedia related to Qatar.

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