Qatar is a country of Southwest Asia. Bathed by the Persian Gulf, it occupies a small peninsula, whose isthmus separates it from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, and even some islands. In total, the territory of Qatar has an area of 11,586 km2. The main cities are Doha, the capital, with 718,000 residents (2004), Ar-Rayyan, Al-Wakrah and Umm Salal.
Climate
Despite the coastal situation, the climate is desert.
Economy
It is one of the countries of the Arabian Peninsula with the highest GDP per resident. The country is known for breeding camels, an activity that proves profitable for Bedouins. Until 1949, when oil began to be exported, Qatar was a tribal society that lived off pearls collected by divers, fishing and camel farming.
In the north of the country there is a natural gas deposit that is considered the most important in the world. The subsoil is rich in ore, which prevents the water from being potable, being used only for irrigation. South of the capital is the main oil port. The Dukhan oil field is thought to have sufficient reserves for the next forty years. In the 1980s, Qatar achieved the highest per capita income in the world. With the war between Iran and Iraq and the most recent conflict in the gulf, income has declined, but it is still quite considerable. Qatar’s main trading partners are Japan, South Korea, India, China, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates.
Population
It has a population of 2,194,817 residents (2015), much of which resides in the capital. The birth and death rates are, respectively, 9.84% and 1.53%. Average life expectancy is 78.59 years. The foreign residents, which exceed the indigenous population, come from other Arab countries, from India and Pakistan. Sunni Muslims are the predominant religion. The official language is Arabic.
History
The writers have spoken of Qatar since the 10th century. The population is descended from the migratory tribes that arrived there in 1730. The territory was invaded by the Persians in 1783 and later became a dependency on the neighboring country, Bahrain. In 1888 it came under the English influence, which brought the ancestors of the current ruling family to power. The Turks had the country under their control in the late 19th century, but in 1916 Qatar became a British protectorate. For Qatar democracy and rights, please check homeagerly.
The traditional Qatari monarchy declared independence on September 3, 1971, when it was admitted to the Arab League and organized its development around an ambitious industrialization program based on the wealth of oil and natural gas. It is one of the most developed states in the Arab world and continues to follow Muslim values like wearing Arab clothing.
Countryaah.com: Offers a full list of airports in the country of Qatar, sorted by city location and acronyms.
Abbreviationfinder.org: Provides most commonly used abbreviations and initials containing the country name of Qatar. Listed by popularity.
1UpTravel.com – Maps of Qatar
Browse a collection of city, country, shaded relief, political and thematic maps of Qatar. Check out the city map of Doha.
