Qatar

Location

• Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia
• the peninsula occupies a strategic location in the central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits

Population

Notable Population Centers

City	Population	Note
Doha	344,939	Capital
Ar Rayyān	272,465
Al Maţār al ‘Atīq	76,774
Al Manşūrah	65,493
Madīnat Khalīfah	44,459
An Najmah	43,695
Al ‘Unayzah	39,761
Umm Ghuwaylīnah	39,457
As Sadd	36,077
Farīj al Amīr	33,263

Size

• 4,416 square miles
• 11,437 square kilometers
• almost twice the size of Delaware; slightly smaller than Connecticut

History

Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar within the last 60 years transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant hydrocarbon revenues. Former Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, who overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in 1995, ushered in wide-sweeping political and media reforms, unprecedented economic investment, and a growing Qatari regional leadership role, in part through the creation of the pan-Arab satellite news network Al-Jazeera and Qatar's mediation of some regional conflicts. In the 2000s, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and by 2007, Doha had attained the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar did not experience domestic unrest or violence like that seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2011, due in part to its immense wealth and patronage network. In mid-2013, HAMAD peacefully abdicated, transferring power to his son, the current Amir TAMIM bin Hamad. TAMIM is popular with the Qatari public for his role in shepherding the country through an economic embargo from some other regional countries, for his efforts to improve the country's healthcare and education systems, and for his expansion of the country's infrastructure in anticipation of hosting international sporting events. Qatar became the first country in the Arab world to host the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2022. Following the outbreak of regional unrest in 2011, Doha prided itself on its support for many popular revolutions, particularly in Libya and Syria. This stance was to the detriment of Qatar’s relations with Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which temporarily recalled their respective ambassadors from Doha in 2014. TAMIM later oversaw a warming of Qatar’s relations with Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in November 2014 following Kuwaiti mediation and signing of the Riyadh Agreement. This reconciliation, however, was short-lived. In 2017, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE (the "Quartet") cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar in response to alleged violations of the agreement, among other complaints. They restored ties in 2021 after signing a declaration at the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. In 2022, the United States designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally.  

Climate

arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain

mostly flat and barren desert

Languages

Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second languagemajor-language sample(s): كتاب حقائق العالم، المصدر الذي لا يمكن الاستغناء عنه للمعلومات الأساسية (Arabic)The World Factbook, the indispensable source for basic information.

Religions

Muslim 65.2%, Christian 13.7%, Hindu 15.9%, Buddhist 3.8%, folk religion <0.1%, Jewish <0.1%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est.)

Government

absolute monarchy

• Constitution: history: previous 1972 (provisional); latest drafted 2 July 2002, approved by referendum 29 April 2003, endorsed 8 June 2004, effective 9 June 2005amendment process: proposed by the Amir or by one third of Advisory Council members; passage requires two-thirds majority vote of Advisory Council members and approval and promulgation by the emir; articles pertaining to the rule of state and its inheritance, functions of the emir, and citizen rights and liberties cannot be amended
• Political Parties and Leaders: n/a
• Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
• Legal System: mixed system of civil law and Islamic (sharia) law (in family and personal matters)
• Executive Branch: chief of state: Amir TAMIM bin Hamad Al Thani (since 25 June 2013)head of government: Prime Minister and Foreign Minister MUHAMMAD bin Abd al-Rahman Al Thani (since 7 March 2023)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the amirelection/appointment process: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the amir
• Judicial Branch: highest court(s): Supreme Court or Court of Cassation (consists of the court president and several judges); Supreme Constitutional Court (consists of the chief justice and 6 members)judge selection and term of office: Supreme Court judges nominated by the Supreme Judiciary Council, a 9-member independent body consisting of judiciary heads appointed by the amir; judges appointed for 3-year renewable terms; Supreme Constitutional Court members nominated by the Supreme Judiciary Council and appointed by the monarch; term of appointment NAsubordinate courts: Courts of Appeal; Administrative Court; Courts of First Instance; sharia courts; Courts of Justice; Qatar International Court and Dispute Resolution Center, established in 2009, provides dispute resolution services for institutions and bodies in Qatar, as well as internationally
• Legislative Branch: legislature name: Shura Council (Majlis Al-Shura)legislative structure: unicameralnumber of seats: 45 (30 directly elected; 15 appointed)electoral system: plurality/majorityscope of elections: full renewalterm in office: 4 yearsmost recent election date: 10/2/2021percentage of women in chamber: 4.4%expected date of next election: September 2025

Demographic Profile

n/a

Economy

• high-income, oil-and-gas-based Middle Eastern economy; implementing “National Vision 2030” government strategy for economic development, diversification, and favorable business conditions to boost investment and employment; expansion of LNG sector expected to boost growth; Islamic finance leader
• Budget: revenues: $65.922 billion (2019 est.)expenditures: $57.258 billion (2019 est.)
• Credit Rating: n/a
• Natural Resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas
• Industries: liquefied natural gas, crude oil production and refining, ammonia, fertilizer, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement, commercial ship repair
• Agricultural Products: dates, chicken, tomatoes, camel milk, vegetables, cucumbers/gherkins, pumpkins/squash, eggs, sheep milk, eggplants (2023)note: top ten agricultural products based on tonnage
• Land Use: agricultural land: 6.4% (2022 est.)arable land: 1.8% (2022 est.)permanent crops: 0.3% (2022 est.)permanent pasture: 4.4% (2022 est.)forest: 0% (2022 est.)other: 93.6% (2022 est.)
• Labor Force by Occupation: n/a
• Imports
• Imported Commodities: gas turbines, cars, aircraft, iron pipes, ships (2023)note: top five import commodities based on value in dollars
• Import Partners: USA 12%, China 12%, UAE 9%, UK 7%, India 5% (2023)note: top five import partners based on percentage share of imports
• Exports
• Exported Commodities: natural gas, crude petroleum, refined petroleum, plastics, fertilizers (2023)note: top five export commodities based on value in dollars
• Export Partners: China 18%, India 11%, S. Korea 10%, Japan 7%, Pakistan 6% (2023)note: top five export partners based on percentage share of exports