Qatar - History, Politics, Administrative divisions, Economy, Culture, Qatari law, Education

Official name State of Qatar, Arabic Dawlat al-Qatar

Local name Qatar Timezone GMT +3 Area 11 437 km²/4415 sq mi population total (2002e) 606 000 Status Independent state Date of independence 1971 Capital Doha Languages Arabic (official), English Ethnic groups Arab (40%), Pakistani (18%), Indian (18%), Iranian (10%) Religion Sunni Muslim (95%) Physical features Low-lying state on the E coast of the Arabian Peninsula, comprising the Qatar Peninsula and numerous small offshore islands; peninsula, 160 km/100 mi long and 55–80 km/34–50 mi wide, slopes gently from the Dukhan Heights 98 m/321 ft, to the E shore; barren terrain, mainly sand and gravel; coral reefs offshore. Climate Desert climate; average temperatures 23°C (Jan), 35°C (Jul); high humidity; sparse rainfall; average annual rainfall 62 mm/2·4 in. Currency 1 Qatar Riyal (QAR) = 100 dirhams Economy Based on oil; offshore gas reserves thought to be an eighth of known world reserves; oil refineries, petrochemicals, liquefied natural gas, fertilizers, steel, cement, ship repairing, engineering; fishing. GDP (2002e) $15·91 bn, per capita $20 100 Human Development Index (2002) 0·803 History British protectorate after Turkish withdrawal, 1916; independence, 1971; palace coup brought Khalifah bin Hamad to power, 1972; historic territorial dispute with Bahrain over Hawar Is following brief occupation of Fasht-al Dibal (a coral reef being reclaimed from sea by Bahrain) by Qatari troops; a hereditary monarchy, with an Emir who is both Head of State and Prime Minister; Council of Ministers is assisted by a Consultative Council; country's first constitution approved in a national referendum (Apr 2003), provides for establishment of 45-member Advisory Council., of whom 30 members to be elected by Quatari citizens and 15 appointed by the Amir.

دولة قطر Dawlat Qatar State of Qatar
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: As Salam al Amiri
Capital (largest city)	Doha 25°18′N 51°31′E
Official language	Arabic
Government	Traditional monarchy
- Emir	Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani
- Prime Minister	Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalifah Al Thani
Independence 1
- from UK protectorate	September 3, 1971
Area
- Total	11,437 km² (164th) 4,416 sq mi
- Water (%)	Negligible
Population
- July 2006 estimate	839,213 (158th 2)
- 2004 census	744,029
- Density	74/km² (121st) 192/sq mi
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
- Total	$25.01 billion (102nd)
- Per capita	$31,397 (11th)
GDP (nominal)	2005 estimate
- Total	$37.85 billion (62nd)
- Per capita	$43,110 (7th)
HDI  (2003)	0.849 (high) (40th)
Currency	Riyal (QAR)
Time zone	(UTC+3)
- Summer (DST)	(UTC+3)
Internet TLD	.qa
Calling code	+974
1.) Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s 2.) Rank based on 2005 estimate

Qatar (Arabic: قطر IPA: [ˈqɑ̱.tˁɑ̱r]), officially the State of Qatar (Arabic: دولة قطر, Dawlat Qatar), is an emirate in the Middle East or Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula.

History

Qatar forms one of the newer emirates in the Arabian Peninsula. Unlike most nearby emirates, Qatar declined to become part of either the United Arab Emirates or of Saudi Arabia.

Although the peninsular land mass that makes up Qatar has sustained humans for thousands of years, for the bulk of its history the arid climate fostered only short-term settlements by nomadic tribes.

The British initially sought out Qatar and the Persian Gulf as an intermediary vantage point en route to their colonial interests in India, although the discovery of oil and other hydrocarbons in the early twentieth century would re-invigorate their interest. Although Qatar had the legal status of a dependency, resentment festered against the Bahraini Al Khalifas along the eastern seaboard of the Qatari peninsula.

Since 1995, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani has ruled Qatar: he seized control of the country from his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani while the latter vacationed in Switzerland. Under Emir Hamad, Qatar has experienced a notable amount of sociopolitical liberalization, including the enfranchisement of women, a new constitution, and the launch of Al Jazeera, the controversial Arabic language satellite television news channel.

Qatar served as the headquarters and one of the main launching sites of the US invasion of Iraq in 2003.

The United States Armed Forces Unified Combatant Command unit for the Middle East theater, known as CENTCOM (US Central Command), has its headquarters in Qatar.

Qatar held the West Asian Games in 2005.

Politics

The ruling Al Thani (آل ثاني) family continued to hold power in Qatar following the declaration of independence in 1971. The Emir functions as head of state, and the right to rule Qatar resides within the Al Thani family.

The Basic Law of Qatar (1970) institutionalized local customs rooted in Qatar's conservative Wahhabi heritage, granting the Emir pre-eminent power. Freedom in the World 2006 lists Qatar as "Not Free", and on a 1-7 scale (1 being the most "free") rates the country a 6 for political rights and 5 for civil liberties.

The influx of expatriate Arabs has introduced ideas that call into question the tenets of Qatar's traditional society, but no serious challenge to Al Thani rule has emerged.

According to the BBC, in April 2006 Qatar announced that it will give $50m USD (£ 28m) to the new Hamas-led Palestinian government.

Administrative divisions

Qatar is divided into ten municipalities (Arabic: baladiyah), also occasionally translated as governorates or provinces:

Ad Dawhah Al Ghuwariyah Al Jumaliyah Al Khawr Al Wakrah Ar Rayyan Jariyan al Batnah Ash Shamal Umm Salal Mesaieed

Economy

Before the discovery of oil the economy of the Qatari region focused on fishing and pearling.

Qatar's national income primarily derives from oil and natural gas exports.

While oil and gas will probably remain the backbone of Qatar's economy for some time to come, the country seeks to stimulate the private sector and develop a "knowledge economy".

Qatar is aiming to become a role model for economic and social transformation in the region.

The Qatar Financial Centre Authority(QFC) provides financial institutions with a world class financial services platform situated in an economy founded on the development of its hydrocarbons resources. It has been created with a long term perspective to support the development of Qatar and the wider region, develop local and regional markets, and strengthen the links between the energy based economies and global financial markets.

Apart from Qatar itself, which needs to raise the capacity of its financial services to support more than $130 billion worth of projects, the QFC also provides a conduit for financial services providers to access nearly $1 trillion of investment across the GCC as a whole over the next decade.

The highest point in Qatar occurs in the Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low limestone outcrops running north-south from Zikrit through Umm Bab to the southern border, and reaching about 295 feet (90 m) ASL.

Expatriates form the majority of Qatar's residents.

Culture

Qatar explicitly uses Wahhabi law as the basis of its government, and the vast majority of its citizens follow this specific Islamic doctrine.

In the early twentieth century, when the Al-Thanis realized that converting to the doctrine of their larger neighbor might bode well for the survival of their régime, they imported Wahhabi Islam from Saudi Arabia to Qatar. For example, almost all Qatari women wear the black abaya (also donned in Saudi Arabia) - however, the government of Qatar does not universally impose the style on foreigners, or Qatari females.

Qatari law

When contrasted with other Arab states such as Saudi Arabia or Kuwait, Qatar has comparatively liberal laws.

The country has undergone a period of liberalization and modernization after the current Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, came to power after overthrowing his father.

Education

In recent years Qatar has placed great emphasis on education. Additionally, with the support of the Qatar Foundation, some major American universities have opened branch campuses in Education City, Qatar. In 2004 Qatar established the Qatar Science &

The Emir's second wife, Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, has been instrumental in new education initiatives in Qatar. She chairs the Qatar Foundation and is on the board of Qatar's Supreme Education Council.