Map of Qatar | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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Background: Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the amir who had ruled the country since 1972. He was overthrown by his son the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001 Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and natural gas revenues enable Qatar to have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.


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Location: Middle East peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 25 30 N 51 15 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 11,437 km²
Land: 11,437 km²
Water: 0 km²
Comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries
Total: 60 km
Border countries: (1) Saudi Arabia 60 km

Coastline: 563 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm
Exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line

Climate: arid; mild pleasant winters; very hot humid summers

Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel

Elevation
Extremes lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
Extremes highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m

Natural resources: petroleum natural gas fish

Land use
Arable land: 1.64%
Permanent crops: 0.27%
Other: 98.09% (2001)

Irrigated land: 130 km² (1998 est.)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources

Natural hazards: haze dust storms sandstorms common

Geography
Note: strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits


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Population: 840,290 (July 2004 est.)
Growth rate: 2.74% (2004 est.)
Below poverty line: NA

Nationality
Noun: Qatari
Adjective: Qatari

Ethnic groups: Arab 40% Pakistani 18% Indian 18% Iranian 10% other 14%

Languages: Arabic (official) English commonly used as a second language

Religions: Muslim 95%

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 24.2% (male 103,660; female 99,597)
15-64 years: 72.7% (male 426,559; female 184,067)
65 years and over: 3.1% (male 19,306; female 7,101) (2004 est.)

Dependency ratios

Median age
Total: 31.4 years
Male: 36.7 years
Female: 22 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.74% (2004 est.)

Birth rate: 15.6 births/1000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate: 4.52 deaths/1000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate: 16.29 migrant(s)/1000 population (2004 est.)

Population distribution

Urbanization

Major urban areas

Environment
Current issues: limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.05 male/female
Under 15 years: 1.04 male/female
15-64 years: 2.32 male/female
65 years and over: 2.72 male/female
Total population: 1.89 male/female (2004 est.)

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 19.32 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 22.77 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 15.7 deaths/1000 live births (2004 est.)

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 73.4 years
Male: 70.9 years
Female: 76.04 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.95 children born/woman (2004 est.)

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source

Current health expenditure

Physicians density

Hospital bed density

Sanitation facility access

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.09% (2001 est.)
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 82.5%
Male: 81.4%
Female: 85% (2003 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education

Youth unemployment


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Country name
Conventional long form: State of Qatar
Conventional short form: Qatar
Local long form: Dawlat Qatar
Local short form: Qatar
Note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar

Government type: traditional monarchy

Capital: Doha

Administrative divisions: 10 municipalities (baladiyat singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah Al Ghuwayriyah Al Jumayliyah Al Khawr Al Wakrah Ar Rayyan Jarayan al Batinah Madinat ash Shamal Umm Sa'id Umm Salal

Dependent areas

Independence: 3 September 1971 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 3 September (1971)

Constitution: provisional constitution enacted 19 April 1972; in July 1999 Amir HAMAD issued a decree forming a committee to draft a permanent constitution; in the 29 April 2003 referendum 96.6% of Qatari voters approved the new constitution; on 8 June 2004 the new constitution came into force

Legal system: discretionary system of law controlled by the amir although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law dominates family and personal matters

International law organization participation

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince TAMIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, third son of the monarch (selected Heir Apparent by the monarch on 5 August 2003); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of Minister of Defense and Commander-in-chief of the Armed Forces
Head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the monarch (since 30 October 1996) Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the monarch (since 20 January 1998); First Deputy Prime Minister HAMAD bin JASIM bin JABIR Al Thani (since 16 September 2003; also Foreign Minister since 1992); Second Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah bin Hamad al-ATTIYAH (since 16 September 2003; also Energy Minister since NA 1992)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch
Elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
Note: in April 2003, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services; the first election for the CMC was held in March 1999

Legislative branch
Note: no legislative elections have been held since 1970 when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their terms extended every four years since; the new constitution, which came into force on 8 June 2004, provides for a 45-member Consultative Council, or Majlis al-Shura; the public would elect two-thirds of the Majlis al-Shura; the Amir would appoint the remaining members

Judicial branch
Note: under the new judiciary law issued in 2003, the former two court systems, civil and Islamic law, have been merged under a higher court, the Court of Cassation, to be established for appeals

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: ABEDA AFESD AMF FAO G-77 GCC IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC ICRM IDB IFAD IFRCS IHO (pending member) ILO IMF IMO Interpol IOC ISO ITU LAS MIGA NAM OAPEC OAS (observer) OIC OPCW OPEC UN UNCTAD UNESCO UNIDO UPU WCO WHO WIPO WMO WToO WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador Badr Umar al-DAFA
In the us chancery: 4,200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 200, Washington, DC 20,016
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600 and 274-1603
In the us fax: [1] (202) 237-0061
In the us consulates general: Houston
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Chase UNTERMEYER
From the us embassy: Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 2,399, Doha
From the us telephone: [974] 488 4,101
From the us fax: [974] 488 4,298

Flag description: maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side

National symbols

National anthem

National heritage


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Economy overview: Oil and gas account for more than 55% of GDP roughly 85% of export earnings and 70% of government revenues. Oil and gas have given Qatar a per capita GDP about 80% of that of the leading West European industrial countries. Proved oil reserves of 14.5 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23 years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 17.9 trillion cubic meters more than 5% of the world total and third largest in the world. Long-term goals feature the development of offshore natural gas reserves to offset the ultimate decline in oil production. Since 2000 Qatar has consistently posted trade surpluses largely because of high oil prices and increased natural gas exports.

Real gdp purchasing power parity

Real gdp growth rate: 8.5% (2003 est.)

Real gdp per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,500 (2003 est.)

Gross national saving

Gdp composition by end use

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.4%
Industry: 70.8%
Services: 28.8% (2003 est.)

Agriculture products: fruits vegetables; poultry dairy products beef; fish

Industries: crude oil production and refining fertilizers petrochemicals steel reinforcing bars cement

Industrial production growth rate: 10% (2003 est.)

Labor force: 140,000 (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate: 2.7% (2001)

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: NA

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA
Highest 10: NA

Distribution of family income gini index

Budget
Revenues: $8.202 billion
Expenditures: $6.981 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.2 billion (2003 est.)

Taxes and other revenues

Public debt: 72.7% of GDP (2003)

Revenue

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices: 2.3% (2003)

Central bank discount rate

Commercial bank prime lending rate

Stock of narrow money

Stock of broad money

Stock of domestic credit

Market value of publicly traded shares

Current account balance: $4.149 billion (2003)

Exports: $12.36 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: petroleum products fertilizers steel
Partners: Japan 46% South Korea 18.5% Singapore 9.5% (2003)

Imports: $5.711 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment food chemicals
Partners: US 12.2% Japan 10.5% Germany 9.6% UK 8% Italy 7.4% UAE 6.7% Saudi Arabia 5.9% South Korea 5% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold

Debt external: $17.5 billion (2003 est.)

Stock of direct foreign investment at home

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad

Exchange rates: Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.64 (2003) 3.64 (2002) 3.64 (2001) 3.64 (2000) 3.64 (1999)


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Electricity
Production: 9.264 billion kWh (2001)
Consumption: 8.616 billion kWh (2001)
Exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Imports: 0 kWh (2001)

Coal

Petroleum

Crude oil

Refined petroleum

Natural gas
Production: 32.4 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Consumption: 15.86 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Exports: 16.54 billion m³ (2001 est.)
Imports: 0 m³ (2001 est.)
Proven reserves: 17.93 trillion m³ (1 January 2002)

Carbon dioxide emissions

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Main lines in use: 184,500 (2003)
Mobile cellular: 376,500 (2003)

Telephone system
General assessment: modern system centered in Doha
Domestic: NA
International: country code - 974; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Broadcast media

Internet
Country code: .qa
Hosts: 221 (2004)
Users: 126,000 (2003)

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures
Dollar figure: $723 million (FY00)
Percent of gdp: 10% (FY00)

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 4 (2003 est.)
With paved runways total: 2
With paved runways over 3047 m: 2 (2004 est.)
With unpaved runways total: 2
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2003 est.)

Pipelines: condensate 319 km; condensate/gas 209 km; gas 1024 km; liquid petroleum gas 87 km; oil 702 km; oil/gas/water 41 km (2004)

Railways

Roadways

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 525,051 GRT/772,635 DWT
By type: cargo 4, chemical tanker 4, container 8, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 1
Foreign owned: Cambodia 1, Kuwait 1 (2004 est.)

Ports and terminals


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs