Background: 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 oil and natural gas revenues. The continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenue through the mid-1990s by Qatari amirs permanently residing in Europe had stunted Qatar’s economic growth. 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 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 2010-11, due in part to its immense wealth. In mid-2013, HAMAD peacefully abdicated, transferring power to his son, the current Amir TAMIM bin Hamad. TAMIM remains popular with the Qatari public, having prioritized improving the domestic welfare of Qataris, including establishing advanced healthcare and education systems and expanding the country's infrastructure in anticipation of Doha's hosting of the 2022 World Cup.Recently, Qatar’s relationships with its neighbors have been tense at times. 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, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which temporarily recalled their respective ambassadors from Doha in March 2014. TAMIM later oversaw a warming of Qatar’s relations with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in November 2014 following Kuwaiti mediation and signing of the Riyadh Agreement. In June 2017, however, the Quartet — Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE — cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar in response to alleged violations of the agreement.

Geographic coordinates: 25 30 N, 51 15 E

Map reference: Middle East

Area
Total: 11,586 km²
Land: 11,586 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 165
Comparative: almost twice the size of Delaware; slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries
Total: 87 km
Border countries: (1) Saudi Arabia 87 km

Coastline: 563 km

Maritime claims
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Contiguous zone: 24 nm

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

Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert

Elevation
Mean elevation: 28 m
Elevation extremes: 0 m
Note: lowest point: Persian Gulf

Natural resources: petroleum, fish, natural gas

Land use
Agricultural land: 5.6% (2011 est.)
Forest: 0% (2011 est.)
Other: 94.4% (2011 est.)

Irrigated land: 130 km² (2012)

Natural hazards: haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

Geography
Note: the peninsula occupies a strategic location in the central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits

Population
Distribution: most of the population is clustered in or around the capital of Doha on the eastern side of the peninsula: 2,363,569 (July 2018 est.)
Rank: 143
Growth rate: 1.95% (2018 est.)
Growth rate rank: 50
Below poverty line note: NA

Nationality
Noun: Qatari(s)
Adjective: Qatari

Ethnic groups: non-Qatari 88.4%, Qatari 11.6% (2015 est.)

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

Religions: Muslim 67.7%, Christian 13.8%, Hindu 13.8%, Buddhist 3.1%, folk religion (2010 est.)

Age structure
0-14 years: 12.7% (male 151,888 /female 148,186)
15-24 years: 12.12% (male 205,242 /female 81,297)
25-54 years: 70.67% (male 1,391,192 /female 279,256)
55-64 years: 3.44% (male 62,683 /female 18,731)
65 years and over: 1.06% (male 16,295 /female 8,799) (2018 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 17.5 (2015 est.)
Youth dependency ratio: 16.3 (2015 est.)
Elderly dependency ratio: 1.3 (2015 est.)
Potential support ratio: 78.1 (2015 est.)

Median age
Total: 33.4 years
Male: 34.6 years
Female: 28.2 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 95

Population growth rate: 1.95% (2018 est.)
Rank: 50

Birth rate: 9.5 births/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 200

Death rate: 1.6 deaths/1000 population (2018 est.)
Rank: 226

Net migration rate: 14.6 migrant(s)/1000 population (2017 est.)
Rank: 3

Population distribution: most of the population is clustered in or around the capital of Doha on the eastern side of the peninsula

Urbanization
Urban population: 99.1% of total population
Note: (2015-20 est.)
Rate of urbanization: 2.41% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: 633,000 DOHA (capital) (2018)

Environment
Current issues: air, land, and water pollution are significant environmental issues; limited natural freshwater resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities; other issues include conservation of oil supplies and preservation of the natural wildlife heritage
International agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.02 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
0-14 years: 1.03 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
15-24 years: 2.64 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
25-54 years: 4.91 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
55-64 years: 3.38 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
65 years and over: 1.71 male(s)/female (2017 est.)
Total population: 3.41 male(s)/female (2017 est.)

Infant mortality rate
Total: 6 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Male: 6.3 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Female: 5.7 deaths/1000 live births (2018 est.)
Rank: 166

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 79 years (2018 est.)
Male: 76.9 years (2018 est.)
Female: 81.2 years (2018 est.)
Rank: 53

Total fertility rate: 1.89 children born/woman (2018 est.)
Rank: 136

Contraceptive prevalence rate: 37.5% (2012)

Drinking water source
Urban: 0% of population
Rural: 0% of population
Total: 0% of population (2015 est.)

Physicians density: 1.96 physicians/1000 population (2014)

Hospital bed density: 1.2 beds/1000 population (2014)

Sanitation facility access
Urban: 2% of population (2015 est.)
Rural: 2% of population (2015 est.)
Total: 2% of population (2015 est.)

Hivaids
Adult prevalence rate: 0.1% (2017 est.)
Adult prevalence rate rank: 118
People living with hivaids note: <500 (2017 est.)
Deaths note: <100 (2017 est.)

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 35.1% (2016)
Rank: 15

Education expenditures: 3.6% of GDP (2014)
Rank: 125

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write (2015 est.)
Total population: 97.3% (2015 est.)
Male: 97.4% (2015 est.)
Female: 96.8% (2015 est.)

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 13 years (2011)
Male: 13 years (2011)
Female: 14 years (2011)

Country name
Conventional long form: State of Qatar
Conventional short form: Qatar
Local long form: Dawlat Qatar
Local short form: Qatar
Etymology: the origin of the name is uncertain, but it dates back at least 2,000 years since a term Catharrei was used to describe the inhabitants of the peninsula by Pliny the Elder (1st century A.D.), and a Catara peninsula is depicted on a map by Ptolemy (2nd century A.D.): note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation is gattar or cottar

Government type: absolute monarchy

Capital
Name: Doha
Geographic coordinates: 25 17 N, 51 32 E
Time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

Administrative divisions: 8 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Khawr wa adh Dhakhirah, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Ash Shamal, Ash Shihaniyah, Az Za'ayin, Umm Salal

Independence: 3 September 1971 (from the UK)

National holiday: National Day, 18 December (1878), anniversary of Al Thani family accession to the throne; Independence Day, 3 September (1971)

Constitution
History: previous 1972 (provisional); latest drafted 2 July 2002, approved by referendum 29 April 2003, endorsed 8 June 2004, effective 9 June 2005 (2016)
Amendments: proposed by the emir 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 (2016)

Legal system: mixed legal system of civil law and Islamic law (in family and personal matters)

International law organization participation: has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

Citizenship
Citizenship by birth: no
Citizenship by descent only: the father must be a citizen of Qatar
Dual citizenship recognized: no
Residency requirement for naturalization: 20 years; 15 years if an Arab national

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: Amir TAMIM bin Hamad Al Thani (since 25 June 2013)
Head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Nasir bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 26 June 2013); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of State for Defense Affairs Khalid bin Mohamed al-Thani (since 14 November 2017); Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Mohamed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani (since 14 November 2017)
Cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the amir
Electionsappointments: the monarchy is hereditary; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the amir

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (45 seats; 30 members directly elected by popular vote for 4-year re-electable terms and 15 appointed by the monarch to serve until resignation or until relieved
Elections: last on 17 June 2016 (term extended to 2019)
Election results: NA; composition - men 41, women 4, percent of women 8.9%

Judicial branch
Highest courts: 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 NA
Subordinate 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

Political parties and leaders: political parties are banned

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, CD, CICA (observer), EITI (implementing country), FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (national committees), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation
In the us chief of mission: Ambassador MISHAL bin Hamad bin Muhammad Al Thani (since 24 April 2017)
In the us chancery: 2,555 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20,037
In the us telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600
In the us FAX: [1] (202) 237-0682
In the us consulate: Houston, Los Angeles
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge dAffaires Ryan GLIHA (since 30 November 2017)
From the us embassy: 22 February Street, Al Luqta District, Doha
From the us mailing address: P. O. Box 2,399, Doha
From the us telephone: [974] 4,496-6,000
From the us FAX: [974] 4,488-4,298

Flag description:

National symbols: a maroon field surmounted by a white serrated band with nine white points; national colors: maroon, white

National anthem
Name: Al-Salam Al-Amiri (The Amiri Salute)
Lyricsmusic: Sheikh MUBARAK bin Saif al-Thani/Abdul Aziz Nasser OBAIDAN: note: adopted 1996; anthem first performed that year at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperative Council hosted by Qatar

Economy overview: Qatar’s oil and natural gas resources are the country’s main economic engine and government revenue source, driving Qatar’s high economic growth and per capita income levels, robust state spending on public entitlements, and booming construction spending, particularly as Qatar prepares to host the World Cup in 2022. Although the government has maintained high capital spending levels for ongoing infrastructure projects, low oil and natural gas prices in recent years have led the Qatari Government to tighten some spending to help stem its budget deficit.Qatar’s reliance on oil and natural gas is likely to persist for the foreseeable future. Proved natural gas reserves exceed 25 trillion cubic meters - 13% of the world total and, among countries, third largest in the world. Proved oil reserves exceed 25 billion barrels, allowing production to continue at current levels for about 56 years. Despite the dominance of oil and natural gas, Qatar has made significant gains in strengthening non-oil sectors, such as manufacturing, construction, and financial services, leading non-oil GDP to steadily rise in recent years to just over half the total.Following trade restriction imposed by Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, and Egypt in 2017, Qatar established new trade routes with other countries to maintain access to imports.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Rank: 52

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 169

Real gdp per capita:
Rank: 2

Gross national saving:
Rank: 1

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 24.6% (2017 est.)
Government consumption: 17% (2017 est.)
Investment in fixed capital: 43.1% (2017 est.)
Investment in inventories: 1.5% (2017 est.)
Exports of goods and services: 51% (2017 est.)
Imports of goods and services: -37.3% (2017 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 0.2% (2017 est.)
Industry: 50.3% (2017 est.)
Services: 49.5% (2017 est.)

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

Industries: liquefied natural gas, crude oil production and refining, ammonia, fertilizer, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement, commercial ship repair

Industrial production growth rate: 3% (2017 est.)
Rank: 105

Labor force: 1.953 million (2017 est.)
Rank: 126

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 128

Population below poverty line
Note: NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: 35.9% (2007)
Highest 10: 35.9% (2007)

Distribution of family income gini index: 41.1 (2007)
Rank: 58

Budget
Revenues: 44.1 billion (2017 est.)
Expenditures: 53.82 billion (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit: -5.8% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 179

Taxes and other revenues: 26.4% (of GDP) (2017 est.)
Rank: 112

Public debt:
Rank: 88

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 25

Central bank discount rate:
Rank: 82

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 152

Stock of narrow money:
Rank: 59

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 59

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 42

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 38

Current account balance:
Rank: 27

Exports:
Rank: 44
Partners: Japan 17.3%, South Korea 16%, India 12.6%, China 11.2%, Singapore 8.2%, UAE 6.4% (2017)
Commodities: liquefied natural gas (LNG), petroleum products, fertilizers, steel

Imports:
Rank: 68
Commodities: machinery and transport equipment, food, chemicals
Partners: China 10.9%, US 8.9%, UAE 8.5%, Germany 8.1%, UK 5.5%, India 5.4%, Japan 5.3%, Italy 4.3% (2017)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 68

Debt external:
Rank: 39

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 66

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 39

Exchange rates:

Electricity
Access population without electricity: 45,165 (2012)
Access electrification total population: 98% (2012)
Access electrification urban areas: 98% (2012)
Access electrification rural areas: 93% (2012)
Production: 39.78 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Production rank: 58
Consumption: 37.24 billion kWh (2016 est.)
Consumption rank: 58
Exports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Exports rank: 186
Imports: 0 kWh (2016 est.)
Imports rank: 188
Installed generating capacity: 8.796 million kW (2016 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 66
Generation sources fossil fuels: 100% of total installed capacity (2016 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 15
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 169
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 193
Generation sources other renewable sources: 1% of total installed capacity (2017 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 163

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 1.5 million bbl/day (2017 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 17
Crude oil exports: 1.15 million bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 13
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 183
Crude oil proven reserves: 25.24 billion bbl (1 January 2018 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 13

Refined petroleum
Products production: 273,800 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products production rank: 46
Products consumption: 277,000 bbl/day (2016 est.)
Products consumption rank: 45
Products exports: 485,000 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products exports rank: 18
Products imports: 12,300 bbl/day (2015 est.)
Products imports rank: 143

Natural gas
Production: 166.4 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Production rank: 4
Consumption: 39.9 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Consumption rank: 26
Exports: 126.5 billion m³ (2017 est.)
Exports rank: 2
Imports: 0 m³ (2017 est.)
Imports rank: 176
Proven reserves: 24.07 trillion m³ (1 January 2018 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 3

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 114.2 million Mt (2017 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 40

Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 440,909 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 19 (2017 est.)
Fixed lines rank: 100
Mobile cellular total subscriptions: 3,913,809 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 169 (2017 est.)
Mobile cellular rank: 128

Telephone system
General assessment: modern system centered in Doha (2016)
Domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership exceeds 175 telephones per 100 persons (2016)
International: country code - 974; landing point for the Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) submarine cable network that provides links to Asia, Middle East, Europe, and the US; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and the UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat (2016)

Broadcast media: TV and radio broadcast licensing and access to local media markets are state controlled; home of the satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera, which was originally owned and financed by the Qatari government but has evolved to independent corporate status; Al-Jazeera claims editorial independence in broadcasting; local radio transmissions include state, private, and international broadcasters on FM frequencies in Doha; in August 2013, Qatar's satellite company Es'hailSat launched its first communications satellite Es'hail 1 (manufactured in the US), which entered commercial service in December 2013 to provide improved television broadcasting capability and expand availability of voice and Internet; Es'hailSat expects to launch its second satellite in 2018 (2014)

Internet
Country code: .qa
Users total: 2,129,360 (July 2016 est.)
Users percent of population: 94.3% (July 2016 est.)
Users rank: 110

Broadband fixed subscriptions
Total: 256,094 (2017 est.)
Subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 11 (2017 est.)
Rank: 101

Military service age and obligation: conscription for males aged 18-35; 4-month general obligation, 3 months for graduates (2014)

National air transport system
Number of registered air carriers: 2 (2015)
Inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 199 (2015)
Annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers: 25,263,224 (2015)
Annual freight traffic on registered air carriers: 7,563,307,390
Note: mt-km (2015)

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix: A7 (2016)

Airports: 6 (2013)
Rank: 174
With paved runways total: 4 (2017)
With paved runways over 3047 m: 3 (2017)
With paved runways 15-24 to 2437 m: 1 (2017)
With unpaved runways total: 2 (2013)
With unpaved runways 914 to 1523 m: 1 (2013)
With unpaved runways under 914 m: 1 (2013)

Heliports: 1 (2013)

Pipelines: 288 km condensate, 221 km condensate/gas, 2,383 km gas, 90 km liquid petroleum gas, 745 km oil, 103 km refined products (2013)

Roadways
Total: 9,830 km (2010)
Rank: 136

Merchant marine
Total: 143 (2017)
By type: bulk carrier 8, container ship 6, general cargo 5, oil tanker 6, other 118 (2017)
Rank: 75

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Doha, Musayid, Ras Laffan
LNG terminal: Ras Laffan

Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons
Stateless persons: 1,200 (2017)