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Qatar Country Guide
Explore Qatar in Asia
The landscape offers mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel. The average density of population is approximately 81 per km². The notable climate conditions in Qatar can be described as arid with mild, pleasant winters and very hot, humid summers. Potential threats by nature are haze, dust storms, sandstorms common.
To reach someone in Qatar dial +974 prior to a number. There are 285,300 installed telephones. And there are 2,472,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900/1800 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".qa". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 240V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Qatar
Maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side; maroon represents the blood shed in Qatari wars, white stands for peace; the nine-pointed serrated edge signifies Qatar as the ninth member of the "reconciled emirates" in the wake of the Qatari-British treaty of 1916 note: the other eight emirates are the seven that compose the UAE and Bahrain; according to some sources, the dominant color was formerly red, but this darkened to maroon upon exposure to the sun and the new shade was eventually adopted.
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. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, overthrew the father in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As of 2007, oil and natural gas revenues had enabled Qatar to attain the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar has not experienced the level of unrest or violence seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2010-11, due in part to its immense wealth. Qatar's international image is bolstered in part by the Doha-based Al Jazeera news network, which has provided comprehensive coverage of the Near East and North African Arab revolutions. Additionally, Qatar played a significant role in the Libyan revolution by pressing the Gulf Cooperation Council and the Arab League to assist the Libyan rebel movement.
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Asia Neighbours: Saudi Arabia Capital: Doha |
| Size | 11,437 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 4,415 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than Connecticut |
| Population | 928,000 |
| Currency | Name Rial, Currency Code:QAR |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .qa |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +974 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 2,472,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 285,300 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 11,586 (sq km) | 166 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 2,042,444 | 146 |
| Population growth rate | 4.19 (%) | 3 |
| Birth rate | 10.08 (births/1,000 population) | 193 |
| Death rate | 1.54 (deaths/1,000 population) | 224 |
| Net migration rate | 33.31 (migrant(s)/1,000 population) | 2 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 7.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 167 |
| Infant mortality rate | 6.60 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 165 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 78.24 (years) | 54 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.92 (children born/woman) | 138 |
| Health expenditures | 1.80 (% of GDP) | 191 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.10 (%) | 154 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 200 | 159 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 100 | 149 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 33.20 (%) | 16 |
| Education expenditures | 2.50 (% of GDP) | 157 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 1.30 (%) | 142 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 191,000,000,000 | 59 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 6.60 (%) | 33 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 103,900 | 1 |
| Labor force | 1,430,000 | 132 |
| Unemployment rate | 0.50 (%) | 3 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 28.20 (% of GDP) | 29 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 34.20 (% of GDP) | 65 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | 6.30 (% of GDP) | 11 |
| Public debt | 32.50 (% of GDP) | 108 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.90 (%) | 31 |
| Central bank discount rate | 4.50 (%) | 79 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 5.50 (%) | 150 |
| Stock of narrow money | 26,470,000,000 | 62 |
| Stock of broad money | 97,970,000,000 | 54 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 140,900,000,000 | 46 |
| Market value of publicly traded shares | 123,600,000,000 | 38 |
| Industrial production growth rate | 27.10 (%) | 1 |
| Current account balance | 58,570,000,000 | 10 |
| Exports | 117,700,000,000 | 34 |
| Imports | 23,490,000,000 | 71 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 25,970,000,000 | 53 |
| Debt - external | 137,000,000,000 | 39 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 43,830,000,000 | 57 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 37,340,000,000 | 40 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 28,140,000,000 (kWh) | 67 |
| Electricity - consumption | 26,380,000,000 (kWh) | 66 |
| Electricity - exports | 200,000 (kWh) | 88 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 3,893,000 (kW) | 80 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 100.00 (% of total installed capacity) | 32 |
| Crude oil - production | 1,631,000 (bbl/day) | 19 |
| Crude oil - exports | 704,300 (bbl/day) | 19 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 25,570,000,000 (bbl) | 14 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 153,800 (bbl/day) | 67 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 169,900 (bbl/day) | 63 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 53,230 (bbl/day) | 56 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 11,940 (bbl/day) | 129 |
| Natural gas - production | 116,700,000,000 (cu m) | 7 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 21,800,000,000 (cu m) | 36 |
| Natural gas - exports | 113,400,000,000 (cu m) | 3 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 25,200,000,000,000 (cu m) | 4 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 64,680,000 (Mt) | 51 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 306,700 | 114 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,302,000 | 135 |
| Internet hosts | 897 | 173 |
| Internet users | 563,800 | 117 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 6 | 173 |
| Roadways | 7,790 (km) | 143 |
| Merchant marine | 28 | 87 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 10.00 (% of GDP) | 3 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Al Zubarah Archaeological Site The walled coastal town of Al Zubarah in the Gulf flourished as a pearling and trading centre in the late 18th century and early 19th centuries, before it was destroyed in 1811 and abandoned in the early 1900s. Founded by merchants from Kuwait, Al Zu ... | 2013 |