Qatar

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

total:

0.29 cu km/yr (24%/3%/72%)

per capita:

358 cu m/yr (2000)

party to:

Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

at birth:

1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

2.47 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

1.4 male(s)/female

total population:

2.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)

noun:

Qatari(s)

adjective:

Qatari

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

name:

Doha

geographic coordinates:

25 17 N, 51 32 E

time difference:

UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

• 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

• based on Islamic and civil law codes;
• discretionary system of law controlled by the Amir, although civil codes are being implemented;
• Islamic law dominates family and personal matters;
• has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

chief of state:

• Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al-Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as heir apparent, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad Al-Thani, in a bloodless coup);
• Heir Apparent TAMIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, fourth 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 HAMAD bin Jasim bin Jabir Al-Thani (since 3 April 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Abdallah bin Hamad al-ATIYAH (since 3 April 2007)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch

elections:

the monarch is hereditary

note: in April 2007, Qatar held nationwide elections for a 29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC), which has limited consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services; the first election for the CMC was held in March 1999

• Courts of First Instance, Appeal, and Cassation;
• an Administrative Court and a Constitutional Court were established in 2007;
• note - all judges are appointed by Amiri Decree based on the recommendation of the Supreme Judiciary Council for renewable three-year terms

chief of mission:

Ambassador Ali Fahad al-Shahwany al-HAJRI

chancery:

2555 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20037

telephone:

[1] (202) 274-1600 and 274-1603

FAX:

[1] (202) 237-0061

consulate(s) general:

Houston

chief of mission:

Ambassador Joseph E. LEBARON

embassy:

Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha

mailing address:

P. O. Box 2399, Doha

telephone:

[974] 488 4161

FAX:

[974] 488 4150

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• fruits, vegetables;
• poultry, dairy products, beef;
• fish

general assessment:

modern system centered in Doha

domestic:

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular telephone density is roughly 165 telephones per 100 persons

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

• condensate 322 km;
• condensate/gas 209 km;
• gas 1,970 km;
• liquid petroleum gas 87 km;
• oil 741 km (2007)

total:

22

by type:

bulk carrier 2, cargo 2, chemical tanker 2, container 8, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 4

foreign-owned:

7 (Kuwait 7)

registered in other countries:

5 (Liberia 4, Panama 1) (2008)

males age 16-49:

320,383

females age 16-49:

167,475 (2008 est.)

males age 16-49:

258,159

females age 16-49:

143,999 (2008 est.)

male:

6,224

female:

4,845 (2008 est.)

current situation:

• Qatar is a destination country for men and women from South and Southeast Asia who migrate willingly, but are subsequently trafficked into involuntary servitude as domestic workers and laborers, and, to a lesser extent, commercial sexual exploitation;
• the most common offense was forcing workers to accept worse contract terms than those under which they were recruited;
• other conditions include bonded labor, withholding of pay, restrictions on movement, arbitrary detention, and physical, mental, and sexual abuse

tier rating:

• Tier 3 - Qatar failed, for the second consecutive year, to enforce criminal laws against traffickers, or to provide an effective mechanism to identify and protect victims;
• it continues to detain and deport victims rather than providing them protection;
• the government made little progress to increase prosecutions for trafficking in a meaningful way in 2007;
• workers complaining of working conditions or non-payment of wages were sometimes penalized (2008)