Qatar
State of QatarDawlat Qatar
emirateIndependence 3 September 1971 (from the UK)
Qatar as the 2012 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 152 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
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 him 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 Jazirah 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
Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia
20 fieldsLand useshare of 11,586 sq km
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural)
- total:
- 0.29 cu km/yr (24%/3%/72%)
- per capita:
- 358 cu m/yr (2000)
Environment - current issues
limited natural freshwater resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
Environment - 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
- signed, but not ratified:
- none of the selected agreements
People and Society
29 fieldsAge structuremale left, female right · (2012 est.)
Per 1,000 population
Male · female
Religions(2004 census)
Sex ratio
- at birth:
- 1.02 male(s)/female
- under 15 years:
- 1.03 male(s)/female
- 15-64 years:
- 4.15 male(s)/female
- 65 years and over:
- 1.5 male(s)/female
- total population:
- 3.29 male(s)/female (2011 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS
fewer than 200 (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
Government
Emirate; Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 27 June 1995); Prime Minister HAMAD bin Jasim bin Jabir Al Thani (since 3 April 2007)
20 fieldsCountry 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
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
7 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Khawr wa adh Dhakhirah, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Ash Shamal, Az Za'ayin, Umm Salal
National holiday
Independence Day, 3 September (1971); also observed is National Day, 18 December (1878) (anniversary of Al Thani family accession to the throne)
Constitution
ratified by public referendum 29 April 2003; endorsed by the Amir 8 June 2004, effective 9 June 2005
International law organization participation
has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 27 June 1995);
- Heir Apparent TAMIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, fourth son of the amir (selected Heir Apparent by the amir 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 Ahmad bin Abdallah al-MAHMUD (since 20 September 2011)
- cabinet:
- Council of Ministers appointed by the amir; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)
- elections:
- the position of amir is hereditary
Legislative branch
unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (45 seats; 15 members appointed; 30 members to be elected by popular vote beginning mid- or late 2013, per the 2003 constitutional referendum)
note: the Advisory Council has limited legislative authority to draft and approve laws, but the amir has final say on all matters; Qatar's first legislative elections will be held in 2013 in which the public would elect 30 members and the Amir would appoint 15;
the Advisory Council would have authority to approve the national budget, hold ministers accountable through no-confidence votes, and propose legislation; Qatar in May 2011 held nationwide elections for the 29-member Central Municipal Council (CMC) - first elected in 1999 - which has limited consultative authority aimed at improving municipal services
Judicial branch
- 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
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, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Muhammad bin Abdallah bin Mitib al-RUMAYHI
- 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
Diplomatic representation from the US
- chief of mission:
- Ambassador Susan L. ZIADEH
- embassy:
- Al-Luqta District, 22 February Road, Doha
- mailing address:
- P. O. Box 2399, Doha
- telephone:
- [974] 488 4161
- FAX:
- [974] 488 4150
Flag description
- 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
National anthem
- name:
- "Al-Salam Al-Amiri" (The Peace for the Anthem)
- lyrics/music:
- Sheikh MUBARAK bin Saif al-Thani/Abdul Aziz Nasser OBAIDAN
note: adopted 1996; the anthem was first performed that year at a meeting of the Gulf Cooperative Council hosted by Qatar
Economy
Qatar has prospered in the last several years with continued high real GDP growth.
37 fieldsGDP - composition by sector(2012 est.)
Trading partnersexports left, imports right
Economy - overview
Qatar has prospered in the last several years with continued high real GDP growth. Throughout the financial crisis Qatari authorities sought to protect the local banking sector with direct investments into domestic banks. GDP had rebounded in 2010 largely due to the increase in oil prices, and 2011's growth was supported by Qatar's investment in expanding its gas sector.
GDP slowed to 6.3% in 2012 as Qatar's gas sector expansion moved toward completion. Economic policy is focused on developing Qatar's nonassociated natural gas reserves and increasing private and foreign investment in non-energy sectors, but oil and gas still account for more than 50% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues.
Oil and gas have made Qatar the world's highest per-capita income country and the country with the lowest unemployment. Proved oil reserves in excess of 25 billion barrels should enable continued output at current levels for 57 years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 25 trillion cubic meters, more than 13% of the world total and third largest in the world.
Qatar's successful 2022 world cup bid will likely accelerate large-scale infrastructure projects such as Qatar's metro system and the Qatar-Bahrain causeway.
Central bank discount rate
3.5% (31 December 2010 est.) · 5.5% (31 December 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Commercial bank prime lending rate
5% (31 December 2012 est.) · 4.6% (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 161
Stock of narrow money
$26.47 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $22.49 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Stock of broad money
$97.97 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $85.16 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 55
Stock of domestic credit
$140.9 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $121.5 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 47
Current account balance
$58.57 billion (2012 est.) · $51.98 billion (2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 10
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold
$25.97 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $16.82 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
Debt - external
$137 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $125.6 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 35
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home
$43.83 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $38.6 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 58
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad
$37.34 billion (31 December 2012 est.) · $31.56 billion (31 December 2011 est.) country comparison to the world: 39
Exchange rates
Qatari rials (QAR) per US dollar - 3.64 (2012 est.) · 3.64 (2011 est.) · 3.64 (2010 est.) · 3.64 (2009) · 3.64 (2008)
Energy
23 fieldsInstalled generating capacity, 3.893 million kW(2009 est.)
Crude oil - proved reserves
25.57 billion bbl (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 14
Natural gas - proved reserves
25.2 trillion cu m (1 January 2012 est.) country comparison to the world: 4
Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy
64.68 million Mt (2010 est.) country comparison to the world: 52
Communications
7 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- modern system centered in Doha
- domestic:
- combined fixed and mobile-cellular telephone subscribership exceeds 130 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
Broadcast media
- TV and radio broadcast media are state controlled;
- home of the satellite TV channel Al-Jazeera, which was originally owned and financed by the Qatari Government;
- Al-Jazeera claims editorial independence in broadcasting;
- transmissions of several international broadcasters are accessible on FM in Doha (2007)
Transportation
8 fieldsMerchant marine, 28 ships by typeone square, one ship
Airports by runway lengthunpaved only
Pipelines
- condensate 145 km;
- condensate/gas 132 km;
- gas 980 km;
- liquid petroleum gas 90 km;
- oil 382 km (2010)
Military
Qatari Emiri Land Force (QELF), Qatari Emiri Navy (QEN), Qatari Emiri Air Force (QEAF) (2012)
6 fieldsMilitary branches
Qatari Emiri Land Force (QELF), Qatari Emiri Navy (QEN), Qatari Emiri Air Force (QEAF) (2012)
Military service age and obligation
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2010)
Transnational Issues
1 fieldCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Qatar.” The World Factbook 2012. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/qatar/2012.