WELCOME TO mubarak al-hajri's QATAR
The State of Qatar is situated on a small peninsula jutting northward from Arabia into the Persian Gulf. The peninsula is 100 miles long, and has a maximum width of 50 miles. The total land area is approximately 4,400 square miles .
Its land boundaries meet the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia. The capital city, Doha, is located on the east coast. Until the discovery of petroleum in 1939 Doha was a small fishing village. With a population of 236,131 it is home to almost half of the country's people. The island of Halul, 60 miles east of the capital, is the collecting and storage site for the nation's offshore oil fields.
Qatar is primarily a windblown desert, with sand dunes, salt flats, and arid plains. Since the discovery of petroleum and the prosperity it has brought, some land has been turned to agriculture. There is little rainfall, but there is sufficient groundwater for growing fruits and vegetables. Distilled seawater provides most drinking water.
The majority of the population is composed of emigrants from other Arab states, South Asia, and Iran. Only about 20 percent are native Qataris. This immigration resulted from the development of the petroleum and related industries. Arabic is spoken by most of the people, but English is also commonly used. Like its neighboring Arab countries, Qatar is an Islamic state, but it is not as strict in its observance as is Saudi Arabia. Prosperity helped to liberalize the country, but many of the people still retain traditional dress and customs.
Qatar fast facts
http://www.infoplease.com provides the following fast facts about the nation of Qatar.
State of Qatar
Emir: Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani (1995)
Prime Minister: Abdullah bin Khalifa al-Thani (1996)
Area: 4,416 sq mi (11,437 sq km)
Population (2005 est.): 863,051 (growth rate: 2.6%); birth rate: 15.5/1000; infant mortality rate: 18.6/1000; life expectancy: 73.7; density per sq mi: 195
Capital (2003 est.): Doha, 550,700 (metro. area), 318,500 (city proper)
Monetary unit: Qatari riyal
LANGUAGES: Arabic (official); English a common second language
Ethnicity/race: Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%
Religion: Islam 95%
Literacy rate: 83% (2003 est.)
Communications: Telephones: main lines in use: 142,000 (1997); mobile cellular: 43,476 (1997). Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1998). Radios: 256,000 (1997). Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus three repeaters) (1997). Televisions: 230,000 (1997). Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000). Internet users: 75,000 (2001).
Transportation: Railways: 0 km. Highways: total: 1,230 km; paved: 1,107 km; unpaved: 123 km (1999 est.). Ports and harbors: Doha, Halul Island, Umm Sa'id (Musay'id). Airports: 4 (2002).
International disputes: none.
CULTURE HISTORY ECONOMY GOVERNMENT
