The small Qatar Peninsula juts 100 miles north from the
Arabian Peninsula into the Persian Gulf. The country is
slightly smaller than Connecticut, approximately 4,400 square miles. Much
of the country is covered with sand. Qatar borders Saudi Arabia to the
south and is mostly surrounded by the Persian Gulf.
Since the discovery of oil in the early 1940s the economy of Qatar has been totally transformed from its early dependence on fishing and pearling. They now enjoy one of the highest per capita incomes in the world and are the ninth richest country.
The capital of Qatar is Doha located on the eastern coast of the peninsula.
For much of its early history, this arid sandy country was occupied by settlements of nomadic tribes. Qatar has been ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-1800s. The current Emir is Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. He has ruled since taking power from his father in 1995. Qatar gained their independence from the United Kingdom in September 1971. Since then the country has experienced much sociopolitical liberalization. Qatar is a constitutional monarchy.
The official language of Qatar is Arabic, but English is commonly used as a second language. The population is over 928,000. Qatar was one of the earliest areas occupied by Muslims. Today it is 77.5 percent Muslim, mostly Sunni. Islam is the official religion and Islamic law (sharia) is the basis of civil law. Citizens of Qatar enjoy free education from kindergarten through university. Qatar is the home of Al Jazeera, a leading English/Arabic news source.
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