Qatar

This article is about the country. For other uses, see Qatar (disambiguation).

State of Qatar
دولة قطر
Dawlat Qaṭar
Motto: الله الوطن الأمير
Allāh al-Waṭan al-ʾAmīr
"God, Nation, Emir"
Anthem: السلام الأميري
As-Salām al-ʾAmīrī
"Peace to the Emir"
Location and extent of Qatar (dark green) on the Arabian Peninsula
Location and extent of Qatar (dark green) on the Arabian Peninsula
Capital
and largest city
Doha
25°18′N 51°31′E / 25.300°N 51.517°E / 25.300; 51.517
Official languagesArabic[1]
Ethnic groups
(2019)[2]
  • 49% Arab
  • 7% other
Religion
(2020)[4]
Demonym(s)Qatari
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary semi-constitutional monarchy under an authoritarian[5][6] state
• Emir
Tamim bin Hamad
• Deputy Emir
Abdullah bin Hamad
Mohammed bin Abdulrahman
LegislatureConsultative Assembly
Establishment
18 December 1878
• Declared independence

1 September 1971
• Independence from the United Kingdom

3 September 1971
Area
• Total
11,581 km2 (4,471 sq mi) (158th)
• Water (%)
negligible
Population
• 2023 estimate
3,063,005[7] (139th)
• 2010 census
1,699,435[8]
• Density
264/km2 (683.8/sq mi) (76th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $356.0 billion[9] (60th)
• Per capita
Increase $115,075[9] (4th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $221.4 billion[9] (55th)
• Per capita
Increase $71,568[9] (8th)
Gini (2007)41.1[10]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.875[11]
very high (40th)
CurrencyQatari riyal (QAR)
Time zoneUTC+3:00 (AST)
Drives onright[12]
Calling code+974
ISO 3166 codeQA
Internet TLD

Qatar,[a] officially the State of Qatar,[b] is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the country's inhabitants. Most of the land area is made up of flat, low-lying desert.

Qatar has been ruled as a hereditary monarchy by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed "an agreement, not a formal treaty"[19] with Britain in 1868 that recognised its separate status. Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in 1916 and gained independence in 1971. The current emir is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who holds nearly all executive, legislative, and judicial authority in an autocratic manner under the Constitution of Qatar.[20] He appoints the prime minister and cabinet. The partially-elected Consultative Assembly can block legislation and has a limited ability to dismiss ministers.

In early 2017, the population of Qatar was 2.6 million, although only 313,000 of them are Qatari citizens and 2.3 million being expatriates and migrant workers.[21] Its official religion is Islam.[22] The country has the fourth-highest GDP (PPP) per capita in the world[23] and the eleventh-highest GNI per capita (Atlas method).[24] It ranks 42nd in the Human Development Index, the third-highest HDI in the Arab world.[25] It is a high-income economy, backed by the world's third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves.[26] Qatar is one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas[27] and the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita.[28]

In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as both a major non-NATO ally of the United States and a middle power in the Arab world. Its economy has risen rapidly through its resource-wealth,[29][30] and its geopolitical power has risen through its media group, Al Jazeera Media Network, and reported support for rebel groups financially during the Arab Spring.[31][32][33] Qatar also forms part of the Gulf Cooperation Council.[2]

  1. ^ "The Constitution" (PDF). Government Communications Office. Archived (PDF) from the original on 29 November 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2020.
  2. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference CIA was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ "Population of Qatar by nationality". Priya Dsouza. 19 August 2019. Archived from the original on 30 September 2018. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
  4. ^ "Population By Religion, Gender And Municipality March 2020". Qatar Statistics Authority.
  5. ^ "The objections to Qatar hosting the World Cup reek of Eurocentrism". NBC News. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022. In condemning Qatar, we should remember that the population of this authoritarian monarchy
  6. ^ "Political Stability: the Mysterious Case of Qatar". Middle East Political and Economic Institute. Archived from the original on 22 November 2022. Retrieved 22 November 2022. ; the Qatari state remains fundamentally autocratic
  7. ^ "Population structure". Ministry of Development Planning and Statistics. 31 January 2020. Archived from the original on 26 June 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  8. ^ "Populations". Qsa.gov.qa. Archived from the original on 9 July 2010. Retrieved 2 October 2010.
  9. ^ a b c d "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: October 2024". imf.org. International Monetary Fund.
  10. ^ "GINI index". World Bank. Archived from the original on 9 February 2015. Retrieved 22 January 2013.
  11. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. p. 289. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  12. ^ "List of left- & right-driving countries – World Standards". Archived from the original on 29 December 2020. Retrieved 5 June 2017.
  13. ^ "Qatar". Dictionary.com Unabridged (Online). n.d.
  14. ^ "Qatar". Lexico UK English Dictionary. Oxford University Press. n.d.
  15. ^ Jones, Daniel (2011). Roach, Peter; Setter, Jane; Esling, John (eds.). "Qatar". Cambridge English Pronouncing Dictionary (18th ed.). Cambridge University Press. ISBN 978-0-521-15255-6.
  16. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary (3rd ed.). Longman. ISBN 978-1-4058-8118-0.
  17. ^ "Definition of Qatar | Dictionary.com". www.dictionary.com. Archived from the original on 29 November 2022. Retrieved 26 November 2022.
  18. ^ Johnstone, T. M. (2008). "Encyclopaedia of Islam". Ķaṭar. Brill Online. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 22 January 2013.(subscription required)
  19. ^ Fromherz, Allen James (2011). Qatar: A Modern History (1st ed.). Washington, DC: Georgetown University Press. p. 58. ISBN 978-1626162037.
  20. ^ "Qatar: Freedom in the World 2020 Country Report". Freedom House. Archived from the original on 3 May 2021. Retrieved 6 April 2021.
  21. ^ "Population of Qatar by nationality – 2017 report". Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 7 February 2017.
  22. ^ "The Constitution". Archived from the original on 24 October 2004. Retrieved 29 October 2017.
  23. ^ "GDP per capita, PPP (current international $) | Data". data.worldbank.org. Archived from the original on 22 June 2019. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  24. ^ "GNI per capita, Atlas method (current US$) | Data". data.worldbank.org. Archived from the original on 20 November 2022. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
  25. ^ Nations, United (8 September 2022). "Human Development Report 2021-22". Archived from the original on 12 January 2023. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
  26. ^ "Indices & Data | Human Development Reports". United Nations Development Programme. 14 March 2013. Archived from the original on 12 January 2013. Retrieved 27 June 2013.
  27. ^ "2022 World LNG Report Press Release" (PDF). International Gas Union (IGU). 6 July 2022. Archived (PDF) from the original on 9 October 2022. Retrieved 7 October 2022.
  28. ^ "Where in the world do people emit the most CO2?". Our World in Data. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
  29. ^ Cooper, Andrew F. "Middle Powers: Squeezed out or Adaptive?". Public Diplomacy Magazine. Archived from the original on 17 March 2015. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  30. ^ Kamrava, Mehran. "Mediation and Qatari Foreign Policy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 October 2013. Retrieved 12 March 2015.
  31. ^ Dagher, Sam (17 October 2011). "Tiny Kingdom's Huge Role in Libya Draws Concern". Online.wsj.com. Archived from the original on 27 October 2014. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  32. ^ "Qatar: Rise of an Underdog". Politicsandpolicy.org. Archived from the original on 10 June 2017. Retrieved 30 December 2013.
  33. ^ Black, Ian (26 October 2011). "Qatar admits sending hundreds of troops to support Libya rebels". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 15 November 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2013.


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