d pearl onto the world market in the 1920s and 1930s, Qatar's pearling industry faltered. However, the discovery of oil, beginning in the 1940s, completely transformed the state's economy. Now the country has a high standard of living, with many social services offered to its citizens and all the amenities of any modern state. Qatar’s national income primarily derives from oil and natural gas exports. The country has oil estimated at 15 billion barrels (2.4 km³), while gas reserves in the giant north field (South Pars for Iran) which straddles the border with Iran and are almost as large as the peninsula itself are estimated to be between 800 trillion cubic feet (23,000 km3) to 80 trillion cubic feet (2,300 km3) (1 trillion cubic feet is equivalent to about 80 million barrels (13,000,000 m3) of oil). Qatar is sometimes referred to as the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. Qataris’ wealth and standard of living compare well with those of Western European states; Qatar has the highest GDP per capita in the Arab World according to the International Monetary Fund (2006)[8] and the second highest GDP per capita in the world according to the CIA World Factbook.[9] With no income tax, Qatar is also one of the two least-taxed sovereign states in the world (the other is Bahrain). Aspire Tower, built for the Asian Games, is visible across Doha. Sports City. While oil and gas will probably remain the backbone of Qatar’s economy for some time to come, the country seeks to stimulate the private sector and develop a “knowledge economy”. In 2004, it established the Qatar Science & Technology Park to attract and serve technology-based companies and entrepreneurs, from overseas and within Qatar. Qatar also established Education City, which consists of international colleges. For the 15th Asian Games in Doha, it established Sports City, consisting of Khalifa stadium, the Aspire Sports Academy, aquatic centres, exhibition centres and many other sports related buildings and centres. Following the success of the Asian Games, Doha kicked off its official bid to host the 2016 Summer Olympics in October 2007.[10] Qatar also plans to build an "entertainment city" in the future. Qatar is aiming to become a role model for economic and social transformation in the region. Large scale investment in all social and economic sectors will also lead to the development of a strong financial market. The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) provides financial institutions with various world class financial services including investments, margin and no-interest loans, and capital support. These platforms are situated in an economy founded on the development of its hydrocarbons resources, specifically its exportation of petroleum. It has been created with a long term perspective to support the development of Qatar and the wider region, develop local and regional markets, and strengthen the links between the energy based economies and global financial markets. Apart from Qatar itself, which needs to raise the capacity of its financial services to support more than $130 billion worth of projects, the QFC also provides a conduit for financial services providers to access nearly $1 trillion of investments which stretch across the GCC as a whole over the next decade. The largest project ever in Qatar, the new town of Lusail, is under construction. Geography Desert landscape in Qatar Map of Qatar Main article: Geography of Qatar The Qatari peninsula juts 100 miles (161 km) north into the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia and is slightly smaller than the state of Massachusetts, USA. Much of the country consists of a low, barren plain, covered with sand. To the southeast lies the spectacular Khor al Adaid (“Inland Sea”), an area of rolling sand dunes surrounding an inlet of the Persian Gulf. There are mild winters and very hot, humid summers. The highest point in Qatar is Qurayn Abu al Bawl at 103 metres (340 ft)[9] in the Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low limestone outcrops running north-south from Zikrit through Umm Bab to the southern border. The Jebel Dukhan area also contains Qatar’s main onshore oil deposits, while the natural gas fields lie offshore, to the northwest of the peninsula. Religion Islam is the predominant Religion and makes up 77.5% of the population of Qatar and all others make up the remaining 22.5%.[11] Sunni Muslims constitute 98% percent of Muslim population. The majority of noncitizens are from South and Southeast Asian and Arab countries working on temporary employment contracts, accompanied by family members in some cases. Most noncitizens are Sunni or Shi'a Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, or Bahá'ís. Most foreign workers and their families live near the major employment centers of Doha, Al Khor, Mesaieed, and Dukhan. The Hindu community is almost exclusively Indian, while Buddhists include South, Southeast, and East Asians. Most Bahá'ís come from Iran. Religion is not a criterion for citizenship, according to the Nationality Law. However, nearly all Qatari citizens are either Sunni or Shi'a Muslims, except for at least one Christian, a few Bahá'ís, and their respective families who were granted citizenship. No foreign missionary groups operate openly in the country[12], but in 2008 the government allowed some churches to conduct mass. In March 2008 the Roman Catholic Church “Our Lady of the Rosary” was consecrated in Doha. Population Main article: Demographics of Qatar Almost all Qataris profess Islam. Besides ethnic Arabs, much of the population migrated from various nations to work in the country’s oil industry. Arabic serves as the official language. However, English as well as many other languages like Hindi, Pashto, Malayalam, Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi, Balochi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Tagalog, and Persian are widely spoken in Qatar. Expatriates form the majority of Qatar’s residents. The petrochemical industry has attracted people from all around the world. Most of the expatriates come from South Asia and from non-oil-rich Arab states. Because a large percentage of the expatriates are male, Qatar has a heavily skewed sex ratio, with 3.46 males per female.[13] In July 2007, the country had a growing population of approximately 907,229 people,[9] of whom approximately 350,000 were believed to be citizens.[14] Qatari citizens follow the dominant Hanbali branch of Islam practiced in neighboring Saudi Arabia, therefore it is considered the culturally closest Persian Gulf state to Saudi Arabia. The majority of the estimated 800,000 non-citizens are individuals from South and South East Asian and Arab countries working on temporary employment contracts in most cases without their accompanying family members. Most foreign workers and their families live near the major employment centers of Doha, Al Khor, Messaeed, and Dukhan. Year Population 1908 est. 26,000 - 27,000[15] 1939 est. 28,000[15] late 1960s 70,000[16] 1986 369,079 1997 522,023[17] 2000 744,483 2001 769,152 2002 793,341 2003 817,052 2004 840,290 2005 863,051 2006 885,359 2007 907,229 The population of Qatar is currently about 1,650,000.[15][18][19][20] Culture See also: Music of Qatar Qatari culture (music, art, dress, and cuisine) is extremely similar to that of other Arab countries of the Persian Gulf. Arab tribes from Saudi Arabia migrated to Qatar and other places in the gulf; therefore, the culture in the Persian Gulf region varies little from country to country. Qatar explicitly uses Sharia law as the basis of its government, and the vast majority of its citizens follow Hanbali Madhhab. Hanbali (Arabic: ????? ) is one of the four schools (Madhhabs) of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam (The other three are Hanafi, Maliki and Shafii). Sunni Muslims believe that all four schools have "correct guidance", and the differences between them lie not in the fundamentals of faith, but in finer judgments and jurisprudence, which are a result of the independent reasoning of the imams and the scholars who followed them. Because their individual methodologies of interpretation and extraction from the primary sources (rusul) were different, they came to different judgments on particular matters. Shi'as comprise around 2% of the Muslim population in Qatar. Qatari law When contrasted with other Arab states such as Saudi Arabia, for instance, Qatar has comparatively liberal laws, but is still not as liberal as some other Arab states of the Persian Gulf like UAE or Bahrain. Qatar is a civil law jurisdiction. However, Shari'a or Islamic law is applied to aspects of family law, inheritance and certain criminal acts. Women can legally drive in Qatar and there is a strong emphasis in equality and human rights brought by Qatar's National Human Rights Committee. The country has undergone a period of liberalization and modernisation during the reign of the current Emir, Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, who came to power in 1995. The laws of Qatar tolerate alcohol to a certain extent. However, public bars and nightclubs in Qatar operate only in expensive hotels and clubs, much like in the UAE, though the number of establishments has yet to equal that of UAE. Expatriate residents in Qatar are eligible to receive liquor permits permitting them to purchase alcohol for personal use through Qatar Distribution Company, the exclusive importer and retailer for alcohol in Qatar. Qatar has further been liberalised due to the 15th Asian Games, but is cautious of becoming too liberal in their law. Overall Qatar has yet to reach the more western laws of UAE or Bahrain, and though plans are being made for more development, the government is cautious. In common with other Persian Gulf Arab countries, sponsorship laws exist in Qatar. These laws have been widely described as akin to modern-day slavery.[21] The Sponsorship system (Kafeel or Kafala) exists throughout the GCC and means that a worker (not a tourist) may not enter the country without having a kafeel, cannot leave without the kafeel's permission (an Exit Permit must first be awarded by the sponsor, or kafeel), and the sponsor has the right to ban the employee from entering Qatar within 2–5 years of his first departure. Many sponsors do not allow the transfer of one employee to another sponsor. Education Main article: Education in Qatar Cornell University's Weill Medical College in Qatar In recent years Qatar has placed great emphasis on education. Citizens are required to attend government provided education from kindergarten through to high school.[22] Qatar University was founded in 1973. More recently, with the support of the Qatar Foundation, some major American universities have opened branch campuses in Education City, Qatar. These include Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Texas A&M University, Virginia Commonwealth University, Cornell University’s Weill Cornell Medical College and Northwestern University. In 2004, Qatar established the Qatar Science & Technology Park at Education City to link those universities with industry. Education City is also home to a fully accredited International Baccalaureate school, Qatar Academy. Two Canadian institutions, the College of the North Atlantic and the University of Calgary, also operate campuses in Doha. Other for-profit universities have also established campuses in the city [23]. In 2009, the Qatar Foundation launches the World Innovation Summit for Education - WISE - a global forum that brings together education stakeholders, opinion leaders and decision makers from all over the world to discuss educational issues. The first edition will be held in Doha, Qatar from November 16 to 18 2009. Moreover, in 2007 the American Brookings Institution announced that it was opening the Brookings Doha Center to undertake research and programming on the socio-economic and geo-political issues facing the region. In November 2002, the Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani created the Supreme Education Council.[24] The Council directs and controls education for all ages from the pre-school level through the university level, including the “Education for a New Era”[25] reform initiative. The Emir’s second wife, Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, has been instrumental in new education initiatives in Qatar. She chairs the Qatar Foundation, sits on the board of Qatar’s Supreme Education Council, and is a major driving force behind the importation of Western expertise into the education system, particularly at the college level. Healthcare Hamad Medical Corporation, the premier non-profit health care provider in Doha, Qatar. Established by Emiri decree in 1979, the Corporation manages four highly specialized hospitals: Hamad General Hospital, Rumailah Hospital, Women’s Hospital, Al-Amal Hospital, Psychiatric Hospital and the Primary Health Care Centers. Through the years, Hamad Medical Corporation has fulfilled its mandate of providing the best quality care for all patients irrespective of nationality, and played its role in providing “Health For All” as pledged by the State of Qatar. Since its establishment in October 1979, HMC has rapidly developed highly specialized medical facilities capable of providing state of the art diagnosis and treatment of diseases that previously could only be managed in overseas medical centers. The Corporation implements a policy of continuous improvement of all management systems and patient care protocols. All equipments and facilities are upgraded in order to keep all hospitals constantly ready to provide high quality care. Continued expansion of facilities for diagnosis and therapy is the focus of efforts in short term. Coupled with the new facility construction program is a sustained effort to attract and retain the best human resources to provide the diagnostic and therapeutic skills needed. HMC, throughout the 23-year existence of Hamad General Hospital, has accumulated a wealth of vital information essential to improve therapeutic outcome and plan public education. The profile of patients has altered in 22 years and new trends, which the Corporation has to address, have emerged. A Research Center has been established. Communications Qatar has a modern Telecommunication system centered in Doha. Tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat. People can call to Qatar using their submarine cable, satellite or using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol); however, Qtel has interfered with VoIP systems in the past, and Skype's website has been blocked before. Following complaints from individuals, the website has been unblocked; and Paltalk has been permanently blocked. Qtel’s ISP branch, Internet Qatar, uses SmartFilter to block websites they deem inappropriate to Qatari interests and morality. In Qatar, ictQATAR (Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology) is the nation's Telecom Regulatory Authority. Under the Chairmanship of His Highness the Heir Apparent Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, ictQATAR has been invested with two authorities: ictQATAR is the country's independent and fair telecommunications regulator and consumer advocate. As regulator, ictQATAR is mandated to protect consumers and business from unfair practices as our country transitions to a competitive telecoms market. ictQATAR is the government body that supports the take-up of innovative technologies, by ensuring people of all ages and income levels are comfortable with technology. Through technology ictQATAR aims to foster citizen's involvement in important government processes. Working with government entities, industry bodies, and commercial enterprises ictQATAR is developing and guiding initiatives in a range of sectors including e-Education, e-Business, e-Health, e-Government, Infrastructure and Information Security. Vodafone, in partnership with Qatar Foundation, proudly received the second public mobile networks & services license in the State of Qatar on 28 June 2008. They switched on their mobile network on 1 March 2009. Then raising $1 billion, Vodafone Qatar's April IPO was at the time of the close of the subscription period, the largest IPO in the world in 2009. For comparison, globally there have been 11 IPOs of more than USD 50 mill per offering in 2009 that raised $2.1 billion in total. Vodafone's IPO in Qatar raised around $1 billion or almost half of all of these other IPO's put together. 82,000 Qatari national individuals subscribed for 65% of the Shares and 35 % of the Shares were taken up by 273 institutional investors, resulting in a 100% subscribed IPO. A significant number of the Qatari national population are now shareholders in Vodafone Qatar and Vodafone Qatar is now 77% Qatari owned. Vodafone Qatar's shareholders will play a significant part in helping Vodafone "make a world of difference for the people in Qatar". Al Jazeera (Arabic: ????????, al-gazirä, [al.d?a'zi?.ra], meaning “The Island”) is a television network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel of the same name, but has since expanded into a network of several specialty TV channels. Print media is going through expansion, with over 3 English dailies and Arabic titles. The magazine segment is dominated by Qatar Today, which is the country's only news, business monthly magazine. It is published by Oryx Advertising Co, which is the largest magazine publisher of the country. The group also brings out several titles like Qatar Al Youm, Qatar's only Arabic monthly business magazine, Woman Today, the only working women's magazine and GLAM, the only fashion title. Human rights and labour Main article: Human rights in Qatar According to the US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons Report, men and women who are lured into Qatar by promises of high wages are often forced into underpaid labour. The report states that Qatari laws against forced labour are rarely enforced and that labour laws often result in the detention of victims in deportation centers pending the completion of legal proceedings. The report ranks Qatar at Tier-3, which groups countries that neither satisfy the minimum standards nor demonstrate a significant effort to come into compliance.[26][27] The Government of Qatar maintains that it is setting the benchmark when it comes to human rights[28] and treatment of labourers. Qatari contracting agency Barwa is constructing a residential area for labourers known as Barwa Al Baraha (also called Workers City). The project was launched after a recent scandal in Dubai's Labour 'Slave' camps. The project aims to provide a reasonable standard of living as defined by the new Human Rights Legislation.[29] The Barwa Al Baraha will cost around $1.1 billion and will be a completely integrated city in the Industrial area of Doha. Along with 4.25 square metres of living space per person, the residential project will provide parks, recreational areas, malls, and shops for labourers. Phase one of the project is set to be completed at the end of 2008 while all phases will be complete by mid 2010.[30] Notes and references Find more about Qatar on Wikipedia's sister projects: Definitions from Wiktionary Textbooks from Wikibooks Quotations from Wikiquote Source texts from Wikisource Images and media from Commons News stories from Wikinews Learning resources from Wikiversity ^ Qatar Statistics Authority ^ a b c d "Qatar". International Monetary Fund. http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2009/01/weodata/weorept.aspx?sy=2006&ey=2009&scsm=1&ssd=1&sort=country&ds=.&br=1&c=453&s=NGDPD%2CNGDPDPC%2CPPPGDP%2CPPPPC%2CLP&grp=0&a=&pr.x=33&pr.y=2.