Reminder—I try to please the search engines, explaining the odd Qatar is where? title. The bottom line is that you want to know about the tiny Middle Eastern country, and the following 25 tidbits will help achieve that goal.
1
While Qatar is said to have a semi-constitutional monarchy, most would agree that absolute monarchy is a better description. That honor lies with the Al Thani family, at the top of the Qatari food chain since the mid-19th century. You may hear the term Emir, which in this case refers to a monarch.
2
After several decades under Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate during World War I (in 1916 to be exact).
3
The country gained full independence in 1971.
4
The land area of Qatar—comprised largely of desert—is about 4,471 square miles (around 100 miles long and 50 miles wide), similar to the US state of Connecticut.
5
Qatar borders just one country (Saudi Arabia) and, as a peninsula, is otherwise surrounded by the Persian Gulf, making for some excellent beaches. Here’s a map.
6
The population of the country is close to 3 million.
7
About 80 percent of that population lives in Doha, the nation’s capital, known for its futuristic skyline.
8
Home to just 476,000 residents in 1990, Qatar has experienced explosive growth—to the tune of 500 percent—since then.
9
In order to make the numbers work, the doors had to be opened widely to foreigners (predominantly South Asians). In fact, Qatari citizens make up only around 12 percent of the population.
10
Qatar has the fourth highest GDP (adjusted for purchasing power parity) per capita in the world.
11
Obviously, fishing and pearling no longer form the backbone of the economy. As you might imagine, the fossil fuel industry is hands down the major driver of Qatar’s wealth.
12
Of course, the powers that be know that the good times won’t last forever. Enter the Qatar Investment Authority, the country’s sovereign wealth fund that invests in diverse entities across the world. Tourism has also been prioritized, explaining the relatively lax visa requirements.
13
The official language of Qatar is Arabic, though English is widely spoken.
14
The official religion of the country is Islam, though one third of the population is non-Muslim. The legal system has been described as a mix of civil and Sharia law. Modest clothing is expected, and premarital relations, adultery, etc. are not taken lightly.
15
In keeping with the above, alcohol is not a large part of local culture. That said, non-Muslims can find adult beverages in some hotels and obtain a special permit for personal consumption.
16
Qatar is not known as a bastion of human rights, coming under fire for its treatment of migrant workers (i.e. South Asians who provide labor), its criminalization of homosexuality, and its ban on the criticism of the ruling family and Islam.
17
Al Jazeera Media Network was founded in Qatar and is headquartered in Doha.
18
The vast majority of Qatar’s food supply is imported.
19
Desalination plants provide much of Qatar’s fresh water. The energy-intensive nature of this process contributes to the next point.
20
Qatar has been known to top lists of the countries with the most carbon dioxide emissions per capita.
21
The country is home to the largest US military base in the Middle East.
22
The ruling family has made education a point of emphasis, and many big-name American universities have satellite campuses in Qatar (at little cost to the universities). The list includes the likes of Carnegie Mellon, Georgetown, Northwestern, Cornell, Texas A&M, and Virginia Commonwealth.
23
Somehow, Qatar managed to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, leading to numerous accusations of corruption surrounding FIFA’s decision. Per tradition, the right to host earned the nation automatic qualification into the tournament despite never having previously qualified based on merit.
24
The average high temperature in the summer months is 108°F, pushing the aforementioned World Cup back to November-December.
25
Qatari music is rooted in regional folk traditions, the contemporary interpretation of which might sound something like this:
So the next time someone asks you Qatar is where?, first avoid the temptation to correct their word order. Then refer them to the above.
2 Responses
Heard very good thing’s about Qatar airways.
Absolutely. Apparently it was losing money for several years but has since become profitable.