Qatar is a tiny peninsular that juts out of the eastern part of the greater Arabian Peninsular. To the west is Saudi Arabia, with which it shares a border, and to the south is United Arab Emirates. The country is mainly a barren desert with very little arable land and no forests or woodlands. It is constantly threatened by haze and sandstorms.
Qatar - Facts and Figures
Official name is the State of Qatar (Dawlat Qatar).
Qatar’s terrain is mostly flat and barren desert covered in loose sand and gravel.
Climate is typical desert weather; hot and humid in the summer.
Qatar has a 60-kilometer land boundary with Saudi Arabia and a smaller border with United Arab Emirates. Its coastline is 563 kilometers long.
Area: Its land occupies 11,437 sq km in total.
Once controlled by Bahrain, Qatar almost became part of the United Arab Emirates in 1971. However, both Qatar and Bahrain decided to form independent nations.
Population is around 890,000. Arabs constitute 40% of the population with other races being Pakistanis (18%), Indian (18%), Iranian (10%) and others (14%).
The official language is Arabic with English being a common second language.
Islam practiced by 95% of the population.
Capital city is Doha. Other cities include Al-Rayyan and As Salwa near the Saudi border.
Qatar’s major exports are liquefied natural gas, petroleum products, fertilizer and steel. Natural resources include petroleum, natural gas and fish.
The local currency is the Qatari riyal.
Agricultural products include fruits, vegetables, poultry, dairy products, beef and fish.
Major trading partners include Japan, South Korea, Singapore, India, France, United States, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Germany and United Kingdom.
