The State of Qatar is situated on the Qatar Peninsula in West Asia. Its only land boundary is with Saudi Arabia to the south. As Qatar occupies the entire peninsula, the remainder of the country is surrounded by the Persian Gulf. A nearby neighbor is the island nation of Bahrain, whose Hawar and Sawad islands are just off the coast of northern Qatar.
Although the Qatar Peninsula has been inhabited as long as 50,000 years ago, its history as a country begins in the early 1700s, when a group of Kuwaitis founded a town on the northwestern coast of the peninsula. Founded by Al Bin Ali, Zubarah soon became a busy port settlement.
In 1783, the Al Khalifa tribe, also from Kuwait, invaded and annexed the Qatar Peninsula. Soon afterward, the Al Khalifa extended their control over Bahrain. In time, a local resistance movement began, and united under Sheikh Mohammed bin Thani, declaring independence for Qatar. In 1867, the Al Khalifa waged a naval battle against Qatar's port cities, and the British stepped in to negotiate a peace that recognized the independence of Qatar, which was formally announced in 1878.
Qatar still faced hostilities from the Ottoman Empire, including an 1893 battle in which Qatari forces defeated invading Turkish troops. Qatar became a British protectorate in 1916, a designation that remained until 1971. The influence of the British declined after World War II, particularly with the independence of India and Pakistan, as well as pressure for a British withdrawal from the Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf.
Initially, Qatar joined into a federation with Bahrain and other coastal alliances, regional differences caused Qatar to declare its independence from the alliance that would later split into the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
Until the 1940s, Qatar was sparsely populated and impoverished. Its economy consisted largely of pearl hunting and fishing. When Japan developed pearl farming in the 1920s, Qatar's pearling industry took a dive. Things looked bleak for Qatar, but the discovery of huge oil reserves in 1940 changed all of that. Qatar became immensely wealthy, which gave the country the resources it needed to modernize and to form a fully independent government.
In 1995, the Emir of Qatar was deposed in a coup by his son, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa bin Khalifa Al Thani, who began a series of series of projects whose end result was to make Qatar a neutral power broker for regional conflicts, a position it still serves.
The Emir stepped down in 2013, handing power to his son, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.
Qatar is an absolute monarchy ruled by the Al Thani family, which has been in power since 1825. In 2003, Qatar adopted a constitution that establishes an elected legislative council. Laws proposed by the council are referred to an advisory council for discussion after they are submitted to the Emir for ratification. The Emir has the final word on all matters.
Sharia law is the chief source of legislation in Qatar, although its laws are a mixture of Sharia and civil law. In court, a female's testimony is worth less than that of a man, and corporal punishment, such as flogging, is common for crimes such as alcohol consumption and illicit sex, although such punishments are generally only imposed on foreign nationals. Stoning is also a legal punishment in Qatar, and apostasy and homosexuality are capital crimes. Non-Muslim expatriates living in Qatar can obtain a permit allowing the consumption of alcohol.
Indigenous Qatari are ethnic Bedouins, although non-Arab foreigners make up a large majority of the country's population, Indians being the largest group, followed by Nepalis, Bangladeshis, Filipinos, Egyptians, Sri Lankans, and Pakistanis. Citizens make up only 12% of the country's total population.
Islam is the official religion of Qatar, and the sole religion of its indigenous population, most of whom are Salafi Muslims. Qatar's Christian, Hindu, and Buddhist populations are largely non-citizen foreigners. Arabic is the official language, while English is the most common second language.
Like many other predominantly Muslim oil-producing countries, Qatar uses a sponsorship (kafala) system for foreign workers, which make up about 95% of the Qatar workforce. This system requires foreign workers to have a Qatari sponsor, usually their employer, who is responsible for their visa and legal status. International monitors have reported several cases of abuse in this system, the most common being the refusal to release employees once their agreed-upon employment period has ended. With a sponsor release, employees are prohibited from seeking or accepting work with another company or leave the country.
This category is focused on the State of Qatar. Appropriate topics may relate to the country itself or to businesses or other entities within Qatar.
Recommended Resources
College of the North Atlantic Qatar
CNA is a post-secondary education and skills training center whose main campus is in Atlantic Canada. CNA-Q, its Qatar satellite institution, is a technical education college that operates as a partnership between the State of Qatar and the College of North Atlantic in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. Its enrollment and admissions policies, programs, alumni programs, and career opportunities are framed.
https://www.cna-qatar.com/
Georgetown University in Qatar
Originally known as Georgetown University School of Foreign Service in Qatar, GU-Q is a research university and a satellite institution of the Washington, DC university, and is a partnership between GU and the Qatar Foundation. Its admissions policies, programs, majors, certificates, graduate programs, and its executive master’s degree and professional education programs are acknowledged.
https://www.qatar.georgetown.edu/
The flag carrier of the State of Qatar, the state-owned airline is headquartered at Qatar Airways Tower in Doha and operates a network linking over a hundred and fifty destinations throughout much of the world from its base at Hamad International Airport. Its locations and destinations are featured, flights may be booked online, and clients may check flight status and view other details online.
https://www.qatarairways.com/en/
Qatar Airways Cargo is an international cargo carrier based in Doha, Qatar, serving more than sixty freighter destinations throughout the world. Its freighter fleet is tendered, with an introduction to its Doha hub and its CEO, corporate social responsibility efforts, a press kit, press releases, video, and an overview of its products and services. Shipments, weekly schedules, and routing may be viewed online.
http://www.qrcargo.com/
Formally known as the Qatar Foundation for Education, Science and Community Development, the non-profit Qatar organization was founded in 1995. The government-supported organization is charged with facilitating improvements in education, science, research, and community development. Schools supported by the Foundation are introduced, along with enrollment and participation opportunities and policies.
https://www.qf.org.qa/
The State of Qatar has a huge expatriate and foreign worker community, many of whom are in need of housing, transportation, and services. Available apartments, villas, shared spaces, and office properties are highlighted, along with vehicles for sale or lease, and other items and services, such as mobile phones, tablets, and furniture. Job opportunities are posted, a guide to restaurants, hotels and driving schools, and an online discussion forum are included.
https://www.qatarliving.com/
Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Ministry was established between 1969 and 1971 and is responsible for a variety of functions, including the designation of diplomatic missions to include embassies, consulates, commissions, and other offices, representing the State of Qatar to foreign governments, while protecting its interests abroad. Its history, organizational structure, functions, and strategies are defined, with an overview of its locations and services.
https://www.mofa.gov.qa/en
Created and maintained for the purpose of promoting tourism and both recreational and business travel to the State of Qatar, the website is presented in several languages, and features several photographs of various locations within Qatar, and offers a guide to business and corporate events, popular destinations and attractions, recreational and entertainment opportunities and venues. A profile of the country is included.
https://www.visitqatar.qa/
The English-language newspaper is published in Doha, Qatar, and distributed locally and internationally, offering news reporting from Qatar, the United States, the United Kingdom, the Gulf and Middle East, South Asia, Pakistan, India, and the Philippines, as well as general informational features, sports stories, health and medicine, lifestyle issues, fashion, science, and technology. Cinema and show business featured are included.
http://www.qatar-tribune.com/
Situated in northern Doha, Qatar, the public university is the only government university in Qatar. Consisting of nine colleges, it offers courses taught in Arabic or English. General information about the institution is put forth, including its organizational structure, accreditation, research centers, and career opportunities, along with its admissions and registration policies, research facilities, and student life programs.
http://www.qu.edu.qa/
