Qatar

Airports

total: 5 usable: 4 with permanent-surface runways: 1 with runways over 3,659 m: 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 0 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 2

Highways

total: 1,500 km paved: 1,000 km unpaved: gravel, natural surface 500 km (est.)

Merchant marine

18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 373,491 GRT/567,294 DWT, container 4, cargo 11, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1

Pipelines

crude oil 235 km; natural gas 400 km

Ports

Doha, Umm Sa'id, Halul Island

Telecommunications

modern system centered in Doha; 110,000 telephones; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 3 FM, 3 TV

Affiliation

(overseas department of France)

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Public Security

Defense expenditures

$NA, NA%, of GDP

Manpower availability

males age 15-49 217,538; fit for military service 114,468; reach military age (18) annually 3,737 (1994 est.)

Agriculture

farming and grazing on small scale, less than 2% of GDP; agricultural area is small and government-owned; commercial fishing increasing in importance; most food imported

Budget

revenues: $2.5 billion expenditures: $3 billion, including capital expenditures of $440 million (1992 est.)

Currency

1 Qatari riyal (QR) = 100 dirhams

Economic aid

donor: pledged in ODA to less developed countries (1979-88), $2.7 billion

Electricity

capacity: 1,596,000 kW production: 4.818 billion kWh consumption per capita: 9,655 kWh (1992)

Exchange rates

Qatari riyals (QR) per US$1 - 3.6400 riyals (fixed rate)

Exports

$3.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: petroleum products 85%, steel, fertilizers partners: Japan 61%, Brazil 6%, South Korea 5%, UAE 4%, Singapore 3% (1991)

External debt

$1.5 billion (1993 est.)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Imports

$1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, food, chemicals partners: Japan 14%, UK 12%, US 12%, Germany 9%, France 5% (1991)

Industrial production

growth rate NA%; accounts for 64% of GDP, including oil

Industries

crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel (rolls reinforcing bars for concrete construction), cement

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

3% (1993 est.)

National product

GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $8.8 billion (1993 est.)

National product per capita

$17,500 (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate

-0.5% (1993 est.)

Overview

Oil is the backbone of the economy and accounts for roughly 85% of export earnings and 75% of government revenues. Proved oil reserves of 3.3 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for about 25 years. Oil has given Qatar a per capita GDP comparable to the leading industrial countries. Production and export of natural gas are becoming increasingly important.

Unemployment rate

NA%

Area

total area: 11,000 sq km land area: 11,000 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Climate

desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer

Coastline

563 km

Environment

current issues: limited freshwater resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities natural hazards: haze, dust storms, sandstorms common international agreements: signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea

International disputes

territorial dispute with Bahrain over the Hawar Islands; maritime boundary with Bahrain

Irrigated land

NA sq km

Land boundaries

total 60 km, Saudi Arabia 60 km

Land use

arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 5% forest and woodland: 0% other: 95%

Location

Middle East, peninsula jutting into the central Persian Gulf, between Iran and Saudi Arabia

Map references

Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

Maritime claims

continental shelf: not specified exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, fish

Note

strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits

Terrain

mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel

Administrative divisions

there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 9 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Rayyan, Al Wakrah, Ash Shamal, Jarayan al Batnah, Umm Salal

Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura)

constitution calls for elections for part of this consultative body, but no elections have been held; seats - (30 total)

Capital

Doha

Constitution

provisional constitution enacted 2 April 1970

Digraph

QA

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission: Ambassador ABD AL-RAHMAN bin Saud bin Faud Al Thani chancery: Suite 1180, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: (202) 338-0111

Executive branch

chief of state and head of government: Amir and Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Hamad Al Thani (since 22 February 1972); Crown Prince HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (appointed 31 May 1977; son of Amir and Minister of Defense) cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the amir

FAX

(0974) 861669

Flag

maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side

Independence

3 September 1971 (from UK)

Judicial branch

Court of Appeal

Legal system

discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in personal matters

Legislative branch

unicameral

Member of

ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Names

conventional long form: State of Qatar conventional short form: Qatar local long form: Dawlat Qatar local short form: Qatar

National holiday

Independence Day, 3 September (1971)

Political parties and leaders

none

Suffrage

none

Type

traditional monarchy

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission: Ambassador Kenton W. KEITH embassy: 149 Ali Bin Ahmed St., Farig Bin Omran (opposite the television station), Doha mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha telephone: (0974) 864701 through 864703

Birth rate

18.83 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Death rate

3.53 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Ethnic divisions

Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%

Infant mortality rate

21.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)

Labor force

104,000 (85% non-Qatari in private sector) (1983)

Languages

Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language

Life expectancy at birth

total population: 72.64 years male: 70.08 years female: 75.09 years (1994 est.)

Literacy

age 15 and over can read and write (1986) total population: 76% male: 77% female: 72%

Nationality

noun: Qatari(s) adjective: Qatari

Net migration rate

10.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)

Population

512,779 (July 1994 est.)

Population growth rate

2.56% (1994 est.)

Religions

Muslim 95%

Total fertility rate

3.74 children born/woman (1994 est.)