Explore Qatar

Qatar occupies a peninsula that extends approximately 160 kilometres north into the Arabian Gulf. To the south and west is Saudi Arabia, Qatar's largest neighbour, while to the north-west is the island state of Bahrain and, further along the gulf coast, Kuwait. To the east lie the United Arab Emirates and Oman. The harsh beauty of the country's desert interior is in dramatic contrast to its shimmering coastline, the modern architecture of Doha and the complex, highly technical geometry of Qatar's oil and natural gas processing plants.

One of the most striking aspects of Qatar has been its dynamic economic growth, the primary driver of which is the country's vast reserve of natural gas and oil.

Doha is the administrative and business capital, and is home to almost half the country's population, which in recent years has been increasing at an annual rate of 9 per cent and currently stands at more than 700,000. Other population centres include Dukhan on the west coast, Mesaieed and Al Wakra in the south, and Ras Laffan and Al Khor in the north.
While rapid population growth is a recent phenomenon, Qatar has a long history of human activity. Archaeological discoveries have proven that the peninsula was populated as long ago as 10,000-8,000 BC and, in the 1st century AD, Pliny the Elder referred to the nomads of the area in his great work, Naturalis Historiae.

Today, though, the nomadic way of life has all but disappeared and Qatar is a traditional monarchy, ruled since the middle of the 19th century by the Al Thani family. The present Emir of Qatar, His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, came to power in 1995 and, in an era of rapid change, is a strong advocate of modernisation, industrialisation and education. The Council of Ministers (the supreme executive authority in the country) assists in implementing the general policies of the state, and the 35-member Advisory Council debates economic, political and administrative matters referred to it by the Council of Ministers.

Meanwhile, the constitutional development of Qatar has kept pace with the country's rapid growth. The first provisional constitution was issued in 1970, and in April 2003 an overwhelming 96.6 per cent of Qatari voters said 'yes' to a permanent constitution, which, once implemented, will transform Qatar into a constitutional democracy. In 1999 free elections were held to form a 29-member Central Municipal Council - these elections, in which women were allowed to vote and run as candidates, marked the country's first step towards democracy.

One of the most striking aspects of Qatar has been its dynamic economic growth, the primary driver of which is the country's vast reserve of natural gas and oil. Qatar will soon be the largest exporter of liquid natural gas in the world and a world leader in gas-to-liquids (GTL) production. As a result of this transformation, Qatar has one of the fastest growing economies in the world and the highest per capita income.

But natural gas is not the whole story. The country is actively diversifying its economy, with a particular emphasis on small to medium-scale, private-sector industrial development. One thing is sure: the transformation of Qatar is set to continue.