Qatar

Qatar, history and geography of the state of Qatar

Qatar in Arabic: قطر, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in Western Asia. Qatar occupies the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula, and shares its sole land border with neighbouring Gulf Cooperation Council monarchy Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the nation's population.

Qatar has been ruled as a hereditary monarchy by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed a treaty with the British in 1868 that recognised its separate status. Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in the early 20th century until gaining independence in 1971. The current emir is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who holds nearly all executive and legislative authority under the Constitution of Qatar, as well as controlling the judiciary. He appoints the prime minister and cabinet. The partially-elected Consultative Assembly can block legislation and has a limited ability to dismiss ministers.

In early 2017, Qatar's total population was 2.6 million: 313,000 Qatari citizens and 2.3 million expatriates. Its official religion is Islam. In terms of income, the country has the fourth-highest GDP (PPP) per capita in the world and the sixth-highest GNI per capita (Atlas method). Qatar has the third-highest HDI in the Arab world. Qatar is a high-income economy, backed by the world's third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves. Qatar is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, and the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita.

In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as a middle power in the Arab world through its resource-wealth, as well as its globally expanding media group, Al Jazeera Media Network, and reportedly supporting several rebel groups financially during the Arab Spring. Qatar's human rights record has been regarded by academics and non-governmental organisations as being generally poor, with restrictions on civil liberties such as the freedoms of association, expression and the press, as well as its treatment of thousands of migrant workers amounting to forced labour for projects in the country. The 2022 FIFA World Cup was awarded to Qatar under controversial circumstances, making Qatar the first Muslim country in the Arab world to host the event. Qatar hosted the 2006 Asian Games, and will also host the 2030 Asian Games.