Qatar

The country of Qatar is located on a peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf from the Arabian mainland. Qatar is bordered by Oman, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and across the Gulf of Bahrain and Iran. Qatar's total area is 4,416 square miles with a total population of 520,000 of which only 160,000 are Qatari citizens. Most Qataris follow the Wahabi tradition of Sunni Islam, although a large number of Shi'as can be found among the Iranian population. The official language is Arabic with English widely spoken among the educated groups. As in other oil-producing Persian Gulf states, economic development in Qatar has resulted in the influx of large numbers of foreign workers, The 360,000 non-Qatari population includes large numbers of Indians, Iranians, Pakistanis, and Palestinians. Qatar's arid climate and the absence of suitable sources of underground water has resulted in the concentration of the population in a few large ports. The capital Doha accounts for 60% of the total population. De-salination plants provide more than half of the country's water needs.

Prior to the discovery of oil in 1939, Qatar's economy was based on fishing and pearling. Since the 1950's, however, rising oil prices have turned Qatar into one of the wealthier nations in the world by transforming the economic and social structure of the country. Qatar's total hydrocarbon reserves include 4,200m barrels of oil and 380 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. The North Field in the Gulf is believed to contain the world's largest single deposit of natural gas. Petroleum products account for more than 80% of total exports and have allowed the country to enjoy unprecedented prosperity. In 1993, the per capita GNP was $22,910, making it the eighth wealthiest country in the world. The local currency is the Qatar Riyal (US $1=QR 3.64).