QATAR

Geography
Area: 11,437 sq. km. (4,427 sq. mi.); about the size of Connecticut and Rhode Island combined.
Cities: Capital--Doha 431,525 (2005 est.). Other cities--Messaieed, Al-Khor, Dukhan, Ruwais.
Terrain: Mostly desert, flat, barren.
Climate: Hot and humid, with a mild winter.

People
Nationality: Noun and adjective--Qatari(s).
Population (May 2008 est.): 1,448,446; males 1,096,815 (75.7%); females 351,630 (24.3%).
Population growth rate (May 2008 est.): 59.6%.
Ethnic groups: Qatari (Arab) 20%; other Arab 20%; Indian 20%; Filipino 10%; Nepali 13%; Pakistani 7%; Sri Lankan 5%; other 5%.
Religion: Islam (state religion, claimed by virtually all of the indigenous population).
Languages: Arabic (official); English (widely spoken).
Education: Compulsory--ages 6-16. Attendance--98%. Literacy (2004 est.)--89% total population, 89.1% male, 88.6% female.
Health (2007 est.): Infant mortality rate--17.46/1,000 live births. Life expectancy--74.14 years.
Work force (2006): 508,000. Private sector--61.2%; mixed sector--28.5%; government--5.6%.

Economy
GDP (2010 est.): $128 billion.
Real growth rate (2010 est.): 19%.
Per capita income (2007): $67,000.
Natural resources: Petroleum, natural gas, fish.
Agriculture: Accounts for less than 2% of GDP. Products--fruits and vegetables (most food is imported).
Industry: Types--oil production and refining and natural gas development (56% of GDP), mining, manufacturing, construction, and power.
Trade (2006 est.): Exports--$34 billion, principally oil 47% and gas 36%. Partners (2005)--Japan 36.3%, South Korea 19.1%, Singapore 8.1%, India 5.1%, U.A.E. 2.9%, U.S. 1.2%.Imports--$6.7 billion, principally consumer goods, machinery, food. Partners (2005)--France 11.8%, Japan 10.7% U.S. 10.6%, Germany 8.5%, Saudi Arabia 7.4%, U.K. 7.1%, Italy 6.6%, South Korea 5.6%, U.A.E. 4.9%.

PEOPLE
Natives of the Arabian Peninsula, many Qataris are descended from a number of migratory tribes that came to Qatar in the 18th century from the neighboring areas of Nejd and Al-Hasa.

For centuries, the main sources of wealth were pearling, fishing, and trade. At one time, Qataris owned nearly one-third of the Persian Gulf fishing fleet. With the Great Depression and the introduction of Japan's cultured-pearl industry, pearling in Qatar declined drastically.

The Qataris are mainly Sunni Muslims. Islam is the official religion, and Islamic jurisprudence is the basis of Qatar's legal system, although civil courts have jurisdiction over commercial law.

ECONOMY
Oil formed the cornerstone of Qatar's economy well into the 1990s and still accounts for about 62% of total government revenue. In 1973, oil production and revenues increased sizably, moving Qatar out of the rank of the world's poorest countries and providing it with one of the highest per capita incomes. In 2007, Qatar's per capita income of nearly $67,000 was the fifth-highest in the world.

Qatar's economy suffered a downturn from in the mid-1990s.

Qatar's natural gas liquefaction facilities and related industries are located in Ras Laffan Industrial City, site of the world's largest LNG exports of more than 31 million metric tons per year. Qatar's heavy industrial base, located in Messaieed, includes a refinery with a 140,000 bpd capacity, a fertilizer plant for urea and ammonia, a steel plant, and a petrochemical plant, and several new petrochemical plants will be built in the coming years. All these industries use gas for fuel. Most are joint ventures between U.S., European, and Japanese firms and the state-owned Qatar Petroleum (QP

The country's economic growth has been stunning. Qatar's nominal GDP, estimated to be $128 billion for 2010, has recently been growing at an average of 15%, and the 2010 growth rate is estimated to be 19%. Qatar's 2007 per capita GDP was $67,000, and projected to soon be the highest in the world.