214 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
214 lines
17 KiB
Plaintext
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QATAR
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 11,000 km2; land area: 11,000 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut
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Land boundaries: 60 km total; Saudi Arabia 40 km, UAE 20 km
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Coastline: 563 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: not specific;
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Territorial sea: 3 nm
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Disputes: boundary with UAE is in dispute; territorial dispute with
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Bahrain over the Hawar Islands
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Climate: desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer
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Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and
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gravel
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Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, fish
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Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and
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pastures 5%; forest and woodland 0%; other 95%
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Environment: haze, duststorms, sandstorms common; limited
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freshwater resources mean increasing dependence on large-scale
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desalination facilities
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Note: strategic location in central Persian Gulf near
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major crude oil sources
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PEOPLE
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Population: 518,478 (July 1991), growth rate 5.3% (1991)
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Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 3 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 35 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 24 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 74 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 4.0 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Qatari(s); adjective--Qatari
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Ethnic divisions: Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%,
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other 14%
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Religion: Muslim 95%
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Language: Arabic (official); English is commonly used as second
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language
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Literacy: 76% (male 77%, female 72%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1986)
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Labor force: 104,000; 85% non-Qatari in private sector (1983)
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Organized labor: trade unions are illegal
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: State of Qatar
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Type: traditional monarchy
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Capital: Doha
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Administrative divisions: none
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Independence: 3 September 1971 (from UK)
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Constitution: provisional constitution enacted 2 April 1970
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Legal system: discretionary system of law controlled by the amir,
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although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in
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personal matters
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National holiday: Independence Day, 3 September (1971)
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Executive branch: amir, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
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Legislative branch: unicameral Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura)
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Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--Amir and Prime Minister
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Khalifa bin Hamad Al THANI (since 22 February 1972); Heir Apparent Hamad
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bin Khalifa AL THANI (appointed 31 May 1977; son of Amir)
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Political parties and leaders: none
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Suffrage: none
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Elections:
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Advisory Council--constitution calls for elections for part
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of this consultative body, but no elections have been held;
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seats--(30 total)
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Member of: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA,
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IBRD, ICAO, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
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ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
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WHO, WIPO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Hamad Abd al-Aziz
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AL-KAWARI, Chancery at Suite 1180, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW,
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Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 338-0111;
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US--Ambassador Mark G. HAMBLEY; Embassy at 149 Ali Bin Ahmed St.,
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Farig Bin Omran (opposite the television station), Doha (mailing address
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is P. O. Box 2399, Doha); telephone 0974 864701 through 864703
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Flag: maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points)
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on the hoist side
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Oil is the backbone of the economy and accounts for more
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than 85% of export earnings and roughly 75% of government revenues.
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Proved oil reserves of 3.3 billion barrels should ensure continued output
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at current levels for about 25 years. Oil has given Qatar a per capita
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GDP of about $12,500, among the highest in the world outside the OECD
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countries.
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GDP: $6.6 billion, per capita $12,500 (1989 est.); real growth
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rate 5.0% (1988)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.9% (1988 est.)
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Unemployment rate: NA%
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Budget: revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $3.4 billion, including
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capital expenditures of $400 million (FY89 est.)
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Exports: $2.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
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commodities--petroleum products 85%, steel, fertilizers;
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partners--Japan, Italy, Thailand, Singapore
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Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.), excluding military
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equipment;
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commodities--foodstuffs, beverages, animal and vegetable oils,
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chemicals, machinery and equipment;
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partners--Japan, UK, US, Italy
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External debt: $1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
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Industrial production: growth rate 0.6% (1987); accounts
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for 64% of GDP, including oil
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Electricity: 1,514,000 kW capacity; 4,000 million kWh produced,
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8,540 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: crude oil production and refining, fertilizers,
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petrochemicals, steel, cement
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Agriculture: farming and grazing on small scale, less than 2% of
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GDP; commercial fishing increasing in importance; most food imported
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Economic aid: donor--pledged $2.7 billion in ODA to less developed
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countries (1979-88)
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Currency: Qatari riyal (plural--riyals); 1 Qatari riyal (QR) = 100
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dirhams
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Exchange rates: Qatari riyals (QR) per US$1--3.6400 riyals (fixed
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rate)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 1,500 km total; 1,000 km bituminous, 500 km gravel or
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natural surface (est.)
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Pipelines: crude oil, 235 km; natural gas, 400 km
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Ports: Doha, Umm Said, Halul Island
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Merchant marine: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 465,371
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GRT/707,089 DWT; includes 12 cargo, 5 container, 3 petroleum, oils, and
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lubricants (POL) tanker
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Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
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1 with runways over 3,659 m; none with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: modern system centered in Doha; 110,000
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telephones; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; radio relay to Saudi Arabia;
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submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 3 TV;
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earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT,
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1 ARABSAT
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Department
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 235,516; 125,591 fit for
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military service; 4,243 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $500 million, 8% of GDP (1989)
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