Qatar
in Western Asia
Asia

National active POI Bordering countries
Location Summary
Currency and Currency Code:
Rial - QAR
Spoken languages:
Arabic, Spanish
Local electricity:
240 V - 50 Hz (plugs: G)
Mobile phone / cellular frequencies (MHz):
900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3G, 4G
ISO 2-Letter code:
QA
Internet top level domain:
.qa
Country phone prefix:
+974
Local Time (capital):
Timezone:
UTC/GMT offset: hours
Current travel safety evaluation for Qatar in Western Asia

Safety Score: 3,0 of 5.0 based on data from 9 authorites. Meaning we advice caution when travelling to Qatar.

Travel warnings are updated daily. Source: Travel Warning Qatar. Last Update: 2024-04-19 08:03:45

Explore Qatar

Qatar with its capital Doha is located in Asia (Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia). It covers some 11,587 square kilometers (almost twice the size of Delaware) with a population of 2,314,310. Arabic and Spanish are the languages spoken by people in Qatar. Did you know that Saudi Arabia is the only bordering country.

Qatar is a peninsula jutting into the Persian Gulf, to the north of Saudi Arabia, East of Bahrain and West of the Emirates.The country is surrounded by the sea so watersports are a must. Kite-surfing is increasingly popular for the westerners while the locals prefer driving jet-skis at high speed next to the beaches. Safari tours to the desert with dune-bashing in Landcruisers are popular. Visit the collection of widely scattered malls around Doha and enjoy yourself.

Popular Destinations in Qatar

Administrative regions of Qatar

About the country

The terrain is mostly flat and barren desert. The average density of population is about 200 per km². The climate in Qatar can be described as aridmild, pleasant winters, very hot, humid summers. Possible natural disasters include haze, dust storms, sandstorms common.

To reach someone Qatar dial +974 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3G, 4G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".qa". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 240 V - 50 Hz (plugs: G). The sign for the locally used currency Rial is QAR.

Maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side; maroon represents the blood shed in Qatari wars, white stands for peace; the nine-pointed serrated edge signifies Qatar as the ninth member of the "reconciled emirates" in the wake of the Qatari-British treaty of 1916.

Flag of Qatar

Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar within the last 60 years transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. The continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenue through the mid-1990s by Qatari amirs permanently residing in Europe had stunted Qatar’s economic growth. Former amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, who overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in 1995, ushered in wide-sweeping political and media reforms, unprecedented economic investment, and a growing Qatari regional leadership role, in part through the creation of the pan-Arab satellite news network Al-Jazeera and Qatar's mediation of some regional conflicts. In the 2000s, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and by 2007 had attained the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar did not experience domestic unrest or violence like that seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2010-11, due in part to its immense wealth. Since the outbreak of regional unrest, however, Doha has prided itself on its support for many of these popular revolutions, particularly in Libya and Syria, although to the detriment of Qatar’s relations with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which temporarily recalled their respective ambassadors from Qatar. In mid-2013, HAMAD transferred power to his 33 year-old son, the current Amir TAMIM bin Hamad - a peaceful abdication rare in the history of Arab Gulf states. TAMIM oversaw a warming of Qatar’s relations with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE by later in 2014 and prioritized improving the domestic welfare of Qataris, including establishing advanced healthcare and education systems and expanding the country's infrastructure in anticipation of Doha's hosting of the 2022 World Cup.

Geography

Area
Total (World Rank: 165) 11,586sq km
Land (World Rank: 162) 11,586sq km
Forest (World Rank: 165) 4.30%
Comparative almost twice the size of Delaware; slightly smaller than Connecticut
Coastline
563
Landborder
87
Elevation
Highest point (World Rank: 221) 103m
Agricultural land
Total (World Rank: 208) 5.60%
Arable (World Rank: 195) 1.10%
Permanent crops (World Rank: 175) 0.20%
Permanent pastures (World Rank: 165) 4.30%
Irrigated land (World Rank: 138) 130sq km
Map reference
Middle East
Environment
Issues limited natural freshwater resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
Agreement party
  • - Biodiversity
  • - Climate Change
  • - Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
  • - Desertification
  • - Endangered Species
  • - Hazardous Wastes
  • - Law of the Sea
  • - Ozone Layer Protection
  • - Ship Pollution
Hazzards haze, dust storms, sandstorms common
Location
Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia
Climate
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain
mostly flat and barren desert

People

Population
Total (World Rank: 143) 2,314,310
Deathrate (World Rank: 223) 0.15%
Birthrate (World Rank: 197) 0.96%
Growthrate (World Rank: 33) 2.27%
Migration rate (World Rank: 3) 1.46%
Fertility rate (World Rank: 133) 1.90%
Median age
Male (World Rank: 77) 34.30
Female (World Rank: 138) 28.10
Age structure
0 14 male (World Rank: 155) 148,021
0 14 female (World Rank: 154) 144,252
15 24 male (World Rank: 143) 206,055
15 24 female (World Rank: 158) 79,859
25 54 male (World Rank: 107) 1,359,380
25 54 female (World Rank: 153) 274,334
55 64 male (World Rank: 150) 61,051
55 64 female (World Rank: 173) 18,203
65 x male (World Rank: 168) 14,932
65 x female (World Rank: 185) 8,217
Health
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 163) 0.62%
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 50) 79years
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 62) 81years
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 46) 77years
Physicians per 1000 (World Rank: 73) 1.96
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 141) 1.20
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 44) 98.00%
Obesity adult (World Rank: 15) 35.10%
Drinking water access (World Rank: 36) 100.00%

Energy

Electricity
Production (World Rank: 58) 39,010,000,000kWh
Consumption (World Rank: 58) 36,530,000,000kWh
Source fossil (World Rank: 30) 99.50%
Source renew (World Rank: 146) 0.50%
Crude oil
Production (World Rank: 17) 1,523,000bbl / day
Exports (World Rank: 14) 1,255,000bbl / day
Proved reserves (World Rank: 14) 25,240,000,000bbl
Refined products
Production (World Rank: 43) 278,300bbl / day
Consumption (World Rank: 45) 280,000bbl / day
Export (World Rank: 14) 544,000bbl / day
Import (World Rank: 208) 245bbl / day
Natural gas
Production (World Rank: 4) 164,000,000,000
Consumption (World Rank: 21) 49,640,000,000
Export (World Rank: 2) 123,900,000,000
Carbon footprint
92000000

Nation

Budget
Education (World Rank: 123) 4% of GDP
Health (World Rank: 189) 2% of GDP
Surplus (World Rank: 186) -8% of GDP
National symbol
a maroon field surmounted by a white serrated band with nine white points
National colours
white
Adjective
Qatari
Noun
Qatari(s)
Background
Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar within the last 60 years transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. The continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenue through the mid-1990s by Qatari amirs permanently residing in Europe had stunted Qatar’s economic growth. Former amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, who overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in 1995, ushered in wide-sweeping political and media reforms, unprecedented economic investment, and a growing Qatari regional leadership role, in part through the creation of the pan-Arab satellite news network Al-Jazeera and Qatar's mediation of some regional conflicts. In the 2000s, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia and by 2007 had attained the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar did not experience domestic unrest or violence like that seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2010-11, due in part to its immense wealth. Since the outbreak of regional unrest, however, Doha has prided itself on its support for many of these popular revolutions, particularly in Libya and Syria, although to the detriment of Qatar’s relations with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which temporarily recalled their respective ambassadors from Qatar. In mid-2013, HAMAD transferred power to his 33 year-old son, the current Amir TAMIM bin Hamad - a peaceful abdication rare in the history of Arab Gulf states. TAMIM oversaw a warming of Qatar’s relations with Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE by later in 2014 and prioritized improving the domestic welfare of Qataris, including establishing advanced healthcare and education systems and expanding the country's infrastructure in anticipation of Doha's hosting of the 2022 World Cup.
Flag description
maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side; maroon represents the blood shed in Qatari wars, white stands for peace; the nine-pointed serrated edge signifies Qatar as the ninth member of the "reconciled emirates" in the wake of the Qatari-British treaty of 1916

Economy

Gdp
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 51) 327,600,000,000USD
Real growth rate (World Rank: 124) 2.20%
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 2) 125,100USD
Source agriculture (World Rank: 215) 0.20%
Source industry (World Rank: 6) 54.60%
Source service (World Rank: 165) 52.00%
Labourforce
Total (World Rank: 125) 1,896,000
Products
Industries
  • - ammonia
  • - cement
  • - commercial ship repair
  • - crude oil production
  • - fertilizer
  • - liquefied natural gas
  • - petrochemicals
  • - refining
  • - steel reinforcing bars
Agriculture
  • - beef
  • - dairy products
  • - fish
  • - fruits
  • - poultry
  • - vegetables
Exports
  • - fertilizers
  • - liquefied natural gas (LNG)
  • - petroleum products
  • - steel
Imports
  • - chemicals
  • - food
  • - machinery
  • - transport equipment

Communication

Phone
Landline total (World Rank: 95) 467,148
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 80) 21.00
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 22) 157.00
Assessment 0
Internet
Users (World Rank: 109) 2,129,360
Population (World Rank: 16) 94.30%

Transport

Air
Airports paved (World Rank: 151) 4.00
Airports unpaved (World Rank: 174) 2.00
Heliports (World Rank: 69) 1.00
Road
Total length (World Rank: 136) 9,830