Qatar, officially the State of Qatar is a sovereign country located in Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. An arm of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island country of Bahrain.
Qatar is surrounded by water and offers plenty of different activities from water sports, dune bashing, desert safaris, shopping and attractions including museums, water parks and great restaurants.
Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in the early 20th century until gaining independence in 1971. Qatar has been ruled by the House of Thani since the early 19th century. Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani was the founder of the State of Qatar. Qatar is a hereditary monarchy and its head of state is Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. In early 2017, Qatar’s total population was 2.6 million: 313,000 Qatari citizens and 2.3 million expatriates.[20] Islam is the official religion of Qatar.
Qatar is a high-income economy, backed by the world’s third-largest natural-gas reserves and oil reserves.[22] The country has the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first Arab country to do so.
Quick Facts:
Ruler: Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani
Capital City: Doha
International dialling code: +974
Currency: Qatari riyal (QAR)
Population: 2.051 million (2012)
Government: Emirate, Monarchy, Absolute monarchy