Monetary & Banking 

Country name:

conventional long form: State of Qatar
conventional short form: Qatar
local long form: Dawlat Qatar
local short form: Qatar
note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar

 

Capital:

Doha. Population: 339,847 (2004).
 

Location:

Middle East, Gulf Coast.
 

Area:

total: 11,437 sq km
land: 11,437 sq km
water: 0 sq km

 

Description:
Qatar is an oil-rich peninsula jutting out into the persian Gulf between Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. There are low hills in the northwest, but the rest of the country consists of sand dunes and salt flats, with scattered vegetation towards the north. The country's most distinctive geographical feature is Khor al-Adaid, the inland sea surrounded by dunes near the Saudi Arabian border.
 

Population:

907,229 (CIA estimate 2007).
 

Languages:

Climate:
Summer (June to September) is extremely hot and intensely humid. Winter is cooler with occasional rainfall. Spring and autumn are warm and pleasant.

Economy - overview:

Oil, and in particular gas reserves, have transformed Qatar from an impoverished outcrop on the Arabian Peninsula into one of the richest countries in the world. As of 2007, it is the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in the world.
While agriculture is limited by climate and water resources, the Qatari government has bolstered indigenous industries such as petrochemicals and refining, ammonia, fertilisers, steel, cement and commercial ship repair. Current economic performance shows annual growth of 7.8% (2007) and inflation runs at 12% (2007).
Qatar is a member of OPEC and the World Trade Organisation.

Economy:
Oil, and in particular gas reserves, have transformed Qatar from an impoverished outcrop on the Arabian Peninsula into one of the richest countries in the world. As of 2007, it is the largest exporter of liquefied natural gas in the world.
While agriculture is limited by climate and water resources, the Qatari government has bolstered indigenous industries such as petrochemicals and refining, ammonia, fertilisers, steel, cement and commercial ship repair. Current economic performance shows annual growth of 7.8% (2007) and inflation runs at 12% (2007).
Qatar is a member of OPEC and the World Trade Organisation.
 

Industries:

crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement