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