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The State of Qatar (Arabic: قطر), an emirate in the
Middle East, occupies the small Qatar Peninsula which is
part of the larger Arabian Peninsula. It borders Saudi
Arabia to the south; otherwise the Persian Gulf surrounds
the country.
The pronunciation of Qatar in English
Culture
Main article: Culture of Qatar
Qatar explicitly uses Wahhabi law as the basis of its
government, and the vast majority of its citizens follow
this specific Islamic doctrine. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
founded Wahhabism, a puritanical version of Islam which
takes a literal interpretation of the Koran (also known as
the Qu'ran) and the Sunnah. In the 18th century Abd Al-Wahhab
formed a compact with the al-Saud family, the founders of
Saudi Arabia, and purged the "idolatrous" practices of
Sufism and Shiism from their domains.
In the early 20th century, when the Al-Thanis realized that
converting to the doctrine of their larger neighbor might
bode well for the survival of their régime, they imported
Wahhabi Islam from Saudi Arabia to Qatar. Perhaps as an
effect of the importation, Wahhabism takes a less strict
form in Qatar than in Saudi Arabia, though it still governs
a large portion of Qatari mores and rituals. For example,
almost all Qatari women wear the black abaya (also donned in
Saudi Arabia) - however, Qataris do not universally impose
the style on foreigners.
See also:
Music of Qatar
Qatari law
In comparison to other Arab states such as Saudi Arabia or
Kuwait, Qatar has quite liberal laws. Women can drive in
Qatar, whereas they may not legally drive in Saudi Arabia.
The country has undergone a period of liberalization and
modernization after the current Emir of Qatar, Hamad bin
Khalifa Al-Thani, came to power after overthrowing his
father. For example, women can dress pretty much as they
please in public (although in practice local Qatari women
generally don the black abaya). The laws of Qatar tolerate
alcohol to a certain extent. However, public bars in Qatar
operate only in expensive hotels (whereas the emirates of
Dubai and Bahrain allow the establishment of nightclubs and
other venues). A further liberalization may take place in
order to accommodate the 15th Asian Games in 2006.
Geography
Map of QatarMain article: Geography of Qatar
The Qatari peninsula juts 160 km (100 miles) into the
Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia. Much of the country consists
of a low, barren plain, covered with sand. To the southeast
lies the spectacular Khor al Adaid or 'Inland Sea', an area
of rolling sand dunes surrounding an inlet of the Gulf.
The highest point in Qatar occurs in the Jebel Dukhan to the
west, a range of low limestone outcrops running north-south
from Zikrit through Umm Bab to the southern border, and
reaching about 90m ASL. This area also contains Qatar's main
onshore oil deposits, while the natural gas fields lie
offshore, to the northwest of the peninsula.
History
Main article: History of Qatar
Qatar forms one of the newer emirates in the Arabian
Peninsula. After domination by Persians for thousands of
years and more recently by Bahrain, by the Ottoman Turks,
and by the British, Qatar became an independent state on
September 3, 1971. Unlike most nearby emirates, Qatar
declined to become part of either the United Arab Emirates
or of Saudi Arabia.
Although the peninsular land mass that makes up Qatar has
sustained humans for thousands of years, for the bulk of its
history the arid climate fostered only short-term
settlements by nomadic tribes. Clans such as the Al Khalifa
and the Al Saud (which would later ascend the thrones of
Bahrain and of Saudi Arabia respectively) swept through the
Arabian peninsula and camped on the coasts within small
fishing and pearling villages. The clans battled each other
for lucrative oyster beds and lands, frequently forming and
breaking coalitions with one another in their attempts to
establish territorial supremacy.
The British initially sought out Qatar and the Persian Gulf
as an intermediary vantage point en route to their colonial
interests in India, although the discovery of oil and
hydrocarbons in the early 20th century would re-invigorate
their interest. During the 19th century (the time of
Britain’s formative ventures into the region) the Al Khalifa
clan reigned over the Northern Qatari peninsula from the
off-shore island of Bahrain to the west. Although Qatar
legally had the status of a dependency, resentment festered
against the Bahraini Al Khalifas along the eastern seaboard
in the fishing villages of Doha and Wakrah. In 1867 the Al
Khalifas launched a successful effort to quash the Qatari
rebels by sending a massive naval force to Wakrah. Bahraini
aggression however violated an 1820 Anglo-Bahraini Treaty,
and the diplomatic response of the British Protectorate set
into motion the political forces that would eventuate in the
founding of the state of Qatar. In addition to censuring
Bahrain for its breach of agreement, the British
Protectorate (per Colonel Lewis Pelly) asked to negotiate
with a representative from Qatar. The request carried with
it a tacit recognition of Qatar’s status as distinct from
Bahrain. To negotiate with Colonel Pelly the Qataris chose a
respected entrepreneur and long-time resident of Doha,
Muhammed bin Thani. His clan, the Al Thanis, had taken
relatively little part in Gulf politics, but the diplomatic
foray ensured their future participation and dominion as the
ruling family, a dynasty that continues to this day. The
negotiation results left Qatar with a new-found sense of
political selfhood, although it did not gain official
standing as a British protectorate until 1916.
The imperial reach of the British Empire diminished after
the Second World War, more so after India became independent
in 1947. Momentum for a British withdrawal from the Gulf
emirates increased during the 1950s, and the British
welcomed Kuwait’s declaration of independence in 1961. Seven
years later, when Britain officially announced that it would
disengage (politically, not economically) from the Gulf in
three years time, Qatar joined Bahrain and seven other
Trucial States in a federation. Regional disputes however
quickly compelled Qatar to resign and declare independence
from the coalition that would evolve into the seven-imarat
United Arab Emirates. Thus 1971 marked the inauguration of
Qatar as an independent sovereign state.
Since 1995, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani has ruled Qatar:
he seized control of the country from his father Khalifa bin
Hamad Al Thani while the latter holidayed in Switzerland.
Under Emir Hamad, Qatar has experienced a notable amount of
sociopolitical liberalisation, including the enfranchisement
of women, a new constitution and the launch of Al Jazeera,
the controversial Arabic satellite television news channel.
Qatar served as the headquarters and one of the main
launching sites of the US invasion of Iraq [1] in 2003.
In 2005 a suicide-bombing that killed a British teacher at
the Doha Players Theatre shocked the country, which had not
previously experienced acts of terrorism. It is not clear
that the bombing was from organized terrorist sources, and
although the investigation is ongoing there are indications
that the attack was the work of an individual, not a group.
The United States Armed Forces Unified Combatant Command
unit for the Middle East theater, known as CENTCOM (US
Central Command), has its headquarters in Qatar. Qatar also
hosts a large United States Air Force base.
Qatar held the West Asian Games in 2005. Qatar will host the
15th Asian Games in 2006.
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Background:
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Ruled by the Al Thani family since
the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor
British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into
an independent state with significant oil and
natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and
early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a
continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by
the amir who had ruled the country since 1972. He
was overthrown by his son, the current Amir HAMAD
bin Khalifa Al Thani, in a bloodless coup in 1995.
In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border
disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and
natural gas revenues enable Qatar to have a per
capita income not far below the leading industrial
countries of Western Europe. |
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Location:
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Middle East, peninsula bordering the
Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia |
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Geographic coordinates:
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25 30 N, 51 15 E |
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Map references:
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Middle East |
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Area:
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total:
11,437 sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 11,437 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly smaller than Connecticut
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Climate:
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arid; mild, pleasant winters; very
hot, humid summers |
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Terrain:
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mostly flat and barren desert covered
with loose sand and gravel |
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Ethnic groups:
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Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%,
Iranian 10%, other 14% |
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Religions:
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Muslim 95% |
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Languages:
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Arabic (official), English commonly
used as a second language |
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Currency:
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Qatari rial (QAR) |
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Currency code:
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QAR |
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Exchange rates:
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Qatari rials per US dollar - 3.6400
(fixed rate) |
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