1986 Edition

Agriculture

farming and grazing on small scale; commercial fishing increasing in importance; most food imported; rice and dates staple diet

Airfields

3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m, 2 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

Area

About 1 1 ,000 km2; smaller than Connecticut; negligible forest; mostly desert, waste, or urban

Branches

executive — Amir and Council of Ministers; legislature — State Advisory Coun-

Army, Sea Arm, Air Force, Police Department

Budget

(FY85) revenues, $2.7 billion; expenditures, $4.3 billion

Capital

Doha

Civil air

3 major transport aircraft

Coastline

563 km People

Elections

constitution calls for elections for part of State Advisory Council, a consultative body, but no elections have been held Political parties and leaders: none

Electric power

capacity 1 ,304,200 kW (1985); 4.569 billion kWh produced (1985), 15,650 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

40% Arab, 18% Pakistani, 18% Indian, 10% Iranian

Exports

$4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1984), of which petroleum accounted for $4.2 billion

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March Communications

GNP

$7.6 billion (1983); $27,000 per capita (1983)

Government leader

Khalifa bin Hamad Al THANI, Amir and Prime Minister (since February 1972)

Highways

840 km total; 490 km bituminous; 350 km gravel; undetermined mileage of earth tracks

Imports

$1.0 billion (c.i.f., 1984)

Labor force

104,000(1983); 85% non-Qatari in private sector Government

Land boundaries

56 km Water

Language

Arabic (official); English is commonly used as second language

Legal system

discretionary system of law controlled by the ruler, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in personal matters; a constitution was promulgated in 1970

Life expectancy

72

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

3 nm (exclusive economic zone to median line)

Literacy

40%

Major industries

oil production and refining; crude oil production averaged 399,000 b/d (1984); oil revenues accrued $3. 1 billion (est.) in FY85, representing 95% of government revenue

Member of

Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT(de facto), GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDE— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, QIC, OPEC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1978, $157 million; 7.3% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 130,000; 70,000 fit for military service

Monetary conversion rate

3.64 Qatar riyals=US$l (October 1985)

National holiday

Independence Day, 3 September

Nationality

noun — Qatari(s); adjective — Qatar!

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, fish

Official name

State of Qatar

Other political or pressure groups

a few small clandestine organizations are active

Pipelines

crude oil, 235 km; natural gas, 400km

Population

305,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate 4.2%

Ports

2 major (Doha, Musay'ld), 1 minor

Railroads

none

Religion

95% Muslim

Suffrage

no specific provisions for suffrage laid down

Telecommunications

modern system centered in Doha; 96,000 telephones (37 per 100 popl.); 1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean satellite station; 1 Arab satellite station under construction; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; radio-relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; 2 AM, 1 FM, 3 TV stations Defense Forces

Type

traditional monarchy; independence declared in 1971