1991 Edition
CIA World Factbook 1991 (Project Gutenberg)
Geography
Climate
desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer
Coastline
563 km
Comparative area
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Disputes
boundary with UAE is in dispute; territorial dispute with Bahrain over the Hawar Islands
Environment
haze, duststorms, sandstorms common; limited freshwater resources mean increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
Land boundaries
60 km total; Saudi Arabia 40 km, UAE 20 km
Land use
arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 5%; forest and woodland 0%; other 95%
Maritime claims
Continental shelf: not specific; Territorial sea: 3 nm
Natural resources
crude oil, natural gas, fish
Note
strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major crude oil sources
Terrain
mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel
Total area
11,000 km2; land area: 11,000 km2
People and Society
Birth rate
21 births/1,000 population (1991)
Death rate
3 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
Ethnic divisions
Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%
Infant mortality rate
24 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
Labor force
104,000; 85% non-Qatari in private sector (1983)
Language
Arabic (official); English is commonly used as second language
Life expectancy at birth
69 years male, 74 years female (1991)
Literacy
76% (male 77%, female 72%) age 15 and over can read and write (1986)
Nationality
noun--Qatari(s); adjective--Qatari
Net migration rate
35 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
Organized labor
trade unions are illegal
Population
518,478 (July 1991), growth rate 5.3% (1991)
Religion
Muslim 95%
Total fertility rate
4.0 children born/woman (1991)
Government
Administrative divisions
none
Capital
Doha
Constitution
provisional constitution enacted 2 April 1970
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
Elections
Advisory Council--constitution calls for elections for part of this consultative body, but no elections have been held; seats--(30 total)
Executive branch
amir, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Flag
maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side
Independence
3 September 1971 (from UK)
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)
Legal system
discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in personal matters
Legislative branch
unicameral Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura)
Long-form name
State of Qatar
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
National holiday
Independence Day, 3 September (1971)
Political parties and leaders
none
Suffrage
none
Type
traditional monarchy
Economy
Agriculture
farming and grazing on small scale, less than 2% of GDP; commercial fishing increasing in importance; most food imported
Budget
revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $3.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $400 million (FY89 est.)
Currency
Qatari riyal (plural--riyals); 1 Qatari riyal (QR) = 100 dirhams
Economic aid
donor--pledged $2.7 billion in ODA to less developed countries (1979-88)
Electricity
1,514,000 kW capacity; 4,000 million kWh produced, 8,540 kWh per capita (1989)
Exchange rates
Qatari riyals (QR) per US$1--3.6400 riyals (fixed rate)
Exports
$2.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--petroleum products 85%, steel, fertilizers; partners--Japan, Italy, Thailand, Singapore
External debt
$1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Fiscal year
1 April-31 March
GDP
$6.6 billion, per capita $12,500 (1989 est.); real growth rate 5.0% (1988)
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
Industrial production
growth rate 0.6% (1987); accounts for 64% of GDP, including oil
Industries
crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel, cement
Inflation rate (consumer prices)
4.9% (1988 est.)
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.
Unemployment rate
NA%
Communications
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
Civil air
3 major transport aircraft
Highways
1,500 km total; 1,000 km bituminous, 500 km gravel or natural surface (est.)
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
Pipelines
crude oil, 235 km; natural gas, 400 km
Ports
Doha, Umm Said, Halul Island
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
Military and Security
Branches
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Department
Defense expenditures
$500 million, 8% of GDP (1989) _%_
Manpower availability
males 15-49, 235,516; 125,591 fit for military service; 4,243 reach military age (18) annually