Qatar

Qatar is a small wealthy country located on the Arabian Peninsula. Most of the peninsula is inappropriate to agriculture because of huge expanses of desert. The landscape is a level area that is more than 2,500 feet high. The Qatar Peninsula is low-lying except for a few hills in the west of the country. There is little rainfall except for occasional winter showers. There is a shortage of fresh water in Qatar. The capital of Qatar is Doha. The main language is Arabic. It is a constitutional monarchy. The head of state is an emir. Qatar gained independence in 1971. The current Emir and Prime Minister is Hamad bin Khalifa and the Prime Minister is Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabr Al Thani.

The key industries are basic oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars and cement. Exports are petroleum products, fertilizers and steel. Imports include machinery and transport equipment, food and chemicals. The two major natural resources are oil and natural gases. Oil has given it a per capita gross domestic product comparable to some of the leading western European industrial economies. The country has 15.2 billion barrels of oil reserves and an enormous 910.5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Qatar's gas reserves represent about 15 percent of the world's total gas output, and is the third largest gas reserve in the world. Most of the gas reserves are centered around northern fields, which is the largest gas field in the world. An interesting fact about the gas field is that it contains no oil.

The total population is about 885,000 people (July 2006 estimate) of which approximately 200,000 people are citizens. Approximately 73% of the people are between the ages of 15 and 64, with there being about twice as many men then women. About 4% of the people are over 64. The life expectancy rate in Qatar is about 74 years. The ethnic groups in Qatar are about 40% Arabs, 18% Indian and Pakistani, 10% Iranian and the remaining 14% are other nationalities. Approximately 95% of the people are of the Muslim religion.

The Qatari government dominates the economy. The state's role in the economy remains central, as the government controls the oil revenue. Qatar uses its oil wealth to fuel rapid growth and development, relying heavily on imported labor and expertise. In 2004, Qatar's exports totaled $18.7 billion and its imports $6 billion. The country's main trading partners are Japan, the United States, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) which is located in the Middle East, near the southern border. Qatar is a also a member of three trading organizations, the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), the Organization of Arab Petroleum Exporting Countries (OAPEC), and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Being a part of OPEC and OAPEC helps Qatar form policies with other oil exporters such as Saudi Arabia

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