What You Need to Know about Qatar?

Qatar, state of, is an Arab emirate, forming a peninsula in the Persian Gulf. Capital, Doha; area about 11581 sq km (4471 sq miles). It was under British protection until it became independent in 1971. It consists of low, sandy hills and desert plains, and is warm even in winter. The economy is based on oil, reserves of which are very large.

Qatar has the world’s largest per capita production and proven reserves of both oil and natural gas. In 2010, Qatar had the world’s highest GDP per capita, while the economy grew by 19.40%, the fastest in the world. The main drivers for this rapid growth are attributed to ongoing increases in production and exports of liquefied natural gas, oil, petrochemicals and related industries.

Qatar has the second-highest human development in the Arab World after the United Arab Emirates. In 2009, Qatar was the United States’ fifth-largest export market in the Middle East, trailing behind the U.A.E., Israel, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. With a small citizen population of less than 300,000 people, Qatar relies heavily on foreign citizens, both for its protection and generating labour demand.

Qatar has attracted an estimated $100 billion in investment, with approximately $60–70 billion coming from the U.S in the energy sector. It is estimated that Qatar will invest over $120 billion in the energy sector in the next ten years.

In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as a significant power in the Arab world both through its globally expanding media group, Al Jazeera Media Network, and reportedly supporting several rebel groups financially during the Arab Spring. For its size, Qatar wields disproportionate influence in the world, and has been identified as a middle power.

Qatar is currently the subject of a diplomatic and economic embargo by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt, which began in June 2017. Saudi Arabia has proposed the construction of the Salwa Canal, which would run along the Saudi-Qatar border, effectively turning Qatar into an island.

Here’s What You Need to Know about Qatar.

*It is very, very, very rich

Indeed, depending on how you calculate it, Qataris are either the richest or the second-richest people in the world. Perhaps the best way to get a sense of it is with purchasing-power parity – essentially a measure of how much stuff you could buy. According to 2010 figures, if you say that US citizens have a purchasing power of 100, then we in the UK have 75.7 (26th overall). Qataris have 187.1.

*It’s growing like the clappers

You may think China is the economic miracle of the century so far, but it trails in Qatar’s dust where growth rates are concerned. On average, the country’s economy expanded by 12.9% each year from 2000 to 2010, compared with China’s 10.5%. This was the fourth-highest rate in the world, and the highest of any wealthy country.

*You can pronounce it how you like

Even in the Arab world there are variations in the way you say “Qatar”, and most of the sounds don’t have English equivalents anyway. Ku-TER, Ka-TAR, KA-tar, KA-tr, Catarrh – all are acceptable. In the local Arabic dialect, the word actually sounds closer to “guitar”, but the official line is that you should give up and say it how you like, although, of course, the official line is to get the country talked about as much as possible.

*Global warming doesn’t seem to bother them

Not only does Qatar export vast quantities of oil and natural gas to the rest of the world, it shows us how to burn it. By most calculations, Qataris are by far the largest per capita emitters of carbon dioxide in the world, with each person accounting for an estimated 49.1 tonnes in 2008. That compares with 18 tonnes each in the US, and 8.5 in the UK.

Content for this question contributed by Khalifa Al Haroon, resident of Doha, Qatar