Qatar History, Geography, Economy and Important Events

Qatar had ruled Thani's home since Muhammad bin Thani signed a treaty with the British in 1868, which recognized its separate status. After Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British defender in the 20th century until attaining independence in 1971. In 2003, the constitution was overwhelmingly approved in a referendum, with about 98% in favor. In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as an important force in the Arab world through its globally expanding media conglomerate, Al Jazeera Media Network.

The Qatar Peninsula extends 160 kilometers (100 mi) in the Persian Gulf north of Saudi Arabia. In most of the country there is a low, barren plain covered with sand. To the southeast is Khor al Adaid ("Inland Sea"), an area of sand dunes around an inlet of the Persian Gulf. There are mild winters and very hot, humid summers.

Prior to the discovery of oil, the economy of the Qatari region was focused on fishing and pearl hunting. A report prepared by the local governors of the Ottoman Empire in 1892 states that the total income from pearl hunting in 1892 is 2,450,000 cranes. After the introduction of Japanese cultured pearls to the world market in the 1920s and 1930s, Qatar's pearl industry crashed. The oil was discovered in 1940 at Dukhan Field, in Qatar. This discovery changed the economy of the state. Now, the country has a high standard of living for its legal citizens. With no income tax, Qatar (along with Bahrain) is one of the lowest tax rate countries in the world. The unemployment rate in June 2013 was 0.1%. Corporate law states that Qatari citizens should own 51% of any enterprise in the Emirate. Trade and industry in the Emirate is overseen by the Ministry of Trade.

Arabic is the official language of Qatar, in which Qatar Arabic is the local dialect. English is commonly used as a second language, and steps are being taken to try to preserve Arabic, a growing lingua franca, especially in commerce. English is particularly useful for communication with Qatar's large expatriate community. Many other languages ​​are also spoken in the country, including Persian, Baluchi, Brahui, Hindi, Malayalam, Urdu, Pashto, Kannada, Tamil, Telugu, Nepali, Sinhalese, Bengali, Tagalog and Indonesian.

Bahrain [M] , Iran [M] , Saudi Arabia [LM] ,
Definition of international border: L = Land Border | M = Maritime Border