In ثˆqة‘tثپة‘r|}}, while in the local dialect it is .Johnstone, T.M. "." Encyclopaedia of Islam. Edited by: P. Bearman , Th. Bianquis , C.E. Bosworth , E. van Donzel and W.P. Heinrichs. Brill, 2008. Brill Online. 04 April 2009 http://www.brillonline.nl/subscriber/entry?entry=islam_SIM-4018 In English-language broadcast media within Qatar—for example, television commercials for [[Qatar Airways and advertisements concerning economic development in Qatar—the name is pronounced "KA-tar", with a distinct differentiation between the syllables from the forming of the 't' sound.

History

left|thumbnail|250px|Zubara fort Recent discoveries on the edge of an island in the West of Qatar indicate early human presence in pre-historic Qatar. Discovery of a 6th millennium BC site at Shagra, in the South-east of Qatar revealed the key role the sea (Gulf) played in the lives of Shagra’s inhabitants. Excavation at Al-Khore in the North-east of Qatar, Bir Zekrit and Ras Abaruk, and the discovery there of pottery, flint, flint-scraper tools, and painted ceramic vessels there indicates Qatar’s connection with the Al-Ubaid civilization which flourished in the land between the Tigris and the Euphrates during the period of 5th –4th millennium BC. There had also been a barter-based trading system between the settlements at Qatar and the Ubaid Mesopotamia, in which the exchanged commodities were mainly pottery and dried fish.http://www.diwan.gov.qa/english/qatar/qatar_history.htm

Islam swept the entire Arabian region in the 7th century. With the militaristic spread of Islam in Qatar, Muhammad sent his first envoy Al Ala Al-Hadrami to Al-Mundhir Ibn Sawa Al-Tamimi, the ruler of Bahrain, which extended from the coast of Kuwait to the south of Qatar, including al-Hasa and Bahrain Islands, in the year 628, "inviting" him to accept Islam as he had invited other kingdoms and empires of his time such as Byzantium and Persia. Mundhir, responding to the Prophet’s call, announced his conversion to Islam, and all the inhabitants of Qatar became Muslim, heralding the beginning of the Islamic era in Qatar.

In medieval times, Qatar was more often than not independent and a participant in the great Persian Gulf–Indian Ocean commerce. Many races and ideas were introduced into the peninsula from Africa, South and Southeast Asia, as well as the Malay archipelago. Today, the traces of these early interactions with the oceanic world of the Indian Ocean survive in the small minorities of races, peoples, languages and religions, such as the presence of Africans and Shihus.

Although the peninsular land mass that makes up Qatar has sustained humans for thousands of years, for the bulk of its history the arid climate fostered only short-term settlements by nomadic tribes.

The British initially sought out Qatar and the Persian Gulf as an intermediary vantage point ''en route'' to their colonial interests in oil and other hydrocarbons in the early twentieth century would re-invigorate their interest. During the nineteenth century, the time of Britain’s formative ventures into the region, the Al Khalifa clan reigned over the Northern Qatari peninsula from the nearby island of Bahrain to the west.

Although Qatar had the legal status of a dependency, resentment festered against the Bahraini Al Khalifas along the eastern seaboard of the Qatari peninsula. In 1867, the Al Khalifas launched a successful effort to squash the Qatari rebels, sending a massive naval force to negotiate with a representative from Qatar.

The request carried with it a tacit recognition of Qatar’s status as distinct from Bahrain. The Qataris chose as their negotiator the respected entrepreneur and long-time resident of Doha, Muhammed bin Thani. His clan, the Al Thanis, had taken relatively little part in Persian Gulf politics, but the diplomatic foray ensured their participation in the movement towards independence and their hegemony as the future ruling family, a dynasty that continues to this day. The results of the negotiations left Qatar with a new-found sense of political selfhood, although it did not gain official standing as a British protectorate until 1916.

= 20th century

In 1991, Qatar played a significant role in the Persian Gulf War, particularly during the Battle of Khafji in which Qatari tanks rolled through the streets of the town providing fire support for Saudi Arabian National Guard units which were fighting against units of the Iraqi Army. Qatar also allowed Coalition troops from Canada to use the country as an airbase to launch aircraft on CAP duty.

, Emir Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has ruled Qatar, seizing control of the country from his father Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani while the latter vacationed in Switzerland. Under Emir Hamad, Qatar has experienced a notable amount of sociopolitical liberalization, including the endorsement of women's suffrage or right to vote, drafting a new constitution, and the launch of Al Jazeera, a leading English and Arabic news source which operates a website and satellite television news channel.

The International Monetary Fund states that Qatar has the highest GDP per capita in the world, followed by Liechtenstein. The World Factbook ranks Qatar at second, following Liechtenstein.

Qatar served as the headquarters and one of the main launching sites of the US invasion of Iraqhttp://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5437.htm in 2003.

In March 2005, a suicide-bombing killed a British teacher at the Doha Players Theatre, shocking for a country that had not previously experienced acts of terrorism. The bombing was carried out by Omar Ahmed Abdullah Ali, an Egyptian residing in Qatar, who had suspected ties to Al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula.

Government and politics

Qatar has an emirate government type. Based on Islamic and civil law codes; discretionary system of law controlled by the Amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law dominates family and personal matters; the country has not accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction.

Administrative divisions

100px Before 2004, Qatar was divided into ten ''municipalities'' (Arabic: ''baladiyah''), also occasionally or rarely translated as ''governorates'' or ''provinces'': #Ad Dawhah #Al Ghuwariyah #Al Jumaliyah #Al Khawr #Al Wakrah #Ar Rayyan #Jariyan al Batnah #Ash Shamal #Umm Salal #Mesaieed

Since 2004, Qatar has been divided into seven municipalities.Municipalities of Qatar, Statoids.com A new municipality, Al Daayen, was created under Resolution No. 13,AlDaayen Municipality formed from parts of Umm Salal and Al Khawr; at the same time, Al Ghuwariyah was merged with Al Khawr; Al Jumaliyah was merged with Ar Rayyan; and Jarayan al Batnah was split between Ar Rayyan and Al Wakrah.

Economy

thumb|250px|Qatar's capital, Doha. Qatar has experienced rapid economic growth over the last several years on the back of high oil prices, and in 2008 posted its eighth consecutive budget surplus. Economic policy is focused on developing Qatar's nonassociated natural gas reserves and increasing private and foreign investment in non-energy sectors, but oil and gas still account for more than 50% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues.

Oil and gas have made Qatar the second highest per-capita income country – following Liechtenstein – and one of the world's fastest growing. Proved oil reserves of 15 billion barrels should enable continued output at current levels for 37 years. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas are nearly 26 trillion cubic meters, about 14% of the world total and third largest in the world.

Before the discovery of oil, the economy of the Qatari region focused on fishing and pearl hunting. After the introduction of the Japanese cultured pearl onto the world market in the 1920s and 1930s, Qatar's pearling industry faltered. However, the discovery of oil, beginning in the 1940s, completely transformed the state's economy. Now the country has a high standard of living, with many social services offered to its citizens and all the amenities of any modern state.

Qatar’s national income primarily derives from oil and kmآ³), while gas reserves in the giant North Field (80|Tcuft|km3}} to (1 trillion cubic feet is equivalent to about of oil). Qatar is sometimes referred to as the Saudi Arabia of natural gas. Qataris’ wealth and GDP per capita in the Arab World according to the Monetary Fund (2006)International Monetary Fund, World Economic Outlook Database, October 2007, for the year 2006: [http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2007/02/weodata/weoselco.aspx?g=2001&sg=All+countries Countries and the second highest GDP per capita in the world according to the CIA World Factbook. With no income tax, Qatar, along with Bahrain, is one of the countries with the lowest tax rates in the world.

thumb|250px|Aspire Tower, built for the Asian Games, is visible across Doha Sports City">2006">Asian Games, is visible across Doha Sports City

thumb|left|250px|West BayWhile oil and gas will probably remain the backbone of Qatar’s economy for some time to come, the country seeks to stimulate the private sector and develop a “Aspire Sports Academy, aquatic centres, exhibition centres and many other sports related buildings and centres. Following the success of the Asian Games, Doha kicked off an official bid to host the title=Doha 2016 bid brings wind of change|url=http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/5CB341CF-C302-41B2-B376-FE6A4103A3D8.htm?FRAMELESS=true&NRNODEGUID=%7b5CB341CF-C302-41B2-B376-FE6A4103A3D8%7d|format=|work=aljazeera.net|publisher=Al Jazeera|location=[[Doha|date=2007-10-26|accessdate=2008-03-25}} Qatar also plans to build an "entertainment city" in the future.

Qatar aims to become a role model for economic and social transformation in the region. Large scale investment in all social and economic sectors will also lead to the development of a strong financial market.

The Qatar Financial Centre (QFC) provides financial institutions with world class services in investment, margin and no-interest loans, and capital support. These platforms are situated in an economy founded on the development of its hydrocarbons resources, specifically its exportation of petroleum. It has been created with a long term perspective to support the development of Qatar and the wider region, develop local and regional markets, and strengthen the links between the energy based economies and global financial markets.

Apart from Qatar itself, which needs to raise capital to finance projects of more than $130 billion, the QFC also provides a conduit for financial institutions to access nearly $1.0 trillion of investments which stretch across the GCC (Cooperation Council for the Arab States of the Gulf) as a whole over the next decade.

The new town of Lusail, the largest project ever in Qatar, is under construction.

Transportation

The Salwa International Highway currently connects Doha to the border with Saudi Arabia, and a causeway with both road and rail links to Bahrain at Zubarah is due to begin construction shortly. The causeway will become the largest in the world, and will be the second to connect Bahrain to the Arabian Peninsula.

Currently, no rail networks exist in the country. In November 2009, however, its government signed a $26 billion contract with the German company Deutsche Bahn to construct a railroad system over the next 20 years. The network will connect the country itself, and will include an international link with neighbouring states as part of a larger rail network being constructed across the countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council. A railway link is also under construction between Qatar and Bahrain as part of the Qatar Bahrain Causeway.

Qatar's main airport is the Doha International Airport, which served almost 15,000,000 passengers in 2007. In comparison, the airport served only 2,000,000 passengers in 1998. As a result of the much larger volumes of passengers flying into an through the country today, the New Doha International Airport is currently under construction, and will replace the existing airport in 2011.

Climate

The Qatari 100|mi|km|0}} north into the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia and is slightly smaller than the state of Massachusetts, Inland Seaâ€‌), an area of rolling sand dunes surrounding an [[inlet of the Persian Gulf. There are mild winters and very hot, humid summers.

The highest point in Qatar is Qurayn Abu al Bawl at in the Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low outcroppings running north-south from Zikrit through oil deposits, while the natural gas fields lie offshore, to the northwest of the peninsula.

Religion

Sunni Muslims account for 98% percent of the Muslim population. The majority of non-citizens are from South and Southeast Asian and Arab countries working on temporary employment contracts, accompanied by family members in some cases. Most non-citizens are Sunni or Shi'a Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists, or Bahأ،'أ­s. Most foreign workers and their families live near the major employment centers of Doha, Al Khor, Mesaieed, and Dukhan.

The Hindu community is almost exclusively Indian, while Buddhists include South, Southeast, and East Asians. Most Bahأ،'أ­s come from Iran. Religion is not a criterion for citizenship, according to the Nationality Law. However, nearly all Qatari citizens are either Sunni or Shi'a Muslims, except for at least one Christian, a few Bahأ،'أ­s, and their respective families who were granted citizenship.

No foreign missionary groups operate openly in the countryCIA The World Fact Book, but in 2008 the government allowed some churches to conduct mass. In March 2008 the Church “Our Lady of the Rosaryâ€‌ was consecrated in Doha.

Population

Almost all Qataris profess oil industry. Arabic serves as the official language. However, English as well as many other languages like Hindi, Punjabi, Urdu, Sindhi, Balochi, Tamil, Telugu, Bengali, Tagalog, and Persian are widely spoken in Qatar.

Expatriates form the majority of Qatar’s residents. The petrochemical industry has attracted people from all around the world. Most of the expatriates come from South Asia and from non-oil-rich Arab states. Because a large percentage of the expatriates are male, Qatar has a heavily skewed sex ratio, with 3.46 males per female.

In July 2007, the country had a growing population of approximately 907,229 people, of whom approximately 350,000 were believed to be citizens. Qatari citizens follow the dominant Hanbali branch of Islam practiced in neighboring Saudi Arabia, therefore it is considered the culturally closest Persian Gulf state to Saudi Arabia.

The majority of the estimated 800,000 non-citizens are individuals from South and South East Asian and Arab countries working on temporary employment contracts in most cases without their accompanying family members. Most foreign workers and their families live near the major employment centers of Doha, Al Khor, Mesaieed, and Dukhan.

{|class="wikitable" ! Year ! Population Shi'as comprise around 2% of the Muslim population in Qatar.

Qatari law

The country has undergone a period of liberalization and modernisation during the reign of the current Emir, alcohol to a certain extent. However, the few bars and nightclubs in Qatar operate only in expensive hotels and clubs, much like in the UAE. Also like in the UAE, Muslims are banned from drinking alcohol. Expatriate residents in Qatar are eligible to receive liquor permits permitting them to purchase alcohol for personal use through Qatar Distribution Company, the only importer and retailer for alcohol in Qatar. Under Qatar's Sharia, alcohol is illegal to be shown/drunk in public.

During the month of Ramadan, showing and eating food in public is strictly banned. This also is applied in the UAE.

In common with other Persian Gulf Arab countries, sponsorship laws exist in Qatar. These laws have been widely described as akin to modern-day slavery.http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,,,QAT,4562d8cf2,484f9a3732,0.html The Sponsorship system (Kafeel or Kafala) exists throughout the GCC and means that a worker (not a tourist) may not enter the country without having a kafeel, cannot leave without the kafeel's permission (an Exit Permit must first be awarded by the sponsor, or kafeel), and the sponsor has the right to ban the employee from entering Qatar within 2–5 years of his first departure. Many sponsors do not allow the transfer of one employee to another sponsor.

Education

thumb|250px|Cornell University's Weill Medical College in Qatar In recent years Qatar has placed great emphasis on url=http://english.mofa.gov.qa/details.cfm?id=80|title=Qatar constitution}} Qatar University was founded in 1973. More recently, with the support of the American universities have opened branch [[campuses in Education City, Qatar. These include

*Carnegie Mellon University

• Georgetown University School of Foreign Service

• Texas A&M University

• Virginia Commonwealth University

• Cornell University’s Weill Cornell Medical College

• Northwestern University

  In 2004, Qatar established the accredited for-profit universities have also established campuses in the city .

  In 2009, the Qatar Foundation launched the World Innovation Summit for Education – WISE – a global forum that brought together education stakeholders, opinion leaders and decision makers from all over the world to discuss educational issues. The first edition was held in Doha, Qatar from 16th to 18th November 2009.

  Moreover, in 2007 the American Brookings Institution announced that it was opening the Brookings Doha Center to undertake research and programming on the socio-economic and geo-political issues facing the region.

  In November 2002, the Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani created the Supreme Education Council. The Council directs and controls education for all ages from the pre-school level through the university level, including the “Education for a New Eraâ€‌ reform initiative.

  The Emir’s second wife, Her Highness Sheikha Mozah Bint Nasser Al-Missned, has been instrumental in new education initiatives in Qatar. She chairs the Qatar Foundation, sits on the board of Qatar’s Supreme Education Council, and is a major driving force behind the importation of Western expertise into the education system, particularly at the college level.

  There are currently a total of 567 schools in operation within Qatar, both in the public and the private sector. A large number of new schools are also under construction, particularly public schools, in order to meet increased demand which arose as a result of the large increase in population that the country has seen of late. The number of universities operating in the country are 9, serving 12,480 students.

  Health care

Communications

Qatar has a modern telecommunication system centered in Doha. Tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations – two Intelsat (one Atlantic Ocean and one Indian Ocean) and one Arabsat. Callers can call Qatar using submarine cable, satellite or VoIP. However, Qtel has interfered with VoIP systems in the past, and Skype's website has been blocked before. Following complaints from individuals, the website has been unblocked, and Paltalk has previously been blocked.

Qtel’s ISP branch, Internet Qatar, uses SmartFilter to block websites they deem inappropriate to Qatari interests and morality.

In Qatar, ictQATAR (Supreme Council of Information and Communication Technology) is the government agency regulating telecommunication.

Vodafone Qatar, in partnership with the Qatar Foundation, received the second public mobile networks and services license in Qatar on 28 June 2008 and switched on their mobile network on 1 March 2009. They launched 07/07/09, opening their online store first followed by retail and third party distribution locations throughout Doha.

Al Jazeera (Arabic: ط§ظ„ط¬ط²ظٹط±ط©â€ژ, al-ؤںazؤ«rأ¤, meaning “The Peninsulaâ€‌) is a television network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera initially launched as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel of the same name, but has since expanded into a network of several specialty TV channels. Print media is going through expansion, with over three English dailies and Arabic titles. Qatar Today is the only monthly business magazine in the country. It is published by Oryx Advertising [http://www.omsqatar.com, which is the largest magazine publisher in Qatar. The group also publishes several titles like Qatar Al Youm, the only monthly business magazine in Qatar in Arabic language, Woman Today, the only magazine for working women, and GLAM, the only fashion magazine. In December 2009 Oryx launched T Qatar: The New York Times Style Magazine, which marks the entry of an international magazine into Qatar.

Human rights

Qatar is a destination country for men and women from South and Southeast Asia who migrate willingly, but are subsequently trafficked into involuntary servitude as domestic workers and laborers, and, to a lesser extent, commercial sexual exploitation; the most common offence was forcing workers to accept worse contract terms than those under which they were recruited; other conditions include bonded labor, withholding of pay, restrictions on movement, arbitrary detention, and physical, mental, and sexual abuse.

According to the Trafficking in Persons Report by the url=http://www.state.gov/g/tip/rls/tiprpt/2007/82807.htm|title=Country Narratives -- Countries Q through Z|accessdate=2008-03-25|date=2007-06-12|work=Trafficking in Persons Report|publisher=Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, [[United States Department of State}}

The government maintains that it is setting the benchmark when it comes to human rights. According to zawya.com, the web link “is the unofficial translation by The Peninsula team of the 57-page Arabic text of the report released by the National Human Rights Committee yesterday.â€‌ and treatment of labourers.

Qatari contracting agency Barwa is constructing a residential area for laborers known as Barwa Al Baraha, also called Workers City. The project was launched after a recent scandal in url=http://www.iloveqatar.net/forum/read.php?28,2540,2540|title=Qatar: National Human Rights Committee Support Expats|accessdate=2008-08-04|date=2008-06-18|work=|publisher=The Peninsula via iLoveQatar.net}} The Barwa Al Baraha will cost around $1.1 billion and will be a completely integrated city in the industrial area in Doha. Along with 4.25 square meters of living space per person, the residential project will provide parks, recreational areas, malls, and shops for labourers. Phase one of the project was set to be completed at the end of 2008, and the project itself will be completed by the middle of 2010.

International Rankings

{| class="wikitable" ! Organization ! Survey ! Ranking zh-min-nan:Qatar be-x-old:ذڑذ°ر‚ذ°ر€ fiu-vro:Katar zh-yue:هچ،ه،”爾 bat-smg:Katars