Qatar (/ˈkæˌtɑːr/,[8] i/ˈkɑːtɑːr/, /ˈkɑːtər/ or i/kəˈtɑːr/;[9]
Arabic:
قطر
Qaṭar [ˈqɑtˤɑr]; local vernacular pronunciation: [ɡɪtˤɑr]),[10][11]officially the
State of Qatar (Arabic:
دولة قطر
Dawlat Qaṭar), is a sovereign country located in
Southwest Asia, occupying the small
Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of theArabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is withSaudi
Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the
Persian Gulf. A strait in the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island of
Bahrain, as well as sharing sea borders with the
United Arab Emirates and
Iran.
Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became aBritish protectorate in the early
20th century until gaining independence in
1971. Qatar has been ruled by the
House of Thani since the early
19th century.
Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani was the founder of the State of Qatar. Qatar is a hereditaryconstitutional monarchy and its head of state is
Emir Sheikh Tamim bin
Hamad Al Thani.[12]The constitution was overwhelmingly approved in a constitutional referendum, with almost 98% in favour.[13][14] In
2013, Qatar's total population was 1.8 million: 278,
000 Qatari citizens and 1.5 million expatriates.[15]
Qatar is a high income economy and is a developed country, backed by the world's third largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves.[16]
The country has the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar is classified by the UN as a country of very high human development and is the most advanced
Arab state for human development.[17] Qatar is a significant power in the
Arab world, supporting several rebel groups during theArab
Spring both financially and through its globally expanding media group,
Al Jazeera Media Network.[18][19][20] For its size, Qatar wields disproportionate influence in the world, and has been identified as a middle power.[21][22] Qatar will host the
2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first
Arab country to do so.[23]
- published: 18 Jun 2016
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