Qatar Facts

Qatar Facts and History

Asia

Qatar – the relatively small Islamic state of Qatar (Qatar) on the Persian Gulf is one of the most arid countries in the world and one with the highest per capita income in the world.

Oil production began in Qatar in 1949 and quickly developed from a country in which the residents lived in mud huts and made a living from the pearl trade, fishing or cattle breeding to a state full of luxury and wealth.

There are now more foreigners and guest workers living in Qatar than Qataris, who only make up around a quarter of the population. A specialty of the country is the TV and news channel Al Jazeera (al Dschasira) based in Dohar. The station employs around 3,000 people, of which only around 1.00 are in Dohar itself.

In 2022, Qatar will host the final round of the 22nd men’s soccer World Cup. The official name is: 2022 FIFA World Cup – in German: FIFA Soccer World Cup 2022.

The 17th World Athletics Championships took place in the capital Doha from September 27 to October 6, 2019.

It is worth mentioning that there are no political prisoners in the autocratically governed state.

Name of the country State of Qatar (Qatar)
Form of government Autocratically governed, with a “consultative assembly”
Geographical location Peninsula on the Persian Gulf
National anthem
Population 1.7 million – of which only 15% are Qatar (Credit: Countryaah: Qatar Population)
Ethnicities Qatari as well as Pakistani, Iranian, Indian, Thai, Filipino, Egyptian, Jordanian and Syrian
Religions Islam and approx. 6% Christians with legal status
Languages Arabic
Capital Doha (Arabic: Aal-Dawha) – with about 1 million residents in the metropolitan region
Surface 11,500 kmĀ²
Highest mountain Jebel Dukhan range of hills with a height of 110 m
International license plate Q
National currency Qatar Rial = 100 dirhams
Time difference to CET + 2 hours
International phone code + 974
Mains voltage, frequency 220 – 250 volts, 50 hertz
Internet TLD (Top Level Domain) .qa

Qatar: history

Before the year 1000

The region of the Arabian Peninsula was already populated during the Stone Age. The oldest finds date from around 10,000 BC. BC And already around 5,000 BC There were trade connections between the settlers of Qatar and Mesopotamia and the Indus cultures. From the 7th century, the entire Arabian Peninsula was Islamized.

From the year 1000 to the 17th century

According to Abbreviationfinder website, in the 16th and 17th centuries, power struggles broke out in what is now Qatar between Portugal, the Netherlands, France and England over trade routes to India and the Far East. In 1638 the Ottomans occupied the region.

In the 18th and 19th centuries

In 1760, the Al-Thani clan immigrated from the interior of Eastern Arabia to northwest Qatar. A few years later, the Al-Khalifa clan also settled on the northwest coast of Qatar. During the following decades, there were repeated power struggles between the two clans for supremacy in the area. From 1787, Saudi Wahabites invaded Qatar and tried to convert the population. In 1811 troops of the Sultan of Oman took parts of Qatar. In 1812 the Omanis succeeded in defeating the Saudi Wahabites.

The rule of the Al-Thani family over Qatar began in 1822, which continues to this day. In 1860 there was a military conflict between the Al-Thani of Qatar and the Al-Khalifa of Bahrain. The conflict broke out again in 1867. The Al-Khalifa emerged victorious from the fighting. Due to the violations of the peace, the British, who had been present in the Gulf region since the 17th century and were the leading European power in the area, deposed the ruling Shaikh of the Al-Khalifa. In 1868, Qatar assured the British of peace and recognition of the British protectorate in the Gulf, whereupon the British recognized Qatar as an independent country.

In the 20th century

From 1871 to 1915, Qatar was under the influence of the Ottomans, who established garrisons on the peninsula. It was not until 1916, after numerous requests from the Qataris, that Great Britain took over the protectorate of Qatar.

In 1949, the Qatari people began to produce oil, which makes them one of the richest countries on earth to this day.

In 1971 Qatar declared its independence from Great Britain and turned down the offer to join the United Arab Emirates. In 2003, the Qataris voted in a referendum for the first constitution since independence from Great Britain, which has been in force since 2005.

The 17th World Athletics Championships took place in the capital Doha from September 27 to October 6, 2019.

Qatar Facts