Land of foreigners: Qatar

Located on a peninsula in the Persian Gulf, Qatar is one of the smallest countries in the world, with a surface area of 11,586 square kilometers. The time zone is one hour ahead of Turkey.

Of its total population of 1.7 million, only 300,000 are Qatari Arabs, and the rest consist of expatriate workers from various countries. In other words, there are about 1.4 million foreigners in this country. Tens of thousands of people from India, Bangladesh, Pakistan and the Philippines live and work in Qatar. There are also many people from the Arab world and Europe who work in Qatar. According to estimates, there are some 15,000 Turks in Qatar, of whom 12,000 are said to be from Hatay, because they can speak Arabic.

The country’s official language is Arabic, but English is also widely spoken. Its currency is the Qatari riyal. Currently, $1 is 3.64 Qatari riyals and TL 1 is 2.44 Qatari riyals.

In the early 1800s, the area was sparsely populated. In the 19th century, several families came here and life started in this land. The area was under Ottoman rule until 1915, followed by the British, who stayed until 1971, when Qatar became independent.

Although it is a small country, Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world. In terms of national income, Qatar has the highest figure among world countries. Of its total population of 1.7 million, only 300,000 are Qatari Arabs, and the rest consist of expatriate workers from various countries.

Since then Qatar has made rapid progress and many skyscrapers have sprung up over the last five to six years. Photos of the region in 1950 are a clear indication of how rapidly the country has developed. Even the locals frequently comment that 10 years ago they would never have thought that their country could exhibit such progress.

[QUICK FACTS] Capital: Doha Official language: Arabic Government: emirate Chief of state: Amir Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani Prime minister: Hamad bin Jasim bin Jabir Al-Thani Area: 11,586 square kilometers Population: 840,926* Gross domestic product (PPP): $101.4 billion** Main religions: Muslim (77.5 percent), Christian (8.5 percent), other (14 percent) *July 2010 estimate **2009 estimate

Qatar is an emirate. The head of the state is Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. He is also the defense minister and the commander-in-chief of the Qatari army. His son is Crown Prince Tamim bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani. The rule passes from father to son. Photos of the emir and the crown prince can occasionally be seen in the streets. Emir Al-Thani is loved by the people.

Rich in oil and natural gas

Although it is small country, Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world. It is particularly rich in oil and natural gas and ranks third in terms of natural gas production. In terms of national income, Qatar has the highest figure among world countries. According to some sources, with a gross domestic product (GDP) per capita of $110,000, Qatar has the highest national income in the world.

You can see many luxury cars on the road in Qatar. The country is rich in oil so all vehicles run on gasoline. Moreover, their engines are quite powerful. Vehicles with 1.3, 1.5 or 1.6 volume capacities common in Turkey are hard to find here. A liter of gasoline retails at 0.7 Qatari riyals, around TL 0.28.

Dominated completely by a desert climate, Qatar is very hot and humid in summer and mild in winter. Precipitation is very rare. Fresh water resources are quite limited. Oil and natural gas are abundant, but not water. Water is obtained from the sea after desalinization. Qatar is a country without rivers.

Doha, the capital of Qatar, is the largest city in the country and is a rapidly growing and developing city. Located on the Persian Gulf, new skyscrapers pop up every other day in this city. It is interesting to note that half of Qatar’s population lives in this city.

So Doha is the heart of Qatar. It is a political, economic, cultural and commercial hub. Without Doha, we cannot think about Qatar. Rents are very high in Doha. Prices for rental homes located close to the city center, with floor space of around 120 square meters, start from $3,000.

Places to see include the Grand Mosque and the Clock Tower, which are located right next to the workplace of the Qatari emir.

The desert antelope, called maha, is a symbol of the county. Photos and sculptures of this goat-like animal are seen everywhere. You can even see the maha head on the planes of the country’s airline. It is an important animal in Qatar.

Qatar’s economy is robust. Qatar produces 850,000 barrels of oil daily. It was unaffected by the recent economic crisis and was one of the few growing countries during the crisis.

Education, health, electricity, water and domestic landline phone calls are provided free of charge to Qatari citizens.

Zigzag-shaped twin towers arouse particular interest in the country. Apparently, Qatari people race to build interesting buildings with diverse shapes and sizes, with little difficulty in funding them.