QATAR  

Qatar,officially the State Of Qatar , is a sovereign Arab country located in Southwest Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Its sole land border is with Saudi 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 kingdom of Bahrain.In 2013, Qatar's total population was 1.8 million: 278,000 Qatari citizens and 1.5 million expatriates

It has gained its independence in 1971. Qatar has been ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-19th century. Qatar is an absolute monarchy and its head of state is Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Qatar is the world's richest country per capita and has the highest human development in the Arab World; furthermore, it is recognized as a high income economy by the World Bank. Qatar has the world's third largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves.Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, becoming the first Arab country to host the event.

HISTORY

The history of Qatar spans from its first duration of human settlement to its formation as a modern state. Human habitation of Qatar dates back to 50,000 years ago and Stone Age settlements and tools have been unearthed in the peninsula. The peninsula fell under the domain of several different empires during its early years of settlement, including the Seleucid, the Parthians and the Sasanians. In 628, the peninsula converted to Islam after Muhammad sent an envoy to Munzir ibn Sawa. It became a pearl trading center by the 8th century. The Abbasid era saw the rise of several settlements.After the Bani Utbah and other Arab tribes conquered Bahrain in 1783, the Al Khalifa imposed their authority over Bahrain and mainland Qatar.Over the following centuries, Qatar was a site of contention between the Wahhabi of Najd and the Al Khalifa. The Ottomans expanded their empire into Eastern Arabia in 1871 but they withdrew from the area before the beginning of World War I in 1913.

The British arrived in 1916 and a treaty was signed by Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani which stipulated that he could only cede territory to the British, in return for protection from all aggression by sea and support in case of a land attack. A 1934 treaty granted more extensive protection.In 1935, a 75-year oil concession was granted to the Qatar Petroleum Company and high-quality oil was discovered in 1940 in Dukhan.

During the 1950s and 1960s, increasing oil revenues brought prosperity, rapid immigration, substantial social progress, and the beginnings of the country's modern history. When, in 1968, the U.K. announced a policy of ending the treaty relationships with the Persian Gulf sheikdoms, Qatar joined the other eight states then under British protection in a plan to form a union of Arab emirates. By mid-1971, as the termination date of the British treaty relationship approached, the nine still had not agreed on terms of union. Accordingly, Qatar declared its independence on September 3, 1971 from the United Kingdom and became an independent sovereign state.

DEMOGRAPHICS

In 2013, Qatar's total population was 1.8 million; 278,000 Qatari citizens and 1.5 million expatriates. Indians are the largest expatriate community, there were 545,000 Indians in 2013.n addition, there were 341,000 Nepalis, 185,000 Filipinos, 137,000 Bangladeshis, 100,000 Sri Lankans and 90,000 Pakistanis among many other nationalities.

In January 2013, the Qatar Statistics Authority estimated the country's population at 1,903,447, of which 1,405,164 were males and 498,283 females.At the time of the first census, held in 1970, the population was 111,133. The 2010 census recorded the total population at 1,699,435. Projections released by Qatar Statistical Authority indicates that the total population of Qatar could reach 2.8 million by 2020. Qatar's National Development Strategy (2011–16) had estimated that the country's population would reach 1.78m in 2013, 1.81m in 2014, 1.84m in 2015 and 1.86m in 2016 – the yearly growth rate being merely 2.1 percent. But the country's population have soared to 1.83 million by the end of 2012, showing 7.5 percent growth over the previous year.

GEOGRAPHY

The Qatari peninsula is just 160 kilometres (100 mi) north into the Persian Gulf from Saudi Arabia. It lies between latitudes 24° and 27° N, and longitudes 50° and 52° E. Most of the country consists of a low, barren plain, covered with sand. To the southeast lies the Khor al Adaid ("Inland Sea"), 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 103 metres (338 ft) in the Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low limestone outcroppings running north-south from Zikrit through Umm Bab to the southern border. The Jebel Dukhan area also contains Qatar's main onshore oil deposits, while the natural gas fields lie offshore, to the northwest of the peninsula.

Climate data for Qatar
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °C (°F)	22 (72)	23 (73)	23 (73)	32 (90)	38 (100)	39 (102)	41 (106)	45 (113)	40 (104)	35 (95)	29 (84)	24 (75)	32.6 (90.6)
Average low °C (°F)	09 (48)	13 (55)	17 (63)	21 (70)	25 (77)	27 (81)	29 (84)	29 (84)	26 (79)	23 (73)	19 (66)	15 (59)	21.1 (69.9)
Precipitation mm (inches)	12.7 (0.5)	17.8 (0.701)	15.2 (0.598)	7.6 (0.299)	2.5 (0.098)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	0 (0)	2.5 (0.098)	12.7 (0.5)	71 (2.794)

CULTURE

Qatari culture is significantly influenced by Islam. The Qatar National Day hosted every 18 December is the day Qataris celebrate their national identity and history. On that day, expressions of affection and gratitude are conveyed to the people of Qatar who cooperated in solidarity and vowed allegiance and obedience to Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani as a leader in 1878.

->Arts & Museums
The Museum of Islamic Art, opened in 2008, is regarded as one of the best museums in the region.This, and several other Qatari museums, like the Arab Museum of Modern Art, falls under the Qatar Museums Authority (QMA).The QMA also sponsors artistic events abroad, such as major exhibitions by Takahashi Murakami in Versailles (2010) and Damien Hirst in London (2012).Qatar is the world's biggest buyer in the art market by value.

->Media
TV broadcasting in Qatar was started in 1970. Al Jazeera is a main television network headquartered in Doha, Qatar. Al Jazeera initially launched in 1996 as an Arabic news and current affairs satellite TV channel of the same name, but has since expanded into a leading global network of several speciality TV channels known collectively as the Al Jazeera Media Network.
With the advent of social media, online news portals such as Peninsula Online, Gulf Times Online and Qatar Chronicle have gained popularity among the public in Qatar.
In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Qatar is the highest ranked Middle Eastern country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index (NRI) – an indicator for determining the development level of a country’s information and communication technologies. Qatar ranked number 23 overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from 2013.

->Music
The music of Qatar is based on Bedouin poetry, song and dance. Most of Qatari music uses an array of percussion instruments, including al-ras (a large drum whose leather is heated by an open fire).

->Sport
Association football is the most popular sport in Qatar.The Asian Football Confederation's 2011 AFC Asian Cup finals was held in Qatar in January 2011. It was the fifteenth time the tournament has been held, and the second time it has been hosted by Qatar, the other being the 1988 AFC Asian Cup.
The country's basketball team, has won more medals at the Asian Basketball Championship than any other Arab country.
Doha is also home to Qatar Racing Club, a drag racing facility where the Arabian Drag Racing League competes.His Excellency Sheik Khalid bin Hamad Al Thani is very involved in the sport and is the owner of Al-Anabi Racing. The Al-Anabi Racing Team has won three NHRA Mello Yello Top Fuel World Championships in the last four years.
Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex in Doha hosted the WTA Tour Championships in women's tennis between 2008 and 2010. Doha holds the WTA Premier tournament Qatar Ladies Open annually.
Since 2002, Qatar has hosted the annual Tour of Qatar, a cycling race in six stages. Every February, riders are racing on the roads across Qatar's flat land for six days. Each stage covers a distance of more than 100 km, though the time trial usually is a shorter distance.
In March 2013, Qatar hosted the first round of the FIM Motocross World Championship, becoming the first Motocross Grand Prix to be held in the Middle East.
In November 2015, Qatar will host the World Robot Olympiad and the FIFA World Cup in 2022.

CUSINE

Qatari cuisine has strong influences of Iranian and Indian cuisines. Traditional Qatari foods include:
->Main Dishes
1. Burghul pilaf
2. Baba ghanoush
3. Tabbouleh salad
4. Qatari Machbous
5. Waraq enab
6. Koussa mahshi
7. Levantine shawarma
8. Kabsa
9. Balaleet
->Drinks
1. Arabic coffee
2. Qahwa helw
3. Mint and lemon cocktail
4. Avocado smoothie
5. Leben
->Dips
1. Hummus
2. Motabel
3. Michee
->Deserts
1. Om ali
2. Mehalabiya
3. Esh asaraya

ADMINISTRATIVE DIVISIONS

Since 2004, Qatar has been divided into seven municipalities:
1. Madinat ash Shamal
2. Al Khor
3. Umm Salal
4. Al Daayen
5. Al Rayyan
6. Doha
7. Al Wakrah

EDUCATION

Qatar has hired the Higher Supreme Council to reform its K–12 education system.Through the Qatar Foundation, the country has built an "Education City", hosting local branches of the Weill Cornell Medical College, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Northwestern's Medill School of Journalism, Texas A&M's School of Engineering, and other Western institutions.

The illiteracy rate in Qatar was 3.1% for males and 4.2% for females in 2012, the lowest in the Arab-speaking world, but 86th in the world.Citizens are required to attend government-provided education from kindergarten through high school.

Qatar University was founded in 1973. In 2008, Qatar established the Qatar Science & Technology Park at Education City to link those universities with industry. Education City is also home to a fully accredited International Baccalaureate school, Qatar Academy. Two Canadian institutions, the College of the North Atlantic and the University of Calgary, also operate campuses in Doha.

In 2009, the World Innovation Summit for Education (WISE) was established under the patronage of its Chairperson, Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser, with the aim of transforming education through innovation. 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 Era" reform initiative. According to the Webometrics Ranking of World Universities, the top-ranking universities in the country are Qatar University (1881st worldwide), Texas A&M University at Qatar (3905th) and Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar (6855th). In 2012, Qatar was ranked near the bottom of the OECD countries participating in the PISA test of math, reading and skills for 15 to 16-year olds, comparable to Colombia or Albania, despite having the highest per capita income in the world.

HEALTHCARE

In 2010, spending on healthcare accounted for 2.2% of the country's GDP. In 2006, there were 23.12 physicians and 61.81 nurses per 10,000 inhabitants. The life expectancy at birth was 82.08 years in 2014, or 83.27 years for males and 77.95 years for females. Qatar has a low infant mortality rate of 7 in 100,000.Qatar has among the highest rates in the world for obesity, diabetes and genetic disorders. Qatar has made developing a world class public health system one of its key goals through its National Vision 2030.

Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC), affiliated with Cornell University, is the premier non-profit health care provider in Qatar. Other private hospitals consist of Sidra Hospital, Al-Ahli Hospital, Doha Clinic, Al-Emadi Hospital, Aster Medical Centre, Alkharashy Dental Centers, Naseem Al Rabeeh, The American Hospital, Apollo Clinic, Future Medical Center, Future Dental Center, Life Line Medical Centre, Al Salam Poly Clinic and Tadawi Medical.