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| Country Name: |
Emirates of Qatar Dawlat Qatar دولة قطر
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| Background: |
Ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the Amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani, overthrew him in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As of 2007, oil and natural gas revenues had enabled Qatar to attain the second-highest per capita income in the world.
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| Area: |
11,437 sq km |
| Population: |
833,285 (July 2009 est.) |
| Ethnic Groups: |
Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14% |
| Borders: |
Saudi Arabia 60 km |
| Natural Resources: |
petroleum, natural gas, fish |
| Capital: |
Doha |
| Government Type: |
traditional monarchy |
| Independence: |
3 September 1971 (from UK) |
| Languages: |
Arabic |
| Currency: |
Qatari Rial |
| GMT: |
GMT (+3) |
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