Situation

Qatar is a peninsula of 11,437 square kilometers – about the same size as the US state of Connecticut – situated on the south shore of the Arab-Persian Gulf. It borders Saudi Arabia to the south (60 km) and the United Arab Emirates to the south-east.

It is 160 km in length and 80 km at its widest point. Qatar’s coastline extends for 563 km and, before the discovery of oil, fishing and pearling were the main sources of the country’s wealth for ages.

The land is uniformly flat, except for a range of hills along the west coast (Dukhan oil field), sand dunes in the south and some low cliffs on the northeastern coast.

Its maximum altitude is 103 meters and vegetation is sparse.

 

 

Population

Qatar’s population is 1.7 million, of whom around 15 percent are Qataris.

The country has a large foreign workforce, especially from Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Philippines).

The vast majority of native Qataris are Wahhabi Sunni Muslims. Sunni Muslims make up over 90 percent of the population as a whole.

More than 83 percent of the population lives in Doha and Al Rayyan.

 

Key Facts and Figures

 

	Official Name:	State of Qatar
	Total Area:	11,437 sq km
	Population: ( March 2010 est.)	Approximately two million inhabitants according to latest estimates, of whom about 10 percent are nationals. A new national census is under way.
	Capital:	Doha
	Main Cities:	Al Wakrah, Al Khawr, Ar-Rayyan, Umm Salal
	Official Language:	Arabic