Qatar

Introduction

Doha is the capital city of Qatar and the seat of Government. It includes the country’s main sea port and international airport. It is Qatar’s cultural, commercial and financial centre, with a population of approximately 380,000.

History

Evidence of early habitation in Qatar that can be traced as far back as to the 4th century BC has appeared in many artifacts such as inscriptions, rock carvings, flint spearheads and examples of pottery which were all uncovered by the Danish (1965), the British (1973) and the French (1976) expeditions.

In the 5th century BC, the Greek historian Herodotus referred to the seafaring Canaanites as the original inhabitants of Qatar.

In the Islamic history in the middle of the 7th century AD, the Qatar peninsula and the surrounding region were under the rule of the Al Munzir Arabs. Their king, al-Munzir Ibn Sawi al-Tamimi embraced Islam and Qatar entered the realm of Islamic civilisation and has participated in all its successive stages and eras.

During the 10th century AH (16th century AD), the Qataris aligned with the Turks to drive out the Portuguese. Subsequently, Qatar, like the entire Arabian Gulf region, came under the Turkish rule for four successive centuries.

In 1916 Britain was able to conclude with Qatar a protection treaty that was finally ratified on the 23 of March 1918 after Sheikh Abdullah Bin Jassim had signed the original and translated versions. Britain then moved to the stage of its physical presence in Qatar after the ratification of the amended treaty in 1935.

Oil exploration operations took about 14 years (1935 - 1949), and in spite of the first signs of success at Dukhan field towards the end of 1939, operations had to stop for 4 years because of the Second World War. In 1949 oil started to flow in commercial amounts, and in December in the same year the first ship left the shores of Qatar bearing a consignment of crude oil.

The first Qatari constitution, which was issued as a provisional basic statute in 1970, stipulated, by decree No (35) issued on 29th May 1970, the formation of the first Council of Ministers in the history of Qatar.

Government

Qatar is a sovereign and independent Arab state, Islam is the official religion of the country and the Shariah (Islamic Law) is the principal source of legislation. Democracy is the basis for the system of government. The official language is Arabic and the Qatari people are part of the Arab nation.

The first provisional constitution was issued in 1970 before independence and it was amended in 1972 after independence. In 1999, free elections were held to form the Central Municipal Council for the first time in the history of Qatar. This historic event marked the country's first step towards democracy in its civic sense. In a pioneering move, women were allowed both to vote and run as candidates in this initial step towards popular participation in decision making in the country.

His Highness the Emir is the Head of the constitutional authorities, holding both legislative and executive powers. The Council of Ministers assists in implementing the general policies of the State and the Advisory Council gives recommendations and advice on public matters referred to it by the Council of Ministers.

The Emir, Sheik Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani is the Ruler of the State. Rule in Qatar is hereditary within the family of Al-Thani, whereby power is transferred from father to son.

Economy

Oil was discovered in Qatar in 1939, but development only got under way in 1949. Production reached a cyclical peak of 530,000 barrels a day (b/d) in 1973. Important discoveries have given new life to the sector, and reserves are now 15,200 million barrels, according to figures published by British Petroleum in June 2002. The second element of Qatar's energy sector is natural gas. Qatar currently has the third largest gas reserves in the world after Russia and Iran. Qatar aims to increase production to 45 million tons by 2010, at which point Qatar will be the world's leading LNG supplier.

As part of the effort to exploit gas resources, Qatar is participating in the Dolphin Gas Project, a pipeline scheme promoted by the UAE Offsets Group of Abu Dhabi. This will involve building a pipeline to Taweelah in Abu Dhabi and Jebel Ali in Dubai with the possibility of an extension to Oman and other regional customers. Qatar is also participating in the Oryx GTL (gas to liquids) Project.

Local Newspapers

The two main English language dailies may be accessed on line by clicking on:
www.thepeninsulaqatar.com/
www.gulf-times.com

The Al Jazeera on line service may be accessed by clicking on:
english.aljazeera.net/News

Education

Western children have the options of attending international schools located in Doha.

These include the Middle East International School which teaches a North American curriculum.
www.misqatar.com

The Qatar International School teaches the British National Curriculum .
www.qis.org

The Doha English Speaking School also teaches the British National Curriculum.
www.dess.org

The Qatar Academy teaches the International Baccalaureate at Primary, Middle years and Diploma level.
www.qf.edu.qa/output/page2.asp

Healthcare

Qatar has modern public and private healthcare facilities. The major public sector facilities include the Hamad Medical Corporation which operates the Hamad General Hospital. At the HMC facilities, medical and dental treatment is free for Qatari's and heavily state-subsidized for expatriates. To use the facilities, residents and visitors are required to apply for a QR100 health card, which allows them to pay small charges for various tests and consultations as well as a nominal fee for inpatient care.

Major public hospitals include:

Rumailah Hospital
The Women’s Hospital.

Major private hospitals include:

Al-Emadi Hospital

http://www.alemadihospital.com.qa/site/about.php

The American Hospital Doha
http://www.ahqatar.com/index.php?p=moreinfo&id=30

Housing

Most expatriates live in apartment blocks or villa style housing, with some living in employer-owned gated compounds. If your employer does not provide company housing, please refer to the following leasing agents or websites.

www.alfardanrealestate.com/
www.directqatar.com
http://www.zukhrof.com/

Security

Qatar is regarded as a very safe location, has a negligible crime rate, and whilst conservative is very tolerant of western expatriates.

Any expatriate employee or family member who respects local culture and custom and takes appropriate precautions generally has few security concerns.

Tourism & Recreation

There is a wide variety of activities mainly centred around Doha. Recreational clubs offer their members a wide variety of sports and recreational facilities. These include:

Dana Club
Situated inside Khalifa Complex for Tennis and Squash, it offers its members many sports and recreational facilities such as open and indoor tennis grounds.

Doha Club
This club lies in the Ras Abu Aboud area overlooking the Gulf waterfront. It offers its members spectacular facilities, foremost a fine beach and a vast swimming pool equipped with water conditioning system. The club also has 7 floodlit tennis courts, 2 indoor squash courts and a private marina in addition to first class service.

Doha Golf Club
Due to its good location and spectacular services, Doha Golf Club boasts one of the finest golf courses in the Middle East. This made it the focus of international attention and a suitable venue for Qatar Masters Golf Tournament, with entries from Japan, America and Europe.

The Diplomatic Club
This prestigious club lies in the West Bay area and offers its members luxurious facilities such as a gymnasium for various sports activities, a businessmen meeting hall and an all-purpose hall that can accommodate up to 400 people. There are also tennis and squash courts, a library, a beauty centre and restaurants.

Equestrian Club

The club has both grass and sand tracks, and dressage courts for camel and horse championships.

Further information is available by clicking on the following: