Main Facts
- Pearl Monument Doha
State
Sovereign and independent Arab State
Capital City
Doha, 998,000 thousand inhabitants
State holiday
December 18, Day of independence
Government
Emirate since 1971
Gained independence from the UK in 1971
Time Zone
Local time is GMT +3
Currency
The official currency is the Qatari Riyal (QR), QR 1 = 100 Dirham
Official Language
Arabic is the official language, but English is widely used
Geography
Location: Middle East, Gulf Coast
Size: 11,521 sqkm
Borders: 60 km
Coastline: 563 km
Largest Cities
Doha, Al Rayyan, Al Khor, Mesaieed, Al Wakra, Dukhan, Al-Zubarah, Madinat Ash-Shamal
Landscape
Predominant desert
Climate
Qatar has a moderate desert climate with long hot summers and short mild winters and little rain in winter
Population
Inhabitants: 1,448,446; males 1,096,815 (75.7%); females 351,630 (24.3%)
Ethnic groups: Qatari (Arab) 20%; other Arab 20%; Indian 20%; Filipino 10%; Nepali 13%; Pakistani 7%; Sri Lankan 5%; other
Religion
Qatar Religion has Islam as its official religion. A major number of the inhabitants in Qatar practice the Sunni Islam religion.
