e 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 highest per capita income
in the world.

Geography
Qatar

Location:

Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates:

25 30 N, 51 15 E

Map references:

Middle East

Area:

total: 11,437 sq km
land: 11,437 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:

slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries:

total: 60 km
border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km

Coastline:

563 km

Maritime claims:

territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or
the median line

Climate:

arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain:

mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel

Elevation extremes:

lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m

Natural resources:

petroleum, natural gas, fish

Land use:

arable land: 1.64%
permanent crops: 0.27%
other: 98.09% (2005)

Irrigated land:

130 sq km (2002)

Total renewable water resources:

0.1 cu km (1997)

Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):

total: 0.29 cu km/yr (24%/3%/72%)
per capita: 358 cu m/yr (2000)

Natural hazards:

haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

Environment - current issues:

limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on
large-scale desalination facilities

Environment - international agreements:

party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:

strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum
deposits

People
Qatar

Population:

824,789 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure:

0-14 years: 21.8% (male 92,896/female 87,201)
15-64 years: 76.8% (male 451,127/female 182,330)
65 years and over: 1.4% (male 6,545/female 4,690) (2008 est.)

Median age:

total: 30.7 years
male: 32.8 years
female: 25.4 years (2008 est.)

Population growth rate:

1