nister
of defense and commander-in-chief of the armed forces
head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa Al Thani,
brother of the amir (since 30 October 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the amir
elections: none; the amir is an absolute monarch

Legislative branch: unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35
seats; members appointed by the amir)
note: the constitution calls for elections for part of this
consultative body, but no elections have been held since 1970, when
there were partial elections to the body; Council members have had
their terms extended every four years since

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC,
ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO
(pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Saad Muhammad al-KUBAYSI
chancery: Suite 200, 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick N. THEROS
embassy: 149 Ahmed Bin Ali St., Fariq Bin Omran (opposite the
television station), Doha
mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha; pouch address - AMEMB Doha,
Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6130
telephone: [974] 864701 through 864703
FAX: [974] 861669

Flag description: maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white
points) on the hoist side

Economy

Economy - overview: Oil is the backbone of the economy and accounts
for more than 30% of GDP, roughly 80% of export earnings, and 66% of
government revenues. Proved oil reserves of 3.7 billion barrels should
ensure continued output at current levels for about 23 years. Oil has
given Qatar a per capita GDP comparable to the leading West European
industrial countries. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 7
trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total, third largest
in the world. Production and export of natural gas are becoming
increasingly important. Long-term goals feature the development of
off-shore petroleum and the diversification of the economy.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $11.7 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (1996 est.)

GDP - pe