economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer

Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and
gravel

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Qurayn Aba al Bawl 103 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish

Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 94% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 80 sq km (1993 est.)

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, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography-note: strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major
petroleum deposits

@Qatar:People

Population: 697,126 (July 1998 est.)
note: includes 516,508 non-nationals (July 1997 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (male 97,317; female 93,532)
15-64 years: 71% (male 353,700; female 138,564)
65 years and over: 2% (male 9,731; female 4,282) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.82% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 16.97 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 3.53 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 24.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 2.55 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.27 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.89 years
male: 71.38 years
female: 76.54 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.5 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Qatari(s)
adjective: Qatari

Ethnic groups: Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other
14%

Religions: Muslim 95%

Languages: Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second
language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.4%
male: 79.2%
female: 79.9% (1995 est.)

@Qatar:Government

Country name:
conventional long form: State of Qatar
conventional short form: Qatar
local long form: Dawlat Qatar
local short form: Qatar
note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between
cutter and gutter, but not l