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Location and Area Topography The Climate
The Population Religion and Language

Location and Area

The State of Qatar is situated half-way along the west coast of the Arabian Gulf, east of the Arabian peninsula, between latitudes(27 to 24, and 10 to 26 degrees north) and longitudes (45 to 50, and 40 to 51 degrees east.) The State of Qatar is a peninsula that extends northward covering an area of 11,437 sq-km.
The territory of the State of Qatar includes a number of islands (see map) in the coastal waters of the peninsula. The most well known of these islands are the Hawar Archipelago, Halul which is the main export terminal for the offshore oilfields, Shra'ouh, Al-Bashiriya and others.

Topography

The State of Qatar generally consists of flat rocky surfaces. However, it includes some hills and sand dunes which reach an altitude of 40 meters above sea level in the areas of Dukhan and Jebel Fuwairit in the western and northern parts of the country.
The surface of Qatar is characterized by a number of geographical features which are peculiar to the west coast of the Arabian Gulf. Such features include coves and inlets together with depressions and surface rainwater-draining basins known as AI-Riyadh (The gardens) found mainly in the north and central parts of the State, the most important of which are Al-Majida, AI-Shahaniyah and Al- Sulaimi. Because of their fertile land, natural and seasonal vegetation, the northern and central regions of the country are considered the most suitable areas tor agriculture enterprises. These regions have attracted heavy investments from both the public and private sectors in support of agricultural projects accomplishing a satisfactory degree of self-sufficiency in that field.

The Climate

Qatar has a desert climate of hot summer and relatively warm winter. In the summer, the temprature ranges between 25 and 46 degrees centigrade. Rainfall in the winter is minimal and on average does not exceed 75.2 mm per year.

The Population

The people of Qatar are the descendents of ancient Arabian lines of Kinship. This is particularly due to the geographical location and proximity to the Arabian peninsula, on the one hand, and to the close historical and cultural heritage which the state shares with the rest of the states in the Arabian Peninsula, on the other. The Arab tribes, who migrated from the neighbouring areas, mainly Najd, Al-Ihsa and Oman in various periods during the seventeenth and eighteenth century A. D. form the basis for the composition of the present population. The tribal migration continued into the early parts of the nineteenth century.
The present population is estimated at 600,000 inhabitants, most of whom reside in Doha, the capital city. The rest of the population, however, lives in a number of towns and villages, including Dukhan, Umm Said, Al-Wakrah, Al-Khor, Madinat Al- Shamal and other modern residental centres.

Religion and Language

Islam is the official religion of the State and the Shari'a (Islamic Law) is the principal source of legislation in the country, while Arabic is the official language.



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