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Arab Culture & Civilization
Explore this exemplary library of articles and resources on Arab societies and culture. This site was originally created by the National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education (NITLE).
This small country on the Persian Gulf - it's slightly larger than Connecticut, with a population of about 850,000, most of whom live in the capital Doha - has the highest per capita income in the world. For many years in the 20th century, Qatar was a British protectorate best known for pearling. But the discovery of oil and its independence from Britain in 1971 changed the country dramatically. Ruled by the al-Thani family since the 1800s, the current Amir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani ousted his father in 1995 in a bloodless coup. Since then, the Amir has allowed some democratic reforms with a new constitution approved in 2003. Qatar is relatively pro-US in its foreign policy and promotes a Western-oriented educational system, while hosting the al-Jazeera television network.
The country is in the midst of an economic boom, based on its oil and natural gas revenues. Oil and gas account for more than 60% of GDP, roughly 85% of export earnings, and 70% of government revenues. It is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, and current estimates show that Qatar can continue expanded oil and gas production for at least another 22 years. The Amir, however, is trying to diversify the country's economy now.
Qatar's booming economy, however, has led to the in-migration of a very large number of men and women from South Asia and Southeast Asia to work as laborers and domestic workers. These migrant workers are often exploited and forced into involuntary servitude.
Education: Free in twelve-year public school system, consisting of six-year primary cycle, three-year intermediate cycle, andthree-year secondary cycle.. University of Qatar is free.
Health: Comprehensive system of well-equipped public clinics and hospitals staffed by mainly foreign personnel. Most care provided free to all residents. Several private clinics located in Doha.
Ethnic Groups: Most Qataris are Arabs; some have Iranian or African ancestry. Large foreign communities of Indians, Iranians, Pakistanis, and Egyptians. Other groups include Filipinos, Bangladeshis, Sudanese, Afghans, other Arabs, Sri Lankans, and Westerners, mostly British.
Religion: Most Qataris follow Wahhabi interpretation of Sunni Islam. Of remaining Muslims, Arabs, Pakistanis, and Afghans are Sunni, while Iranians are mainly Shia. Other religious groups include Hindus (mostly Indian) and Christians (Indians, Filipinos, and Westerners). http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?frd/cstdy:@field(DOCID+qa0022)
Population The population of Qatar was estimated at 833,285 in July of 2009, a marked increase from the 1990 population of about 486,000. Arabs make up 40 percent of the population, but there are also Pakistanis (18 percent), Indians (18 percent), Iranians (10 percent). Non-Qataris make up the largest proportion of the country's labor force. Since 1998, the population growth has slowed down, as evidenced in the 5.3 percent drop in the population in 1998. The slowdown is believed to come as a result of the government's "Qatarizing" movement—to encourage the employment of local workers—following the sharp decline in oil prices in 1997 and 1998.
Qatar's population growth has accelerated since the 1960s, mainly as the result of the influx of large numbers of expatriate workers into the country. Between the late 1960s and 1997, the population grew from 70,000 to 522,000, of whom only 160,000 are Qatari nationals. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) Country Profile for 2000, the population growth rate reached 1.5 percent in 1999, and is projected to reach 1.8 percent in the coming decade. The expatriate worker community, which accounts for 70 percent of the population, is largely made up of Indians and Pakistanis.
Like most Arab countries, Qatar's population is mostly young; 27 percent of the population is younger than 15. Also like many developing countries, a majority of Qataris (90 percent) are concentrated in urban areas. Major cities have been growing at the rate of 2 percent annually. Almost 80 percent of the population is concentrated in the capital, Doha. Other major cities include Messaieed, an industrial township 124 kilometers (77 miles) south of Doha. http://www.nationsencyclopedia.com/economies/Asia-and-the-Pacific/Qatar.html
The Al-Bab country brief on Qatar provides several pages on cultural information. Topics included are books, economy, history, internet, media, news, and politics.
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