Qatar

Geography

Qatar is a country on a peninsula in the Persian Gulf. The land has a total area of 11,610 km² (4,483 mi²) and a total coastline of 563 km (349.8 mi). This land area is approximately 111% of the area of Hawaii. Qatar is thus one of the smallest countries in Asia by area and ranked 165th worldwide. Urbanization in the country has progressed so far that all residents are now counted as part of the urban population. Almost every fourth inhabitant lives in Ar Rayyan.

With an average elevation of only 28 m above sea level, Qatar is one of the lowest-lying countries in the world. The highest elevation (Qurain Abu l-Baul) reaches only 103 meters. The country has 27 islands in the open sea. Saudi Arabia ist the only directly neighboring country of Qatar. The distance between New York City and the Capital Doha is about 10,780 km (6,698 mi).

The climate in Qatar

The long summers are characterized by intense, dry heat from May to September, with temperatures rising to over 45 °C. The winter months, on the other hand, are mild, but can also be relatively cold, with temperatures below 10 °C. Precipitation occurs almost exclusively in winter and then predominantly only in the north of the country, where the influence of the Persian Gulf is stronger. Thus, the north receives up to 30 percent more precipitation than the south. In addition, Qatar experiences shamal winds, which cause sand and dust storms mainly on summer days. Large masses of sand are moved from the north (Jordan and Syria) to the Persian Gulf.

• Detailed climate data for Qatar and 4 individual regions

Languages

Mother tongue	Distribution
Arabic	40.7 %
other	59.3 %

Religions

Religion	Distribution
Christs	8.5%
Hinduists	12.0%
Wahhabis	46.9%
other Muslims	30.6%
other	2.0%

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Economy

GDP:	179.68 bn $
Exportations:	105.55 bn $
Importations:	61.20 bn $
› Tourism receipts:	14.32 bn $
› Unemployment rate:	0.1 %
› Inflation rate:	5.00 %
› Corruption index:	58 (moderate)
› Energy consumption:	44.1 bn kWh

According to the definition from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), Qatar is a developing country because of its lower economic performance. With a Human Development Index (HDI) of 0.855, Qatar counts as one of the high developed economies by UN definition.

Considering the purchasing power parity, Qatar is among the 10 richest countries in the world and, with an average annual income of 62,310 USD is one of the high-income countries.

Land use

13% Urban areas:	1,495 km²
6% Agricultural areas:	656 km²
0% Forest:	0 km²
81% Others:	9,459 km²

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Transport

Roadways:	7,039 km
Commercial harbors:	129
› Airports:	1