History
The finding of artefacts such as rock carvings, flint spearheads and pottery
shows evidence that early civilizations in Qatar date back to around 2,500 B.C.E.
In the 5th Century B.C.E., the geographer Ptolemy showed an area on his map of
the Arab world called "Qataraa," which is believed to refer to the Qatari town
of Al-Zubara. The town acquired the fame of being one of the most important
trading ports in the Gulf region at the time.
Much of Qatar's history pivots on its relationship with the sea and desert.
Tribes that settled on the coastal areas regarded the sea as the source of life,
with its abundance of fish and pearls, while the Bedouins that travelled the
desert plains reared camels and sheep.
After its first export of oil in 1949, Qatar went through an immense
transformation that led to its rapid development.
Qatar was a British colony and claimed its independence on 3 September 1971. In
the same year it joined the Arab League and the United Nations.
On 27 June 1995, His Highness the Emir Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani assumed
power after serving as Heir Apparent and Defence Minister for 18 years.
The move towards a modern society included holding municipal elections in 1999,
where men and women were both voters and candidates - a first in the region.
Qatar, officially State of Qatar, independent emirate (1995 est. pop.
534,000), 4,400 sq mi (11,400 sq km), on a largely barren peninsula in the
Persian Gulf, bordering Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (S). The
capital is Doha. The economy of Qatar is dominated by oil and natural gas, which
accounts for 70% of export income. Oil and gas revenues have been used to
diversify the economy, including the development of chemicals, steel, cement,
and fertilizer industries and banking. A minority (20%) of the population are
Qataris (Arabs of the Wahhabi sect of Islam); the rest are largely other Arabs,
Pakistanis, Indians, and Iranians. Arabic is the official language, but English
is also widely spoken. The country is a monarchy.
History
Qatar was ruled by Bahrain from the 1700s until the mid-1800s, when Great
Britain and the Ottoman Empire began vying for control of the peninsula. It was
a British protectorate from 1916 until 1971, when it became independent. In the
1980s and 90s Qatar had territorial disputes with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
During the Persian Gulf War (1991) international coalition forces were deployed
on Qatari soil.
The present emir, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, came to power in 1995 after
ousting his father. In the late 1990s Sheikh Hamad eased press censorship and
promoted ties with Iran and Israel. Since 2001 Qatar has allowed U.S. use of the
Al Udeid air base, and the headquarters for the U.S. invasion of Iraq (2003)
were in the country.
