Facts about Qatar: 25 Amazing Facts that you need to Know
Qatar is one of the most incredible countries in the world. It is a small state located on the Qatar Peninsula in Western Asia. Sheikh Jassim Bin Muhammad AI Thani is the founder of Qatar in the early 1900s. Since the formation of Qatar, the Thani family has ruled Qatar. There are still arguments about that whether the state should be officially considered a monarchy or it is a democratic country. In this article, we will discuss the 25 amazing facts about Qatar. Here we go
Quick Facts
The official name of Afghanistan: State of Qatar
Area: 11,581 Square kilometres
Population(2020): 2.795 million
Population density: 176 per Square kilometre
GDP (PPP)(2020): $357.338 Billion
Continent: Asia
Capital: Doha
Language: Arabic
Official Languages: Arabi
Largest by area: 158th largest country
Religion: Islam: 65.5 %, Hinduism: 15.1%, Christianity: 14.2%, Buddhism: 3.3%, Other: 1.9%
Government: Unitary absolute monarchy
Currency: Qatari Riyal (QAR)
Time Zone: UTC+3 (AST)
25 amazing Facts about Qatar
1. Ruled by the British for many years
Qatar is ruled by the British for many years before it become an independent country. In 1971, Qatar become an independent and become democratic country.
2. Ruled by the Family of AI Thani
Qatar has been ruled by the family of AI Thani since after independence or the early 19th century. Sheikh Jassim Bin Muhammad AI Thani was the founder of the State of Qatar. Qatar is a hereditary monarchy ruled by the family of AI Thani.
3. Border with
Qatar becomes a border to south Saudi Arabia and the only other neighbour is the Persian Gulf. Qatar has 563 kilometres of coastline. It shares a 60 km border with Saudi Arabia.
4. Capital city of Qatar
Doha is the capital city of Qatar and it's also the biggest city of Qatar. In Doha, you find many parks as well as man-made islands. Similarly, you also see the museum of Islamic art and different collections of Islamic art that collect from different places all across the Muslim world.
Over 62% of the residents in Qatar live in Doha and the population in Doha is pretty much larger than in other places of Qatar.
5. Meaning of Doha
Doha means roundness and reflection. The capital city of Qatar is named Doha because it rounded bays that categorized Qatar's coastlines.
6. Al Zubarah Fort is a UNESCO World Heritage site
In 2013 UNESCO enlisted the Al Zubarah Fort and surrounding 60 hectares of archaeological work as a World Heritage site.
7. The richest country on the Planet
Qatar is considered one of the richest countries in the world. According to the International Monetary fund, Qatar is ranked the richest country in the world. The GDP per capita of Qatar is $62,088. The GDP per capita of this country goes higher up in the coming years.
Most of Qatar's wealth comes from Liquefied natural gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, reinforcing steel, etc.
8. Population of Qatar
In 2020, the population of Qatar was around 2,795,484. It is 139th in the highest populated country in the world.
9. Fastest Mobile Internet Speeds (Mbps)
Qatar is ranked 1st globally for mobile internet speed. Global Speed Test experts Ookla in their December 2020 ranking in Qatar as top position. Qatar has an average download speed of 178.01Mbps and an average upload speed of 29.74Mbps.
10. Popular traditional dishes of Qatar
Machboos, Thareed, Balaleet, Saloona, Luqaimat, Madrouba, Margoog, Harees, etc are some of the famous Qatari dishes you must try during your Qatar tour.
11. 9th Biggest Airport in the World
Qatar is the home of the ninth-largest airport in the World. Hamad International Airport is located in the capital city of Qatar and was officially opened in 2014 near the old airport. It covers a total area of 5500 acres. Every year this airport handles close to 50 million passengers. It is the second largest in the region after Dubai Airport. Similarly, it also has one of the longest runways in the world with a total length of 15,910 feet. To build this Airport, the Qatar government spend more than 17 billion dollars.
Additionally, the world the best airlines also belong to Qatar. In the 2019 Skytrax world Airlines awards, Qatar Airlines placedd 1st in the world's best airlines with Singapore airlines 2nd and ANA in 3rd place.
12. Qatar Olympic Cycle track has won World Guinness Record
Qatar has one of the longest and widest cycle tracks. The track measured 32.869 km long and 7 meters wide with 29 underpasses and 5 bridges. If anyone does cycling in Qatar then he/she can enjoy non-stop riding.
13. Qatar is the second Flattest country in the world
Qatar lies in the coastal area. The highest peak in Qatar is called Qurayn Abu Al Bawl. It is only 103 meters in height from sea level. It is located south of Qatar near the border of Saudi Arabia.
14. Safest Countries in the world
According to the Global Crime Index Statistics, Qatar has the lowest crime rates in the Middle East. Similarly, it was ranked seventh globally in the same category. You can find strict security around Qatar. As well as the number of natural disasters struck in Qatar is very low and it is the safest country on the planet. The level of preparation for mitigating such a natural disaster event government is awesome.
15. National Animal of Qatar
The Arabian Oryx is the national animal of Qatar.
16. Species of mammals live in Qatar
21 species of mammals live in Qatar.
17. A Very Strict Dress code
Qatar is mainly a Muslim nation with a very strict dress code. Men usually wear a thobe, a long white shirt over loose pants. They also wear a loose headdress which is called a Gutra. Mostly the Gutra is in white or red, held on with a black rope known as the agal.
The Female wears an abaya, which is a long black cloak that is worn over clothing. Furthermore, more traditional ladies wear a dress called a Djelabia under their abaya. These are amazing facts about Qatar.
18. Serious Diplomatic Crisis in 2017
In June 2017, Qatar face a serious diplomatic crisis when out of nowhere some major players like UAE cut off ties with Qatar. This effectively meant that Qatar can not trade with its neighbours. Those countries which are members of the Gulf Cooperation Council alleged Qatar supports terrorists and cut off ties of trade.
After some time, Qatar shut out the problem with the help of Iran and Turkey.
19. Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup
In 2022, Qatar will get a big opportunity to host the FIFA World cup. In 2010, FIFA announced that Qatar can host the 2022 FIFA World cup. After getting such a big opportunity the Qatar government rapidly build stadiums all over Qatar. Nine new stadiums are being constructed in Qatar for the FIFA World cup.
Qatar is the first Arab country to be chosen by the FIFA committee for this honour. Many countries' governments, players, and fans are not satisfied with the decision for choosing Qatar for the FIFA world cup 2022 because of the very warm temperature in Qatar.
Many stakeholders were concerned that the players were not playing well in very high temperatures so it was a bad decision to give Qatar as host for the 2022 FIFA world cup.
20. Popular Cities and districts in Qatar
The name of cities and districts are named after geographical features. Doha, Galena, Dukhan, Umm AI Quhab, AI Khor, AI Wakrah, Abu Samra, etc.
21. The weekend System is Different
Saturday and Sunday are not weekends in Qatar. On Friday and Saturday, Qatar people celebrate their weekends.
22. Foods items are highly imported in Qatar
Qatar isn't the source of most of its food production. More than 92 % of foods are imported and it is imported from their neighbour countries like Jordan, Syria, and Saudi Arabia.
23. Qatar to host 2030 Asian Games
Qatar will host the 21st Asian Games in 2030. In Muscat on December 16th, 2020 Qatar won the highest number of votes during OCA's 45 National Olympic Committees for doing the 21st Asian Games. Similarly, Qatar already hosted the 15th Asian Games in 2006.
24. Annual Public Holidays in Qatar
There are only 4 official annual public holidays in Qatar. These are
- National day on December 18th
- Eid Fitri
- Sports Day on the 1st Tuesday of February
- Eid Adha
25. Climate of Qatar
Qatar has a very hot and humid summer and you can find pleasant winter. Similarly, in Qatar, it has little rain, and sometimes you cannot see rainfall throughout the year. The land of Qatar is too dry or barren to support vegetation. Sometimes you found mild weather in Qatar. These are some amazing facts about Qatar.
Frequently Asking Questing
What are 5 interesting facts about Qatar?
1. Main Meal is eaten at lunchtime
In the United States and Europe, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. But in Qatar, the main meal is served at lunchtime. Traditionally, on Friday midday after prayers biggest meal is eaten by the people of Qatar with their whole family. All the family come together and enjoy their heavy meals with fun and entertainment.
2. Karate tea is popular
Karate tea is very much popular among Qataris people. People take Karate tea after every meal. It is prepared with milk and cardamom.
3. Lowest gas prices in the world
Qatar has some of the lowest gas prices in the world. It is one of the world's leading producers of liquid petroleum gas. In Qatar, you found the world's lowest gasoline price. In November 2021, the cost of a litre of gasoline was 58 cents.
4. Women are still discriminated against
Today women are allowed to attend college, and university and join the work that they like. But in Qatar women still face such discrimination. Similarly, in the work fields, women are also paid less than men. Qatar is top five biggest pay gap countries in the world.
Furthermore, colleges and universities are still segregated for men and women. In most cultures, arranged marriages are high because women are not given such freedom to find out their life partner.
The political class is still heavily dominated by men and you can not find females in the top position in the government also. The country is top in terms of wealth but its treatment of women is very much poor.
5. Canceled the construction of the tallest building in the world
The tallest building in the world was gonna be in Qatar until the project got cancelled. The building is 1808 feet tower in Doha and said it is the tallest building in the world. But later, the project was cancelled because it was so tall that it disturb the pilots from landing and taking off aeroplanes from the new airport. The project was halted until the project of the new airport was finished. There are some interesting facts about Qatar.
What's Qatar known for?
Qatar is known for Natural gas and petroleum products. It is the 2nd largest producer of liquid petroleum gas in the world.
Is Qatar poor or rich?
Qatar is one of the richest countries in the world. The per capita income of people is more than $61,000.
In conclusion
In this article, we discuss the amazing facts about Qatar. After reading this article you may more understand Qatar closely. If you know more facts about Qatar that haven't been mentioned here then please let us know in the comment section. If these facts entertained you then don't forget to check our other facts article.
