Qatar Geography

By | October 19, 2021

For a long time English protectorate, which became independent in 1971, on the basis of the provisional constitution promulgated in 1970, Qatar is a hereditary monarchy, which attributes to the sovereign (emir) head of state and government, almost absolute powers. The Fundamental Charter, definitively approved in 2004, establishes that the Advisory Council be composed of 45 members elected by universal suffrage. The Council of Ministers, which is responsible for exercising executive power, is appointed by the Emir. In 1999, on the occasion of the first elections in the administrative history of the country, in order to designate a municipal consultative council (the only one for the whole peninsula), women were also allowed to vote. The judicial system is based on the Koranic law; international jurisdiction is not accepted. As regards the administration of justice, however, there are some local courts, in addition to two criminal courts, one civil and one for work and a court of appeal. The country has the death penalty. The armed forces of Qatar are tripartite (army, navy, air force); in the country, military service is voluntary and takes place from the age of 18. The state school system was introduced in Qatar in 1956. Education is free at all levels, but it is not compulsory. Primary school starts at 6 years of age and lasts 6 years. At 12 years of age, students attend preparatory school which is followed, after 3 years, by secondary school, also lasting 3 years. Qatar has an academic center a Doha (1973); the same city is also home to foreign universities such as Virginia Commonwealth University in Qatar and other higher institutes, including Weill Cornell Medical College in Qatar or Qatar Aeronautical College. Illiteracy affects 6.9% of the population (2007).

HUMAN GEOGRAPHY

In the small villages of the oases, mostly scattered along the coast, a large part of the sedentary population traditionally employed in agriculture and fishing is gathered; (many Qatari are still nomads and are dedicated to the breeding of camels but almost all of the residents live in large cities). According to localtimezone, the population density is 126 residents / km², on average with most of the countries of the Persian Gulf. The capital, Doha, located on the east coast of the country, a very active commercial and financial city, whose ultramodern face is the immediate reflection of the sudden Qatara wealth, represents the first sign of those transformations that have affected the whole state but that have involved not the totality of the residents but only the quota of qatari, in turn, a small part of that Arab component which constitutes half of the population.

The vast majority of the residents come, in fact, from Iran, India and Pakistan. These are technicians, consultants, workers at all levels who make up the preponderant part of the workforce; in the second half of the 1980s this component underwent a downsizing following the oil crisis. There is also an imbalance in the gender composition of the population in favor of the male element, which characterizes the foreign workforce. The other main centers, all directly linked to the exploitation of oil, are Umm Said, just S of the capital, port of shipment for crude oil, and India and Pakistan. These are technicians, consultants, workers at all levels who make up the preponderant part of the workforce; in the second half of the 1980s this component underwent a downsizing following the oil crisis. There is also an imbalance in the gender composition of the population in favor of the male element, which characterizes the foreign workforce. The other main centers, all directly linked to the exploitation of oil, are Umm Said, just S of the capital, port of shipment for crude oil, and India and Pakistan. These are technicians, consultants, workers at all levels who make up the preponderant part of the workforce; in the second half of the 1980s this component underwent a downsizing following the oil crisis. There is also an imbalance in the gender composition of the population in favor of the male element, which characterizes the foreign workforce.

The other main centers, all directly linked to the exploitation of oil, are Umm Said, just S of the capital, port of shipment for crude oil, and There is also an imbalance in the gender composition of the population in favor of the male element, which characterizes the foreign workforce. The other main centers, all directly linked to the exploitation of oil, are Umm Said, just S of the capital, port of shipment for crude oil, and There is also an imbalance in the gender composition of the population in favor of the male element, which characterizes the foreign workforce. The other main centers, all directly linked to the exploitation of oil, are Umm Said, just S of the capital, port of shipment for crude oil, and Dukhān, on the west coast, the largest oil center in the country.

ENVIRONMENT

Given the absence of rainfall, there is consequently no vegetation, except where the emergence of aquifers has allowed the formation of oases with date palms, in whose shade very modest crops, especially horticultural ones, grow. For the rest there are, especially in the North, succulent plants, ephemeral and annual plants alternating with vast totally arid spaces. The fauna includes arthropods (scorpions, spiders, various insects), snakes and migratory birds; the oryx, the camel and the sand cat are widespread among the mammals, while the marine fauna includes, among other things, shrimps and oysters. The scarcity of water resources requires an increasing use of desalination. Furthermore, the development of the natural gas industry is contributing to increase air pollution: Qatar is, unfortunately, the second country in the world for CO² emissions per capita. Protected areas make up 0.6% of the territory and include two breeding centers (dedicated to the conservation of endangered species), six private ranches and five protected areas involving marine and terrestrial flora and fauna.

Qatar Geography