All about Qatar in minutes

By Sama Galib 6th gradeMs. Emily

So where is Qatar?

• Qatar is a peninsula of the coast of the Arabian Sea into the Indian Ocean

• Saudi Arabia surrounds Qatar to the south, and the UAE is to the east

Qatar’s Government(1)

• Qatar’s government is known as a constitutional monarchy

• Includes no political parties (no democrats…)• Ruled by the Al Thani family• So far, no major conflicts have come from the

people about this type of government

Qatar’s Economy(1)

• Qatar’s economy is based mainly on oil/petroleum. It accounts to over 60% of the government’s income

• Oil created a huge benefit. Qatar has one of the highest per capita income in the world

• A small amount of their income was also due to agriculture and fish

Qatar’s Culture• Clothing• Food• Games• Religion• Language• Traditions

Religion/Language

• Islam is the official religion. Islam is the religion of most of the population as well

• Arabic is the official language, although English is what the majority speak

• There are many ethnic groups in Qatar, including Arabs (main) and from other Asian countries

Clothing

• Women usually wear abayas, long loose clothing that are usually dark. Most of them wear scarves on their heads and cover their faces

• Men wear thobes, and head coverings called ghutra that many people see as checkered cloth

Food

• Dates-very important appetizer, served in restaurants and hosts serve at houses

• Seafood-abundant and very easy to get, seafood is probably what takes up the majority of dishes

• Bread-another appetizer and also is in a lot of dishes, served with hummus or other foods

• Mainly eat what we eat, just differently

Games/sports(2)

• Football is a main sport. Qatar has a football stadium in Doha called the Al-Ahly stadium

• Golf is also played in Qatar. There’s a golf tournament in Doha, Qatar called the Qatar Masters

• Tennis, soccer, and baseball are played, too.

Public Holidays

• Qatar National Day - December 18, celebrated to emphasize the unity and history, pays tribute to the people who helped build the country

• Eid al-Fitr – 4 days long, date varies• Eid al-Adha – 4 days long, date varies• National Sports Day –Occurs on the 2nd Tuesday of

February • Independence Day – September 3

Natural Features

• Partly desert, full of sand dunes• Land is mainly flat • Rocky terrain• Partly filled with shrubs

Manmade Landmarks

• Qatar-Bahrain Friendship Bridge• Qatar National Museum• Qatar Islamic Culture Center• Qatar’s Clock Tower

Interesting Facts(1)

• Qatar is the 5th richest country in the world• When going to a movie theater you pay the

full price to watch half of the movie• Only 20% of the population in Qatar is actually

Qatari (most of them are Arabs)

Sources

• 1. www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/5437.htm• 2. www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0107901.html• 3. www.qatartourism.gov