NAME OF COUNTRY: QATAR

GEOGRAPHY: LAND SIZE: 11 437 km^2 POPULATION: 1 853 563 CAPITAL: DOHA CONTINENT: WESTERN ASIA - NORTHERN AFRICA (MIDDLE EAST) SURROUNDINGS: PERSIAN GULF (ARABIAN SEA) LANDLOCKED: NO RELIEF: LOW-LYING DESERT BORDERING COUNTRY: SAUDI ARABIA

HISTORY/POLITICAL: YEAR OF INDEPENDENCE: 1971 FORMER COLONY: BRITISH POLITICAL REGIME: ABSOLUTE MONARCHY STABILITY OF REGIME: STABLE, NO UPRISINGS OR RIOT HEAD OF STATE: SHEIKH HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AL THANI HEAD OF GOVERNMENT: SHEIKH HAMAD BIN KHALIFA AL THANI MAIN EVENTS IN PAST 5 YEARS: 1. 2008 March - St Mary's Roman Catholic Church becomes the first official Christian church inaugurated in Qatar. Christians were previously not permitted to worship openly

2. 2008 December - Saudi Arabia and Qatar agree final delineation of borders and pledge to boost co-operation after diplomatic relations restored in March. 3. 2009 January - Qatar cuts trade ties with Israel over Gaza offensive. Was sole Gulf state to have trade ties with Israel. 4. 2011 March - Qatar joins international military operations in Libya. 5. 2011 November - Emir Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani says elections to the advisory council will be held in 2013, in what would be Qatar's first legislative elections.

CULTURES: OFFICIAL LANGUAGES: ARABIC/ENGLISH PRESENCE OF ETHNICAL GROUP: AMERICANS, ARMENIANS, FILIPINOS, INDIANS, IRANIANS, NEPALIS, PAKISTANIS, TURKS MAIN RELIGIONS: ISLAM, CHRISTIANITY INFLUENCE TO SOCIAL LIFE: 1. CONCEPT STILL BASED ON PRESERVING THE ESSENCE OF ITS CULTURE AND THE CONTINUITY OF ITS PAST 2. WILLINGNESS TO ACCEPT MULTI-RACIALISM 3. BECOMING MORE WESTERNIZED INFLUENCE TO POLITICAL LIFE: 1. BETTER TIES WITH SURROUNDING COUNTRIES DUE TO SIMILAR BELIEFS INFLUENCE TO ECONOMICAL LIFE: NONE

ECONOMICS:

GDP: 182 004 000 000 USD DEBT: 71 380 000 000 USD RESOURCES: GAS, CRUDE OIL, MINERALS, FERTILISERS, CEMENT, TOURISM, COMMERCIAL SHIP REPAIR COUNTRY TYPE: MORE ECONOMICALLY DEVELOPED COUNTRY, HIGH GDP AND LITERACY RATE

DEFENCE: MILITARY INDEPENDENCE: NO, ALSO RELIES ON MILITARY SUPPORT FROM SAUDI ARABIA, HOWEVER HAS ITS OWN MILITARY FORCE: QATAR ARMED FORCES OF 11 800 MEN MILITARY ALLIANCES: GCC PENINSULAR SHIELD (GCC-PS) NUCLEAR WEAPON: NONE

INFLUENTIAL POSITION: MEMBER OF UNITED-NATIONS AS OF: 21 SEPTEMBER 1971 SECURITY COUNCIL: NOT REGULAR MEMBER MEMBERSHIP YEARS: 2006-2007 ECOSOC: REGULAR MEMBERSHIP YEARS: PERMENANT TILL 2013 MEMBER OF INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS: 1. United Nations Organization (UN) 2. Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) 3. Non-Aligned Movement 4. International Monetary Fund (IMF)

5. World Health Organization (WHO) 6. International Court of Justice (ICJ) 7. International Labour Organization (ILO) 8. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 9. UN Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO) 10. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 11. Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) 12. International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) 13. International Civil Aviation Organization 14. Universal Postal Union 15. World Meteorological Organization 16. World Trade Organization (WTO) 17. Islamic Development Bank 18. Islamic International News Agency 19. Al-Quds Fund 20. Islamic Capitals' Organization 21. Islamic Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) 22. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) 23. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) 24. World Trade Organization (WTO) 25. International Satellite Organization (INTELSAT) 26. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 27. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) 28. International Fun for Agriculture Development (IFAD) 29. International Maritime Organization (IMO) RELATIONSHIP WITH BORDERING COUNTRY: HAD TENSIONS AGAINST SAUDI ARABIA IN SEPTEMBER 1992, RELATIONSHIP HAS IMPROVED SINCE.