India recently defended Qatar\u2019s sovereignty at the U.N. Human Rights Council.<\/span><\/p>\n
About Qatar<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a <\/span>country located in Western Asia.<\/b><\/li>\n
It is located on the <\/span>northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula.<\/b><\/li>\n
It has a total area of 11,586 sq.km.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
It shares a <\/span>sole land border with Saudi Arabia<\/b> to the south and is <\/span>surrounded by the Persian Gulf on all other sides.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
The<\/span> Gulf of Bahrain separates Qatar from the Kingdom of Bahrain.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
Doha <\/b>is its <\/span>capital and largest city.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
Languages<\/b>:<\/span> Arabic<\/b> is the<\/span> official <\/b>and <\/span>English is the common language<\/b> in the country.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
Official Currency: Riyal (QAR)\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
Qatar has been <\/span>ruled by the House of Thani family since 1868.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
It was a <\/span>British protectorate from 1916 <\/b>and became<\/span> fully independent in 1971.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Qatar <\/b>Landscape<\/b><\/h2>\n
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The landscape of Qatar is primarily<\/span> flat and barren desert.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
Sand dunes dominate the southern par<\/b>t of the country, <\/span>especially in the area <\/b>known as the <\/span>Khor al Adaid, or the \u201cInland Sea\u201d<\/b>.<\/span><\/li>\n
To the north and west, the terrain turns slightly rockier and features low-rising limestone formations.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
Qatar has <\/span>wadis<\/b>, which are <\/span>valleys that remain dry except during the rainy season <\/b>when they can briefly turn into rivers.<\/span><\/li>\n
One of the most distinct geographical features of Qatar is its <\/span>salt flats or sabkhas. <\/b>They form as a<\/span> result of the country’s high evaporation rates<\/b>, which <\/span>leave behind salt deposits.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
It includes a <\/span>number of islands in the coastal waters <\/b>of the peninsula. <\/span>Hawar Archipelago, Halul and Al Bashiria<\/b> are the most well known among these.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Qatar <\/b>Ethnic Groups<\/b><\/h2>\n
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Qatar was <\/span>originally settled by Bedouin nomads <\/b>from the central part of the Arabian Peninsula.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
Qatari citizens,<\/b> however, <\/span>constitute only a small portion<\/b>\u2014roughly <\/span>one-ninth\u2014of the total population<\/b> today.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n
Economic growth beginning in the 1970s created an economy dependent on <\/span>foreign workers\u2014mostly from Pakistan, India, and Iran<\/b>\u2014who <\/span>now far outnumber nationals.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
Few Qataris retain a nomadic lifestyle.<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
Qatar <\/b>Economy<\/b><\/h2>\n
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The Qatari economy is, to a very large extent, dependent on <\/span>income derived from the exploitation of oil, natural gas and subsidiary industry, <\/b>which accounts for more than 9<\/span>0 percent of annual exports.\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n
It has the <\/span>third largest reserves of liquefied natural gas (LNG) <\/b>in the world.<\/span><\/li>\n
Doha<\/b>, the capital city, is a <\/span>regional financial hub, <\/b>home to various international banks, financial institutions, and investment firms. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n