Qatar

Country Overview

The emirate of Qatar is a small peninsula of 11.500 square kilometers placed in the Persian Gulf, with around 2 million people, of whom only 40% are Arabs and over 36% are original of Hindu Valley.

Since the independence (1971) Qatar prospered thanks to the large crude oil reserves, but in the last ten years a strong plan has been realized to develop financial and service sectors, increasing private and foreign investments in the non-energy sectors. In the 2011, the oil & gas sector counted 50% of GDP and 85% of exports. The GDP was US $ 182 billion with an astonishing 18.7% increase (it was 16.6% in 2010 and 12.0% in 2009), with a pro capita income of US $ 102.700 (the world's second), more than double than USA. Unemployment is at zero, of course!

Qatar's has been chosen as site for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and this task will accelerate large-scale infrastructure developments such as Qatar's metro system and the Qatar-Bahrain highway.