Table of Contents Table of Contents ........................................................................................................ 2 Chapter 1: Geography ................................................................................................. 4 Introduction ......................................................................................................................4 Physical Terrain and Topographic Features .........................................................................4 Climate ..............................................................................................................................5 Bodies of Water .................................................................................................................6 Cities .................................................................................................................................7 Doha (Ad Dawhah) ................................................................................................................................ 7 Ar Rayyan .............................................................................................................................................. 8 Al Khawr ................................................................................................................................................ 8 Umm Sa’id (Mesaieed) .......................................................................................................................... 9 Dukhan .................................................................................................................................................. 9 Natural Hazards .................................................................................................................9 Environmental Issues ....................................................................................................... 10 Geography Assessment ............................................................................................. 12 Chapter 2: History ..................................................................................................... 13 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 13 Early History .................................................................................................................... 13 Arrival of the Bani Utub ................................................................................................... 14 The Wahhabis .................................................................................................................. 15 The Pirate Coast ............................................................................................................... 16 Beginnings of the Al Thani Dynasty ................................................................................... 17 Ottoman, Saudi, and British Intrigues ............................................................................... 18 The New Gulf Oil State ..................................................................................................... 19 Independence .................................................................................................................. 20 Recent History ................................................................................................................. 21 History Assessment ................................................................................................... 23 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 24 Agriculture ....................................................................................................................... 25 Industry ........................................................................................................................... 26 Energy Resources ............................................................................................................. 27 Natural Resources ............................................................................................................ 28 Trade ............................................................................................................................... 29 © DLIFLC 2 Tourism ........................................................................................................................... 30 Banking and Currency ...................................................................................................... 31 Investment ...................................................................................................................... 32 Transportation ................................................................................................................. 33 Standard of Living ............................................................................................................ 34 Organizations .................................................................................................................. 35 Economy Assessment ................................................................................................ 36 Chapter 4: Society ..................................................................................................... 37 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 37 Ethnic and National Groups .............................................................................................. 37 Languages ........................................................................................................................ 38 Religion ........................................................................................................................... 39 Gender Issues .................................................................................................................. 40 Traditional Dress .............................................................................................................. 41 Arts ................................................................................................................................. 42 Music ................................................................................................................................................... 42 Dance .................................................................................................................................................. 43 Sports and Recreation ...................................................................................................... 43 Society Assessment ................................................................................................... 45 Chapter 5: Security .................................................................................................... 46 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 46 United States–Qatar Relations ......................................................................................... 46 Relations with Neighboring Countries ............................................................................... 48 Saudi Arabia ........................................................................................................................................ 48 Bahrain ................................................................................................................................................ 49 United Arab Emirates .......................................................................................................................... 50 Iran ...................................................................................................................................................... 50 Military ........................................................................................................................... 51 Terrorist Groups and Activities ......................................................................................... 52 Other Issues Affecting Stability ......................................................................................... 52 Regional Conflicts ................................................................................................................................ 52 Water .................................................................................................................................................. 53 Demographic Challenges .................................................................................................................... 54 Security Assessment .................................................................................................. 55 Final Assessments ..................................................................................................... 56 FURTHER READINGS .................................................................................................. 58 © DLIFLC 3 Chapter 1: Geography Introduction Qatar lies on the Qatari Peninsula, a portion of the Arabian Peninsula. Measuring about 160 km (100 mi) north-south and 55–80 km (34–50 mi) east-west, Qatar is one of the world’s smaller non-island nations, slightly smaller than the U.S. state of Connecticut.1,2 It is surrounded on three sides by the Persian