Qatar has been ruled as a hereditary monarchy by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed a treaty with the British in 1868 that recognised its separate status.
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Qatar has been ruled as a hereditary monarchy by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed a treaty with the British in 1868 that recognised its separate status.
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Qatar is the world's largest exporter of liquefied natural gas, and the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita.
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Qatar hosted the 2006 Asian Games, and will host the 2030 Asian Games.
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Al Da'asa, a settlement located on the western coast of Qatar, is the most important Ubaid site in the country and is believed to have accommodated a small seasonal encampment.
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Qatar played a role in the commercial activity of the Sasanids, contributing at least two commodities: precious pearls and purple dye.
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The region was not limited to Qatar; it included Bahrain, Tarout Island, Al-Khatt, and Al-Hasa.
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Archaeological remains from the 9th century suggest that Qatar's inhabitants used greater wealth to construct higher quality homes and public buildings.
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Qatar's pearls provided the kingdom with one of its main sources of income.
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However, Qatar was not officially recognised as a British protectorate until 1916.
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Qatar resigned as kaymakam and stopped paying taxes in August 1892.
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Qatar became a British protectorate on 3 November 1916, when the United Kingdom signed a treaty with Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani to bring Qatar under its Trucial System of Administration.
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When Britain officially announced in 1968 that it would withdraw from the Persian Gulf in three years' time, Qatar joined talks with Bahrain and seven other Trucial States to create a federation.
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On 3 November 1916, the sheikh of Qatar entered into treaty relations with the United Kingdom.
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Qatar allowed coalition troops from Canada to use the country as an airbase to launch aircraft on CAP duty and permitted air forces from the United States and France to operate in its territories.
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Under Emir Hamad, Qatar experienced a moderate degree of liberalisation, including the launch of the Al Jazeera television station, the endorsement of women's suffrage or right to vote in municipal elections (1999), drafting its first written constitution (2005) and inauguration of a Roman Catholic church (2008).
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In 2010, Qatar won the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, making it the first country in the Middle East to be selected to host the tournament.
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In 2003, Qatar served as the US Central Command headquarters and one of the main launching sites of the invasion of Iraq.
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Qatar is pursuing an Afghan peace deal and in January 2012 the Afghan Taliban said they were setting up a political office in Qatar to facilitate talks.
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Ahmed Rashid, writing in the Financial Times, stated that through the office Qatar has "facilitated meetings between the Taliban and many countries and organisations, including the US state department, the UN, Japan, several European governments and non-governmental organisations, all of whom have been trying to push forward the idea of peace talks.
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Qatar participated in the Saudi Arabian-led intervention in Yemen against the Houthis and forces loyal to former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, who was deposed in the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings.
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In June 2017, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar, citing the country's alleged support of groups they considered to be extremist.
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Qatar is expected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup from 21 November to 18 December, becoming the first Arab country to do so.
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Qatar is officially a semi-constitutional monarchy, but the wide powers retained by the monarchy have it still bordering an absolute monarchy ruled by the Al Thani family.
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In 2003, Qatar adopted a constitution that provided for the direct election of 30 of the 45 members of a legislature.
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Eighth Emir of Qatar is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, whose father Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani handed power to him on 25 June 2013.
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Qatar was an early member of OPEC and a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
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The history of Qatar's alliances provides insight into the basis of its foreign relations.
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Between 1760 and 1971, Qatar sought formal protection from the high transitory powers of the Ottomans, British, the Al-Khalifas from Bahrain, and from Saudi Arabia.
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Qatar has particularly strong ties with China, Iran, Turkey, and the United States as well as a number of Islamist movements in the Middle East such as the Muslim Brotherhood.
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Qatar has recently signed defense pacts with the United States and United Kingdom, as well as with France earlier in 1994.
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Qatar plays an active role in the collective defense efforts of the Gulf Cooperation Council; the other five members are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman.
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In 2015, Qatar was the 16th largest arms importer in the world, and in 2016, it was the 11th largest, according to SIPRI.
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Qatar was suspended from the coalition in Yemen due to the 2017 Qatar diplomatic crisis.
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Qatar retains the death penalty, mainly for threats against national security such as terrorism.
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Many migrant workers arriving for work in Qatar have paid exorbitant fees to recruiters in their home countries.
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Qatar did not maintain wage standards for its immigrant labourers.
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In 2014, Qatar commissioned international law firm DLA Piper to produce a report investigating the immigrant labour system.
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Qatar announced it would scrap its sponsor system for foreign labour, which requires that all foreign workers be sponsored by local employers.
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These elections—the first-ever in Qatar—were intentionally held on 8 March 1999, International Women's Day.
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Highest point in Qatar is Qurayn Abu al Bawl at 103 metres in the Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low limestone outcroppings running north–south from Zikrit through Umm Bab to the southern border.
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Qatar signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity on 11 June 1992, and became a party to the convention on 21 August 1996.
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Qatar has been criticized by the International Trade Union Confederation.
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The economic growth of Qatar has been almost exclusively based on its petroleum and natural gas industries, which began in 1940.
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In 2012, Qatar retained its title of richest country in the world for the third time in a row, having first overtaken Luxembourg in 2010.
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Qatar is one of the fastest growing countries in the field of tourism.
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Qatar has become one of the most open countries in the Middle East due to its recent visa facilitation improvements, including allowing nationals of 88 countries to enter visa-free and free-of charge.
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Qatar's proved reserves of gas are the third-largest in the world, exceeding 250 trillion cubic feet.
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In 2008 Qatar launched its National Vision 2030 which highlights environmental development as one of the four main goals for Qatar over the next two decades.
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Qatar Airways is one of the largest airlines in the world that serves in six continents connecting more than 160 destinations every day.
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Qatar's culture is similar to other countries in Eastern Arabia, being significantly influenced by Islam.
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Several senior members of Qatar's ruling Al Thani family are noted collectors of Islamic and contemporary art.
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Qatar is the world's biggest buyer in the art market by value.
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Qatar's media was classified as "not free" in the 2014 Freedom of the Press report by Freedom House.
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In regards to telecommunication infrastructure, Qatar is the highest-ranked Middle Eastern country in the World Economic Forum's Network Readiness Index – an indicator for determining the development level of a country's information and communication technologies.
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Qatar ranked number 23 overall in the 2014 NRI ranking, unchanged from 2013.
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At the senior level, Qatar has played host to two editions of the AFC Asian Cup; the first coming being the 9th edition in 1988 and the second being the 15th edition held in 2011.
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On 2 December 2010, Qatar won their bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, despite never previously qualifying for the FIFA World Cup Finals.
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Qatar's winning bid for the 2022 World Cup was greeted enthusiastically in the Persian Gulf region as it was the first time a country in the Middle East had been selected to host the tournament.
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The Qatar 2022 organising committee have responded to various allegations by claiming that hosting the World Cup in Qatar would act as a "catalyst for change" in the region.
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Since 2002, Qatar has hosted the annual Tour of Qatar, a cycling race in six stages.
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Tour of Qatar is organised by the Qatar Cycling Federation for professional riders in the category of Elite Men.
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Qatar University, founded in 1973, is the country's oldest and largest institution of higher education.
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Qatar was ranked 48th in the Global Innovation Index in 2021, down from 65th in 2019.
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