Ethnography of the Emirate of Qatar

Qatar is an independent state occupying the Qatar Peninsula, jutting into the Persian Gulf from the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. On its southern side, the country of about 4427 square miles - about the combined area of Connecticut and Rhode Island - is bordered by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates but these boundaries are undemarcated, although a movement toward creating a more formal border is underway. (Parker, 1999, p. 7).

The land is stony and largely barren and extremely hot, arid climate prevails. Humidity is high during the summer (May to October), but the average annual rainfall is less than 5 inches. The major natural resources are petroleum and natural gas.

The population of Qatar (1996 estimate) was 499,115 and the capital, which is also the leading port, is Doha, with a population of 313,600. This population figure includes a large number of migrant laborers from neighboring states: In fact, about 80 percent of this population consists of (temporary) foreign workers. The ethnic breakdown of the country is 40 percent Arab, 18 percent Pakistani, 18 percent Indian, 10percent Iranian and 14 percent other foreign nationals (U.S. Department of State, 1997, p.

Al Khalifa family dominated until 1868 when, at the request of Qatari nobles, the British negotiated the termination of the Bahraini claim, except for the payment of tribute. The tribute ended with the occupation of Qatar by the Ottoman Turks in 1872 (Sherman, 199, p. 38). When the Turks left, at the beginning of World War I, the British recognized Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani as Ruler. The Al Thani family had lived in Qatar for 200 years. The 1916 treaty between the United Kingdom and Sheikh Abdullah was similar to those entered into by the British with other Gulf principalities. Under it, the ruler agreed not to dispose of any of his territory except to the United Kingdom and not to enter into relationships with any other foreign government without British consent. In return, the British promised to protect Qatar from all aggression by sea and to lend their good offices in case of a land attack. A 1934 treaty granted more extensive British protection. In 1935, a 75-year oil concession was granted to Qatar Petroleum Company, a subsidiary of the Iraq Petroleum Company, which was owned by Anglo-Dutch, French, and U.S. interests. High-quality oil was discovered in 1940 at Dukhan, on the western side of the Qatari peninsula.