Yearbook 1996
Qatar. Qatar’s former emir, the Sheikh Khalifa resident of the United Arab Emirates, visited Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt and Syria in late 1995 and early 1996 in what was perceived as an attempt to regain power in Qatar. He also managed to gain control of a substantial portion of Qatar’s financial reserves. In this context, a sum of three billion dollars was mentioned. See a2zcamerablog.com for Qatar history.
Qatar’s Interior Minister reported on February 20 that the country’s security forces have succeeded in “destroying an attempt to undermine security and stability” in the country. It was announced that 100 people had been jailed in connection with the coup attempt. It had been overseas from Sheik Hamad, a former Qatari minister of economy and trade. Sheikh Khalifa denied all involvement in the coup.
- ABBREVIATIONFINDER.ORG: What does QA stand for? In the field of geography, this two letter acronym means Qatar. Check this to see its other meanings in English and other 35 languages.
As the first Israeli Prime Minister ever visited Shimon Perez’s Qatar in April. It was perceived as a confirmation of the new and different foreign policy line that Qatar has followed since the change of power in the summer of 1995. Qatar closed an arms deal with the UK at a value equivalent to SEK 5 billion. The deal included armored vehicles, robots, ships and exercise aircraft.
Population 1996
According to Countryaah.com, the population of Qatar in 1996 was 513,331, ranking number 164 in the world. The population growth rate was 1.510% yearly, and the population density was 44.2241 people per km2.
Economy and energy
The economy of Qatar is based on the immense oil and gas resources present in the subsoil. The country holds the third largest natural gas reserves in the world after Russia and Iran, with an estimated quantity of about 890,000 billion cubic meters, equal to almost 15% of all world reserves. The North Field field, in particular, is the largest single natural gas field in the world. Natural gas production amounts to 159 billion cubic meters per year, of which 125 billion are exported. Doha also holds more than 25 billion barrels of oil reserves and produces 1.3 million barrels per day, of which more than one million is for export. It is estimated that, at current production levels, Qatar can continue to exploit its gas resources for another 300 years and its oil resources for more than 80 years. The hydrocarbon industry is controlled by government companies: off-shore, from the Anglo-Dutch Shell in 1992. In addition to possessing these natural resources, the country has been able to implement innovative and long-term policies, which have determined its constant economic development. In particular, the Qatari government has focused heavily on the more expensive liquefied natural gas (LNG) technology, becoming the most important player in the world in this field. More than 70% of all natural gas exports are exported in the form of LNG and this allows the country to depend only to a small extent on gas pipelines.
Qatar’s commercial relations are essentially concentrated in the Asian area, especially as regards exports (mostly oil and natural gas), mainly directed to Japan and South Korea followed by India and China. Imports are more geographically differentiated, with the United Arab Emirates and the United States leading the way followed by Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom. The trade balance of Doha, due to the effect of hydrocarbon exports, is constantly positive and this allows the small emirate to accumulate considerable reserves to be used in the purchase of international assets. The industrial sector has grown exponentially in recent years and accounts for more than 70% of GDP total, while services are mainly based on the banking system. There has also been a recent boom in the construction sector, which employs around 40% of the entire immigrant workforce.