Country Flag:
Country Map: United Nations Maps: Qatar
Country Name: State of Qatar (Dawlat Qatar)
Name of Capital City: Doha
Date of Independence: Qatar gained independence from Britain on September 3, 1971.
 

Regions, Provinces or Governorates: 10 municipalities (baladiyat): Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Ash Shamal, Jarayan al Batnah, Umm Sa'id, Umm Salal.
Country Area (sq km): 11427
Population (million): 1.1 (2007)
Population, annual growth rate (%) 1975-2005: 5.1
Population, estimated growth rate (%) 2005-2015: 1.9
 

Type of State: Monarchy/unitary
Date of Constitution: Adopted by referendum on April 29, 2003; not yet promulgated.
 

Type: The head of state is the hereditary Emir.
Name of Current: The current head of state is Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani, who has held this position since June 27, 1995, when, as crown prince, he succeeded his father, Emir Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani.
 

About: Executive authority is vested in the Emir, who also appoints the Prime Minister.
Name of Current: Since April 3, 2007, the prime minister is Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani, who is also the minister of Foreign Affairs since 1992.
 

Type: Unicameral system

 

Suffrage: Suffrage is granted to all Qatari citizens, both men and women, over the age of 18.
- See Also: Qatar - Election Calendar and Results  

Human development index (HDI): 0.91 (2007)
HDI rank (worldwide): 33 (2007)
Adult literacy rate (% aged 15 and older): 93.1 (2007)
Female secondary gross enrollment (%): 102.4 (2007)
Gross enrollment, tertiary level education (%): 15.9 (2007)
Life expectancy at birth (years): 75.5 (2007)
Poverty index (HP1-1) value (%): 5 (2007)
GDP per capita (PPP US$): 74882 (2007)
GDP per capita (PPP US$) rank minus HDI rank: -30 (2007)
* See more human development indicators on Arab Statistics (external link)  

Legal system and codification: Based primarily on Shari’a legal principles, although it has been influenced by Egyptian legal traditions.
Administration: The High Judicial Council was created in 1999 to ensure judicial independence.
Supreme Court: The Court of Cassation, created in 1999, serves as the third tier of the judicial system. Within the Court of Cassation, there is one chamber for Shari’a cases and one to serve as the appellate court for Court of Justice appeals.
Constitutional Court: The Supreme Constitutional Court, established in 2008, is an independent judiciary body with independent budget. It consists of a president and 6 members appointed by the Emir.
Shari'a or Personal Status: The judiciary is organized in a three-tiered system, starting with the Courts of Justice and the Shari’a Courts of First Instance. Decisions rendered in these courts may be appealed to the Appeal Court of Justice and the Shari’a Court of Appeal.
 

United Nations (UN): September 21, 1971
International Monetary Fund (IMF): September 8, 1972
World Trade Organization (WTO): January 13, 1996
Rome Statute for the International Criminal Court (ICC): Not signed
World Bank – International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD): September 25, 1972
World Bank – International Finance Corporation (IFC): Not a member
World Bank – Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA): October 22, 1996
World Bank – International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID): Not a member
 

- Human Rights Conventions
- International Labor Organization (ILO) Conventions
- UN Conventions against Corruption and Transnational Organized Crime
- Environment Treaties