Background Information of Qatar

I am set to leave in tomorrow to go on my trip to visit the country of Qatar. I have done some research and this is some background information that I think I will find useful.

$1722 Round-trip Airfare

They have hot Summers (Around 100 degrees), but the weather towards the winter gets cooler and comfortable. However, they do have high humidity.

95% of Population practices Islam. It is the Wahhabi/Salafi variation of the Sunni religion. This is also what Saudi Arabia's population believes in.

Arabic is National language, but English is widely spoken so I should be able to comfortably make my way around and interact with locals.

The population is a mix of Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians, Iranians.

Fun Fact: Qatar is scheduled to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Who knew?

I will be attempting to avoid my connections back home throughout the trip so I can be fully engaged in learning all about Qatar while I'm there. So it is likely that I will not be reporting back to this blog until my return. But no need to worry, I will have a great detailed report of what I saw and what I learned!

Places I Visited

If you want to know what the people from Qatar like to do, you want to visit Katara. This place is all about promoting cultural awareness within the country. This 1,000,000 square meter establishment hosts all kinds of big activities like festivals, exhibitions, seminars, concerts and all forms of artistic expressions.



You couldn't ask for a better view of downtown Doha from my hotel. I personally really enjoyed the architecture of the city and was intrigued by the way the buildings looked. It had a modern feel, as you can see from the picture. I was also a big fan of the color of the lights, different from what you would see while looking at downtown Seattle.



The Qatar National Museum is a great place to learn more about where they country came from and what its all about. You'll learn lots about the country's past; where it came from and how it came about. You will also learn about where they see themselves going in the future. Not to mention you get to experience some pretty incredible architecture. This interlocking disc design, inspired by the desert rose, is unlike anything I have ever seen before.



The Museum of Islamic Art is another place you want to check out to learn more about the culture experienced in this part of the world. Not only will you see paintings ad sculptures of the Islamic people, but you will also get to experience Arabic music.

History of Qatar and Petroleum

I will give you a brief history timeline to start to understand how Qatar came about.

High quality oil was discovered in 1940, but exploitation was delayed until 1949 due to World War II. During the 1950's and 60's, money started pouring into the area because of this oil that was discovered. This led to lots of prosperity, immigration, social progress and the beginning of Qatar modern history.
On September 3, 1971 Qatar became a fully independent state.
A new Democratic Constitution was adopted by the public in April of 2003.

Geography and the land had a big impact to the development of the country since its location opened up opportunities for massive amounts of money from around the world to pour in. This money made Qatar's growth into its own separate state a possibility.




http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2012-09-19/qatar-petroleum-plans-up-to-13-billion-in-finance-in-2014-1-.html

This article shows that Qatar is only moving forward with their oil industry.Qatar petroleum is financing around $10 billion in projects this year alone, while also planning on putting in a total of $25 billion over the next five years. These investments will keep the Qatar economy growing for the foreseeable future, fueling the already solid growth of the country.









For starters, I'm sure a considerable amount of my readers would struggle to locate Qatar on a world map. Nothing to be ashamed of, it is very small and not too commonly known. It is located in the Persian Gulf, off the coast of Saudi Arabia as shown on the map. Not only does this map show you where Qatar is, it also shows you how small the country really is in comparison to those around it.
Don't let the size fool you however. Qatar was the world's fourth largest dry natural gas producer in 2012 (behind the United States, Russia, and Iran), and has been the world's leading liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter since 2006. 

Traditional Qatar Food

It was great to be able to try so many new things to eat during my stay here. Qatar people do have a sweet tooth when it comes to their desserts. But, desserts like the dish showed in the top picture are actually eaten any time of day!
If you find yourself getting homesick and just really miss your typical American fast food, there are KFC, McDonalds and Burger Kings around but I would encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and try these foods. You won't regret it.

Since Qatar is surrounded by water, they have too much seafood than they know what to do with. You will find that a lot of meals that don't fall into the sweet tooth category will have at least one type of seafood.

Cultural Diversity of Qatar

Since we know about some of the history in Qatar, we can be able to understand why there is so much cultural diversity in the country. A majority of the population will fall under the categories of Arabs, Pakistanis, Indians and Iranians. That in it of itself will being many different backgrounds and cultures to blend in the country. But due to its ever growing oil industry, there are more immigrants from around the world settling down in the country. This video clearly explains how those influences play out in schools, shopping malls, and all around the cities. Even in their shopping mall, you will see stores that can be found in the U.S., New Zealand, U.K, etc.