![\"Qatar:](\"https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/s:800x450,c:crop\/41\/179641-138-B127338A\/Drilling-natural-gas-coast-Qatar-Persian-Gulf.jpg\")
<\/a>Qatar possesses enormous deposits of\u00a0natural gas, and its offshore\u00a0North Field is one of the largest gas fields in the world. The country\u2019s petroleum reserves, found both onshore along the western coast at\u00a0Dukh\u0101n and offshore from the eastern coast, are modest by regional standards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an attempt to reduce its\u00a0dependency\u00a0on\u00a0oil, Qatar began to develop its natural gas resources in the mid-1990s. To develop its gas fields, Qatar had to borrow heavily, but high oil prices in the early 21st century put the country on more firm financial footing. Qatar\u2019s strategy has been to develop its natural gas reserves aggressively through joint projects with major international oil and gas companies, focusing on the North Field. Natural gas surpassed oil as the largest share of the government\u2019s revenues and the country\u2019s GDP in the first decade of the 21st century.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Manufacturing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n![\"Ras](\"https:\/\/cdn.britannica.com\/s:800x450,c:crop\/40\/179640-138-47B5A9C5\/Ras-Laffan-one-site-world-Qatar-liquefied.jpg\")
<\/a>Ras Laffan: LNG facilities<\/strong>Visit Ras Laffan, Qatar, the site of one of the world’s largest liquefied natural gas (LNG) export facilities.Contunico \u00a9 ZDF Enterprises GmbH, MainzSee all videos for this article<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\nQatar has sought to diversify its economy through industrialization. Most of the\u00a0manufacturing\u00a0sector\u00a0comprises\u00a0large firms of mixed state and foreign private ownership. For example, the\u00a0Qatar Petrochemical Company is largely owned by a government\u00a0holding company, and a French firm has a minor stake. Flour milling and cement production have also been undertaken. Diversification by expanding manufacturing depends on an abundance of cheap energy for running plants, however, and is thus tied to Qatar\u2019s hydrocarbon resources. Its natural gas reserves have been used to develop a strong\u00a0liquefied natural gas\u00a0(LNG) industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The\u00a0Qatar Central Bank (Ma\u1e63raf Qa\u1e6dar al-Markaz\u012b), founded in 1993, provides banking functions for the state and issues the Qatari rial, the national currency. In addition to domestic banks, including commercial, development, and Islamic banks (institutions bound by strict religious rules governing transactions), licensed foreign banks are also authorized to operate. Qatar has been generous in its\u00a0foreign aid\u00a0disbursements, particularly to other Arab and Islamic countries. The Doha Stock Exchange began operations in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, and food and live animals are Qatar\u2019s major imports. LNG, crude petroleum, and refined petroleum account for the bulk of the value of exports. Top import sources for Qatar include the United States,\u00a0China, Germany, and Japan.\u00a0Japan,\u00a0South Korea, and\u00a0India\u00a0are among Qatar\u2019s most important export destinations. Japan alone receives by far the largest proportion of Qatar\u2019s exports, largely in the form of petroleum and petroleum products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The service sector, including\u00a0public administration\u00a0and defense, accounts for roughly half of GDP and employs more than half of the workforce. The country\u2019s military expenditure as percentage of\u00a0gross national product\u00a0is high, at nearly four times the world average. In an attempt to further diversify Qatar\u2019s economy, the government has sought to develop tourism, in particular by promoting the country as a site for international conferences; however, tourism remains a relatively small component of the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Labour and taxation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Foreigners account for the great bulk of Qatar\u2019s workforce, a matter of continuing concern for Qatari officials. Qatar has banned the employment of Egyptians since 1996, when the government claimed that\u00a0Egypt\u00a0was involved in an unsuccessful coup. The government has actively pursued programs to encourage employing and promoting Qatari nationals in the workforce. However, a five-year plan introduced in 2000 to boost significantly the number of Qataris in the\u00a0labour force\u00a0fell far short of its goals. Labour unions and associations are forbidden. As in most countries of the region, the standard workweek is Saturday through Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatar does not levy taxes on personal income, nor does it have a general\u00a0sales tax. Foreign corporations (excluding those owned by members of the\u00a0Gulf Cooperation Council\u00a0[GCC]) are taxed, but the amount accounts for less than one-tenth of the government\u2019s revenue. The bulk of its revenue comes from the sale of petroleum and natural gas. The country set up a general tax authority in late 2018 as it began to expand and reform its tax policies. In 2019 it\u00a0implemented\u00a0hefty excise taxes on sugary drinks, tobacco products, energy drinks, alcohol, and pork. Qatar was also set to\u00a0implement\u00a0a\u00a0value-added tax\u00a0of 5 percent by 2020 in coordination with the GCC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transportation and telecommunications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Qatar has more than 760 miles (1,230 km) of road, nearly all of which are paved. There are no railroads. The country has several important ports, including those at\u00a0Doha\u00a0and\u00a0Umm Sa\u02bf\u012bd. An international airport is located at Doha, and Qatar Airways is the country\u2019s national carrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatar Public Telecommunications Corporation is the sole provider of telecommunication services in the country. It also sets policies and makes administrative decisions for the sector. In 1996 the Internet was made available to the public, with Qatar Public Telecommunications Corporation as the sole service provider. Internet use is highest among Qatari nationals. A submarine fibre-optic cable system completed in the late 1990s links Qatar with\u00a0Bahrain,\u00a0Oman, and\u00a0Kuwait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources<\/strong> Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica, Inc. Qatar: Major export destinations<\/strong> Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Qatar\u2019s economic prosperity is derived from the extraction and export of petroleum\u2014discovered in 1939 and first produced in 1949\u2014and natural gas. Before\u00a0World War II, Qatar\u2019s population engaged in pearling, fishing, and some trade (with little exception the only occupations available) and was one of the…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":484,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470\/revisions\/484"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/a>Qatar has sought to diversify its economy through industrialization. Most of the\u00a0manufacturing\u00a0sector\u00a0comprises\u00a0large firms of mixed state and foreign private ownership. For example, the\u00a0Qatar Petrochemical Company is largely owned by a government\u00a0holding company, and a French firm has a minor stake. Flour milling and cement production have also been undertaken. Diversification by expanding manufacturing depends on an abundance of cheap energy for running plants, however, and is thus tied to Qatar\u2019s hydrocarbon resources. Its natural gas reserves have been used to develop a strong\u00a0liquefied natural gas\u00a0(LNG) industry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Finance<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The\u00a0Qatar Central Bank (Ma\u1e63raf Qa\u1e6dar al-Markaz\u012b), founded in 1993, provides banking functions for the state and issues the Qatari rial, the national currency. In addition to domestic banks, including commercial, development, and Islamic banks (institutions bound by strict religious rules governing transactions), licensed foreign banks are also authorized to operate. Qatar has been generous in its\u00a0foreign aid\u00a0disbursements, particularly to other Arab and Islamic countries. The Doha Stock Exchange began operations in 1997.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Trade<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, and food and live animals are Qatar\u2019s major imports. LNG, crude petroleum, and refined petroleum account for the bulk of the value of exports. Top import sources for Qatar include the United States,\u00a0China, Germany, and Japan.\u00a0Japan,\u00a0South Korea, and\u00a0India\u00a0are among Qatar\u2019s most important export destinations. Japan alone receives by far the largest proportion of Qatar\u2019s exports, largely in the form of petroleum and petroleum products.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Services<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The service sector, including\u00a0public administration\u00a0and defense, accounts for roughly half of GDP and employs more than half of the workforce. The country\u2019s military expenditure as percentage of\u00a0gross national product\u00a0is high, at nearly four times the world average. In an attempt to further diversify Qatar\u2019s economy, the government has sought to develop tourism, in particular by promoting the country as a site for international conferences; however, tourism remains a relatively small component of the economy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Labour and taxation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Foreigners account for the great bulk of Qatar\u2019s workforce, a matter of continuing concern for Qatari officials. Qatar has banned the employment of Egyptians since 1996, when the government claimed that\u00a0Egypt\u00a0was involved in an unsuccessful coup. The government has actively pursued programs to encourage employing and promoting Qatari nationals in the workforce. However, a five-year plan introduced in 2000 to boost significantly the number of Qataris in the\u00a0labour force\u00a0fell far short of its goals. Labour unions and associations are forbidden. As in most countries of the region, the standard workweek is Saturday through Wednesday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatar does not levy taxes on personal income, nor does it have a general\u00a0sales tax. Foreign corporations (excluding those owned by members of the\u00a0Gulf Cooperation Council\u00a0[GCC]) are taxed, but the amount accounts for less than one-tenth of the government\u2019s revenue. The bulk of its revenue comes from the sale of petroleum and natural gas. The country set up a general tax authority in late 2018 as it began to expand and reform its tax policies. In 2019 it\u00a0implemented\u00a0hefty excise taxes on sugary drinks, tobacco products, energy drinks, alcohol, and pork. Qatar was also set to\u00a0implement\u00a0a\u00a0value-added tax\u00a0of 5 percent by 2020 in coordination with the GCC.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Transportation and telecommunications<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Qatar has more than 760 miles (1,230 km) of road, nearly all of which are paved. There are no railroads. The country has several important ports, including those at\u00a0Doha\u00a0and\u00a0Umm Sa\u02bf\u012bd. An international airport is located at Doha, and Qatar Airways is the country\u2019s national carrier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Qatar Public Telecommunications Corporation is the sole provider of telecommunication services in the country. It also sets policies and makes administrative decisions for the sector. In 1996 the Internet was made available to the public, with Qatar Public Telecommunications Corporation as the sole service provider. Internet use is highest among Qatari nationals. A submarine fibre-optic cable system completed in the late 1990s links Qatar with\u00a0Bahrain,\u00a0Oman, and\u00a0Kuwait.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources<\/strong> Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica, Inc. Qatar: Major export destinations<\/strong> Encyclop\u00e6dia Britannica, Inc.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Qatar\u2019s economic prosperity is derived from the extraction and export of petroleum\u2014discovered in 1939 and first produced in 1949\u2014and natural gas. Before\u00a0World War II, Qatar\u2019s population engaged in pearling, fishing, and some trade (with little exception the only occupations available) and was one of the…<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":471,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=470"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":484,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/470\/revisions\/484"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/aaglawfirm.com\/ar\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}