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Sponsored LinksTravel reviews & great deals at TripAdvisor: Land, People, and GovernmentQatar is largely barren and agriculture is minimal. Water is scarce. Once a nomadic society, Qatar now has little rural population. Doha, the main urban center, is on the eastern coast of the peninsula. About 40% of the inhabitants are Sunni Arabs of the Wahhabi sect of Islam. Other ethnicities include Pakistanis, Indians, Iranians, and Palestinians. Less than one fifth of the population are native Qataris; most of the workers associated with the important oil and gas industries are foreigners. Arabic is the official language, although English is widely used. Qatar is a traditional monarchy headed by an emir. A new constitution came into force in 2005, providing for a 45-seat consultative council, two thirds of whose members would be elected and one third appointed by the emir. Elections are expected in 2007. The previous provisional constitution (1972) called for elections to the 35-seat advisory council (Shura), but none were held; council members were appointed by the ruling family. Qatar is a member of the Arab League, the United Nations, and the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). Sections in this article: The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.
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