qatar-guide

Qatar Visitor has one aim - to be the best and most comprehensive online guide to Qatar. The Qatar Visitor website has over 400 pages of articles, pictures, movies and podcasts - and we are adding to it all the time. The Qatar Visitor blog has regularly updated and vividly illustrated posts covering culture, news and events.

Our latest addition to our Qatar website is an interactive map of Qatar. Just follow the instructions to turn on the active x conrols and you can zoom in or out or pans around the small desert country of Qatar.

While much of Qatar is arid desert - there's life alright, but chances are it is hiding away somewhere - when you enter Qatar's seas it's a different matter. You will be surrounded by colourful life, from coral reef and the beautiful but deadly Lionfish to sea snakes and the rare dugong.

In Qatar Seas local journalist and author Francis Gillespie takes and indepth look at the marine life that inhabits Qatar's seas.

After Bahrain destroyed much of Doha and Al Wakra – which were at that time little more than villages – for not paying tribute, the British decided to establish a protectorate. They asked for a delegation and were met by a certain Sheikh Al Thani, who was to become the father of the Qatari ruling dynasty.

At the end of the nineteenth century Qassim Al Thani defeated the Ottoman Turks, who had established a presence in Doha, in battle, despite being of advanced age. This is often seen as the founding moment of the Qatari state.

At the time, Qatar's main source of revenue was from pearl diving - a hard living which in a bad year yielded only debt. Prior to the second world was huge reserves of oil and gas were discovered - reseved which would lead to the counry's future wealth.

Qatar gained full independence from Britain in 1971. Bahrain, however, did not relinquish claims over parts of the country until the case was settled by the Hague in 2001.

Major Qatar Companies

The biggest company and probably the biggest recruiter in Qatar is Qatar Petroluem. Qatar Petroluem also has a major interest in a number of other countries such as Qatar Gas. Foreign oil and gas companies such as Total, and Total are also present. With oil and natural gas being the driver of the Qatar economy, despite efforts to diversify into areas such as Tourism, companies like these are likely to remain the major players in the economy for the foreseeable future.

Qatar Companies: Information

To locate and find companies based in Qatar and Doha, you can use the online directory of Qatar companies provided by Qatcom.com.  

Qatar is a tiny desert peninsula country. Located on the edge of Saudi Arabia, it is about a hundred miles point to point. It was once larger, but Saudi Arabia annexed a portion of its territory as soon as the British left.

Terrain: Qatar is mostly desert. In the South towards Saudi Arabia there are huge rolling dunes and a inland sea. In the North there is more scrub desert, grazed by camels. Along the coast line can be found Mangrove swamps, while in the Ras Abrouq nature reserve strange limestone protusions can be found.

Qatar has money – lots of it. This stems from it’s huge reserves of natural gas – the third largest in the world. According to GDP figures Qatar is the third richest country in the world, but when taking into account the huge number of expatriates (many of who are paid just a couple of hundred dollars a month) it really is the richest country in the world.

The most attractive area of the city is undoubtedly the city's Corniche, or sea front. The seafront curves round Doha bay for several kilometres, and Qataris and foreigners alike can be found stretching their legs in the cooler months.

How to find Jobs in Qatar

With a massive and growing gas sector, an existing oil sector and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, the richest country in the world has a huge need of jobs.

There is also a huge variety of jobs, from the engineers and workers needed to pull fuel out of the ground, to the lawyers, bookeepers and accountants needed to look after to the financial side of the business and of course the medical staff, teachers, telecommunications staff and others who are needed to run this country with a population about to hit a million but with a native Qatari population of less than 200,000.

Obviously a population of this size is not enough to provide the quantity of jobs needed. That said, there is always a danger of Qatarization - the process when someone is kicked out of a job to make way for a Qatari who fancies it. Never-the-less, if you are working for a good company you should be safe for the duration of your contract at least.

In Qatar Jobs we take a look at factors to take into consideration before applying for a job in Qatar, as well as supplying a list of resources for looking for jobs and tips on job interviews.

Good luck!

The Emir of Qatar has been leading his country forward into a more moderate and liberal era. Under his rule freedom of worship has been allowed, and the first church is now under construction upon land he has donated. Women have been allowed to drive, although they must have permission from the male members of their family, and limited democracy has been introduced. He has also lead Qatar to become a firm ally of America, and Qatar is now host to a huge American airbase. The Emir (also spelt as the Amir) can be seen below in the first part of an interview.