With dimensions similar to those of the State of Sergipe, the Catar it can be covered from end to end in about two and a half hours by car. This small peninsula south of the Gulf is one of the smallest Arab countries, measuring 11.571 km². According to data from the World Bank from 2021, it has 2,9 million inhabitants, most of them foreigners.
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Small country, giant economy
O Catar It is one of the largest producers of liquefied natural gas in the world and has one of the highest per capita GDPs, at $61 in 2021, according to the World Bank.
For more than three years, until January 2021, Qatar's economy was affected by an embargo imposed by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt – which accused the country of supporting extremist groups and getting closer to Shiite Iran, its main rival. in the region of Riyadh, the capital and main financial center of Saudi Arabia. With the end of the embargo, Qatar is now benefiting from the post-Covid economic recovery.
The country stood out on the international scene thanks to investments in various fields, most of them carried out by its sovereign wealth fund, the Qatar Investment Authority, one of the most important in the world. Its subsidiary, Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), owns the Paris Saint-Germain and KAS Eupen teams – the latter from the first division of Belgian football. On October 10th, he announced the purchase of 21,67% of the Portuguese club Sporting Braga.
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Al-Thani dynasty
A conservative Muslim country, ruled by the Al-Thani family since the mid-1971th century, Qatar refused to join the United Arab Emirates federation in 55, when it became independent after XNUMX years under British authority.
In 2004, the first Constitution came into force, although the Al-Thani family retains most of the power. Postponed on several occasions, the first direct legislative elections took place in October 2021, with a very restricted electoral census. No woman was elected and a third of the members of Parliament continue to be appointed directly by the emir.
The current emir, Tamim ben Hamad Al-Thani, came to the throne in 2013, following the abdication of his father, Sheikh Hamad ben Khalifa Al-Thani.
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Al Jazeera and beIN Sports
Created at the end of 1996, the television station Al Jazeera, which has more than 80 offices around the world and broadcasts in several languages, was the sounding board for the Arab Spring movements. But its critics judge its editorial line to be very favorable to Islamists and consider it, at times, a tool at the service of the country's diplomacy.
The beIN Sports subsidiary, of the audiovisual group beIN Media, entered the international market after starting broadcasting in France in 2012. Specializing in entertainment, beIN Media acquired in 2016 the American studios Miramax and the Turkish satellite channel package Digiturk.
Before 2022 World Cup, the country had already organized several international competitions: the Asian Games in 2006, the Pan-Arab Games in 2011, the Asian Football Cup in 2011, the Handball World Cup in 2015 and the Athletics World Cup in 2019.
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Human rights
But not everything is rosy in the country of sumptuous stadiums that will host the World Cup. Human rights organizations have harshly criticized Qatar for the treatment of its construction workers from Africa and Asia.
Ally of the United States
At the beginning of 2022, American President Joe Biden elevated the country to the status of the United States' 18th “largest non-NATO ally”. The emirate is already home to the largest American military base in the region.
The country played a negotiating role between the Americans and the Taliban, now in power in Afghanistan, and collaborated in civilian evacuation operations after the fall of Kabul in August 2021.
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Learn more
- Where is Qatar? Find out details about the country hosting the 2022 World Cup (Exam)
- Qatar World Cup: 10 places to visit in the country besides the stadiums (CNN Brazil)
- Women at the Qatar World Cup: everything you need to know before traveling to the Muslim country (Glam)
- Qatar – where it is, history, map and more (UOL)
- World Cup could bring US$17 billion to Qatar's economy (Bloomberg Línea)
(With AFP)
