"broke diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism, escalating a dispute over Qatar's support of the Muslim Brotherhood, considered a terrorist organization by those 5 Arab nations. Saudi Arabia explained the move to be a necessary measure in protecting the kingdom's security. Qatari troops were also removed from the military coalition in Yemen. Egypt closed its airspace and seaports to all Qatari transportation. In June 2018, Saudi Arabia announced a bid to construct a waterway, Salwa Canal, on their border with Qatar which shall in effect turn the latter into an island country. The Qatar Armed Forces are"
"was linked to other towns and development sites by a system of about of paved roads. Doha's international airport has an approximately main runway, capable of receiving all kinds of aircraft. Qatar is currently party to the following international environmental agreements: Geography of Qatar Qatar is a peninsula in the east of Arabia, bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, in a strategic location near major petroleum deposits. Qatar occupies on a peninsula that extends approximately to north into the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Peninsula. Varying in width between , the land is mainly flat (the highest point is"
"Geography of Qatar Qatar is a peninsula in the east of Arabia, bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, in a strategic location near major petroleum deposits. Qatar occupies on a peninsula that extends approximately to north into the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Peninsula. Varying in width between , the land is mainly flat (the highest point is ) and rocky. Notable features include coastal salt pans, elevated limestone formations (the Dukhan anticline) along the west coast under which lies the Dukhan oil field, and massive sand dunes surrounding Khawr al Udayd, an inlet of the Persian Gulf in"
"Fauna in Qatar Qatar is a peninsula on the Northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula bordering Saudi Arabia to the south and surrounded elsewhere by the Persian Gulf. A strait separates Qatar from the island kingdom of Bahrain. Al Wabra Wildlife Preserve was created to provide sanctuary for various species and is also a site for breeding programs. Species at the preserve include: Spix's macaw, beira antelope, golden-headed lion tamarin, dibatag, ""Encephalartos"", Sudan cheetah and North African ostrich. Animals in Qatar include Asiatic jackal, Cape hares, caracals, desert hedgehog, red foxes, sand cats, striped hyenas, two types of gazelle, Wagner's"
"of the area are a border post separating the southern part of the municipality from Saudi Arabia, and a well. It was previously Qatar's only land border crossing to Saudi Arabia, until its closure in June 2017 over the Qatar diplomatic crisis. The settlement derived its name from a local Samr tree. Because the area contained one of the few Samr trees in the entire region, it was named Abu Samra, meaning 'father of the Samr tree'. The tree has local significance as it is used as fodder for camels. Qatar's capital, Doha, is located at a distance of 97"
"was only widening existing channels. Some sources seem to prefer a route avoiding Khawr al Udayd, a bay and nature reserve, listed by the UNESCO and shared with Qatar. Salwa Canal The Salwa Canal is a proposed shipping route and tourism project through Saudi Arabia along its border with Qatar, effectively turning the latter into an island. The Saudi Arabia-Qatar border has been the site of several violent clashes since the two countries finalized their borders in 2001. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia along with several other countries cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea, and air"
"only land crossing. The reasons cited were Qatar's relations with Iran, Al-Jazeera's coverage of other GCC states and Egypt, and Qatar's alleged support of Islamist groups. Qatar was also expelled from the anti-Houthi coalition. Qatar's defense minister Khalid bin Mohammed Al Attiyah called the blockade akin to a bloodless declaration of war, and Qatar's finance minister Ali Sharif Al Emadi stated that Qatar was rich enough to withstand the blockade. The bloc sought a guarantee that Qatar will in the future align in all matters with other Gulf states, discuss all of its decisions with them, and provide regular reports"
"carry a visa in order to enter these countries. Flights from Qatar are also not allowed to land there and vice versa. Since the creation of the council in 1981 its membership has not expanded, with all members being Arab monarchies. Some GCC countries have land borders with Iraq, Jordan and Yemen, and sea borders with Iran, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea and Somalia. Only the Sinai peninsula lies in the Arabian peninsula, Bahrain has been vocal about its stance on Egypt joining the GCC, in 2011, Bahraini Foreign Minister has called for Egypt to be admitted as a member of the"
"The Pearl-Qatar The Pearl-Qatar () in Doha, Qatar, is an artificial island spanning nearly four square kilometers. It is the first land in Qatar to be available for freehold ownership by foreign nationals. As of January 2015, there are 12,000 residents. Once fully completed, The Pearl will create over 32 kilometers of new coastline, for use as a residential estate with an expected 18,831 dwellings and 45,000 residents by 2018. Developed by United Development Company and planned by architecture and design firm Callison, the island is located 350 meters offshore of Doha's West Bay Lagoon area. In 2004, when the"
"to Qatar, Halul is the most important. Lying about east of Doha, it serves as a storage area and loading terminal for oil from the surrounding offshore fields. Hawar and the adjacent islands immediately off the west coast are the subject of a territorial dispute between Qatar and Bahrain. Based on estimates in 2011 estimates, 5.6% of the land is agricultural. Arable land comprises 1.1%, permanent crops 0.2% and permanent pasture 4.6%. 94.4% of the land was used for other uses. In 2003, of land was irrigated. Most of Qatar's surface lies on Cenozoic strata. These strata have an abundance"
"seven sovereign governments have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar. The Tobruk-based government of Libya claimed to have cut diplomatic ties with Qatar despite having no diplomatic representation in that country. The semi-autonomous Somali regions of Puntland, Hirshabelle, and Galmudug each issued statements cutting ties with Qatar, in opposition to the neutral stance of the federal government of Somalia. As of 23 August 2017, three countries have downgraded diplomatic ties with Qatar without fully cutting relations. Other countries made statements condemning Qatar, including Gabon and Eritrea. Multiple countries, the European Union and the United Nations called for resolution of the diplomatic"
"is at the Qanat Quartier beach. It opened in 2017. The Pearl-Qatar The Pearl-Qatar () in Doha, Qatar, is an artificial island spanning nearly four square kilometers. It is the first land in Qatar to be available for freehold ownership by foreign nationals. As of January 2015, there are 12,000 residents. Once fully completed, The Pearl will create over 32 kilometers of new coastline, for use as a residential estate with an expected 18,831 dwellings and 45,000 residents by 2018. Developed by United Development Company and planned by architecture and design firm Callison, the island is located 350 meters offshore"
"the Gulf states usually crossing the now closed land border with Saudi Arabia. Immediately after the cutting of relations, local reports indicated residents swarmed grocery stores in hopes of stockpiling food. Many food delivery trucks were idled along the Saudi-Qatari border. On 8 June 2017, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said, ""We're not worried about a food shortage, we're fine. We can live forever like this, we are well prepared."" Qatar has been in talks with both Turkey and Iran to secure supply of food. On 11 June 2017, Iran sent four cargo planes with fruit and"
"Flag of Qatar The national flag of Qatar () is in the ratio of 11:28. It is maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side. It was adopted shortly before the country's declaration of independence from Britain on September 3, 1971. The flag is very similar to the flag of the neighbouring country Bahrain, which has fewer points, a 3:5 proportion, and a red colour instead of maroon. Qatar's flag is the only national flag having a width more than twice its height. Qatar's historic flag was plain red, in correspondence with the red"
"documents published in ""The New York Times"", Qatar's record of counter-terrorism efforts was the ""worst in the region"". The cable suggested that Qatar's security service was ""hesitant to act against known terrorists out of concern for appearing to be aligned with the U.S. and provoking reprisals"". Qatar has mixed relations with its neighbours in the Persian Gulf region. Qatar signed a defence co-operation agreement with Iran, with whom it shares the largest single non-associated gas field in the world. It was the second nation, the first being France, to have publicly announced its recognition of the Libyan opposition's National Transitional"
"abroad in the One Belt, One Road region, including Qatar. On top of the disputes, the immigrant policy of Qatar was treated as an indicator for Hong Kong media in reviewing their local policy, which stirred up the discussion in Hong Kong. Both nations are members of the International Monetary Fund, World Trade Organization. The relations between the two are mainly based on economic, social and cultural aspects because Hong Kong is restricted by Hong Kong Basic Law from concluding military bilateral agreements with foreign countries. Hong Kong–Qatar relations Hong Kong–Qatar relations refers to bilateral foreign relations between Hong Kong"
"Qatari economic and military ties with Turkey and Iran. Moreover, in June 2017, those three countries and Egypt accused it of supporting and funding terrorism and manipulating internal affairs of its neighboring states. Qatar is expected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup from 21 November to 18 December, becoming the first Arab country to do so. Qatar is either a constitutional or an absolute monarchy ruled by the Al Thani family. The Al Thani dynasty has been ruling Qatar since the family house was established in 1825. In 2003, Qatar adopted a constitution that provided for the direct election"
"Emblem of Qatar The emblem of Qatar () is the coat of arms of Qatar. The emblem shows two crossed white curved swords in a yellow circle. Between the swords there is a sailing ship (dhow) sailing on blue and white waves beside an island with two palm trees. The circle is surrounded by a round doughnut-shaped object, which is divided horizontally. In the white section the name of the state of Qatar is written in black Kufic script and in the maroon section, the English (the only among Arab states) translation (State of Qatar) is written in white Blackletter"
"intention was to help start bilateral negotiations and solve the territorial dispute which had turned violent. Qatar withdrew its 450 troops from the Djibouti-Eritrea border in June 2017 after the two countries severed ties with Qatar. In a controversial bidding process marred by bribery and corruption scandals, Qatar was selected to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar will be the first Middle Eastern country to host the popular international sporting event. Qatar-funded Qatar Airways has gone on an aggressive expansion campaign by competing with nearby Emirates Airline to reach more destinations and serve more passengers. The sixty-sixth session of"
"Salwa Canal The Salwa Canal is a proposed shipping route and tourism project through Saudi Arabia along its border with Qatar, effectively turning the latter into an island. The Saudi Arabia-Qatar border has been the site of several violent clashes since the two countries finalized their borders in 2001. In June 2017, Saudi Arabia along with several other countries cut diplomatic relations with Qatar and imposed a land, sea, and air blockade. The tender is scheduled to take place on 25 June 2018. According to the publication ""Makkah Al-Mukarramah"", the company with the winning bid is to be announced within"
"Qatar–United Arab Emirates relations Qatar–United Arab Emirates relations are the relations between Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The relationship between the two countries has been severed following the 2017–18 Qatar diplomatic crisis. Both countries share a naval border and are part of the Arabic-speaking Persian Gulf region. They are both members of the GCC. On 5 June 2017, UAE cut diplomatic relations with Qatar, giving the country's diplomats 48 hours to leave the country. Both Qatar and the UAE once shared a common history under trucial sheikhdom dominated and ruled as British protectorates under the British Empire, and"
"adheres to the Wahhabi creed"", is the small gulf monarchy of Qatar, whose version of Wahhabism is notably less strict. Unlike Saudi Arabia, Qatar made significant changes in the 1990s. Women are now allowed to drive and travel independently; non-Muslims are permitted to consume alcohol and pork. The country sponsors a film festival, has ""world-class art museums"", hosts Al Jazeera news service, will hold the 2022 football World Cup, and has no religious force that polices public morality. Qataris attribute its different interpretation of Islam to the absence of an indigenous clerical class and autonomous bureaucracy (religious affairs authority, endowments,"
"Qatar has also cultivated close relationships with Western powers, particularly the United States and the United Kingdom. Al Udeid Air Base hosts American and British air forces. Qatar has invested extensively in London real estate, and the country has also made donations to prominent research centers in the United States. At the same time, Qatar maintains ties to Western adversaries, including Iran, Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood, and extremist elements in Syria. Qatar has a population of around 1.8 million people, however only 280,000 of these are citizens. The vast majority of the population are migrant laborers who suffer severe human"
"balboul. Qurayn Abu al Bawl Qurain Abu al-Bawl (also Gurain al Balbul, Gurain al Bâlbûl, Qurain Abul Bul, Qurayn Aba al Bawl, Qurayn Abā al Bawl, Tuwayyir al Hamir) is the highest point of Qatar, with an altitude of 103 metres (338 ft). It is located south of the peninsula near the border to Saudi-Arabia. ""Qurain"" is interchangeable with ""Qarn"", the Arabic word which roughly corresponds to sandy, flat hillock. The second part of the name, romanized either as ""Abu al-Bawl"" or ""Balboul"", was chosen as the hill is thought to represent the shape of a traditional flat-shaped toy known"
"to police authorities, and deny permission to leave the country. As a result, sponsors may restrict workers' movements and workers may be afraid to report abuses or claim their rights. Qatar's government is keen to protect the status quo and doesn't want to compromise its cultural values or standard of living by allowing foreigners to become a permanent part of society. The only route to becoming a naturalized citizen is by marriage to a national; even this, however, doesn't guarantee citizenship, particularly for non-Muslims In exceptional circumstances only, Qatar's ruler might grant citizenship to a foreigner who has provided outstanding"
"crisis through dialogue: Hassan al-Thawadi, secretary general of the Qatar World Cup supreme committee, has stated that the projects are going as scheduled for the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar's only land border and air and sea routes have been cut off by Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). As the blockade came into play, World Cup organizers were asked to investigate a ""Plan B"", FIFA however has confidence in not exploring a ""Plan B"" for an alternate 2022 host. According to Thawadi, all these logistical obstacles are being overcome and building progress is continuing with"
"Foreign relations of Qatar Qatar achieved full independence from the United Kingdom on 3 September 1971. Arab states were among the first to recognize Qatar, and the country gained admittance to the United Nations and the Arab League in the same year. Qatar established diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union, and Communist China in 1988. The country was an early member of OPEC and a founding member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Qatar is a strategic ally of China, with relationship between the two countries growing stronger. Over the past two decades, Qatar has grown its international profile and"
"Israel–Qatar relations Israel–Qatar relations refers to the historic and current bilateral relationship between Israel and Qatar. Qatar established trade relations with the State of Israel in 1996. When Qatar were awarded the right to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup, they stated that Israel would be allowed to compete in the tournament should they qualify. Qatar National Olympic Committee and the State of Israel co-funded the Doha Stadium in the Israeli Arab city of Sakhnin located in the Galilee region of Israel. The stadium was named after the Qatari city of Doha. The decision by the Qataris to build the"
"2017–18 Qatar diplomatic crisis The 2017–18 Qatar diplomatic crisis began in June 2017, when Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt, the Maldives, Mauritania, Senegal, Djibouti, the Comoros, Jordan, the Tobruk-based Libyan government, and the Hadi-led Yemeni government severed diplomatic relations with Qatar and banned Qatar airplanes and ships from entering their airspace and sea routes along with Saudi Arabia blocking the only land crossing. The Saudi-led coalition cited Qatar's alleged support for terrorism as the main reason for their actions, insisting that Qatar has violated a 2014 agreement with the members of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Saudi Arabia"
"blocks. The Qatari peninsula protrudes into the Persian Gulf, north of Saudi Arabia. It lies between latitudes 24° and 27° N, and longitudes 50° and 52° E. Most of the country consists of a low, barren plain, covered with sand. To the southeast lies the Khor al Adaid (""Inland Sea""), an area of rolling sand dunes surrounding an inlet of the Persian Gulf. There are mild winters and very hot, humid summers. The highest point in Qatar is Qurayn Abu al Bawl at in the Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low limestone outcroppings running north-south from Zikrit"
"protected animals and are held in nature reserves. The Arabian gazelle is the only native gazelle species to Qatar and is locally referred to as 'rheem'. Qatar's largest mammal is the dugong. Large numbers of dugong appear north of the peninsula's shores. Qatari waters accommodate one of the largest concentrations of dugong in the world. Two species of fox appear in the country. Sand cats also occur in the desert, and sometimes take over abandoned fox dens. Honey badgers (also known as ratel) appear primarily in the southwest of the peninsula. Golden jackals, a species which was previously thought to"
"the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). It is a member of the Arab League. The country has not accepted compulsory International Court of Justice jurisdiction. Qatar also has bilateral relationships with a variety of foreign powers. Qatar is a strategic ally of China, with relationship between the two countries growing stronger. It also hosts the Al Udeid Air Base, a joint U.S.-British base, which acts as the hub for all American and British air operations in the Persian Gulf. It has allowed American and British forces to use an air base to send supplies to Iraq and Afghanistan. According to leaked"
"for citizens of GCC member state, Bahrain. Qatar does not recognize dual citizenship. Holding another citizenship may lead to the revoking of Qatari citizenship. The person may lose Qatari citizenship in the following cases: Citizens are allowed to voluntarily give up Qatari citizenship. In 2016, Qatari citizens had visa-free or visa on arrival access to 79 countries and territories, ranking the Qatari passport 60th in the world according to the Visa Restrictions Index. Qatars citizens are allowed to enter some of the GCC member states. Prior to 2017, they were allowed in all. Qatari nationality law Qatari nationality law is"