Geography

According to Cachedhealth, the Qatari Peninsula protrudes 160 kilometers (100 mi) 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, sand -covered plain. To the southeast is the Khawr al Udayd (“Inland Sea”), an area of ​​rolling sand dunes that surrounds a gulf of the Persian Gulf. There are mild winters and very hot and humid summers.

The highest point in Qatar is Qurayn Abu al Bawl at 103 meters (338 ft) in Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low limestone outcrops running north to south from Zikrit through Umm Bab to the border South. The Jebel Dukhan area also contains Qatar ‘s main oil fields, while natural gas fields lie offshore in the northwest of the peninsula.

Biodiversity and environment

Qatar signed the Rio Convention on Biological Diversity on 11 June 1992 and became a party to the convention on 21 August 1996. It subsequently developed a national biodiversity strategy and action plan, which was received by the convention in 18 May 2005. A total of 142 fungal species have been recorded from Qatar. A book recently produced by the Ministry of Environment documents the lizards known or believed to occur in Qatar, based on surveys by an international team of scientists and other collaborators.

According to the Global Atmospheric Research Emissions Database, carbon dioxide emissions per person average over 30 tons, one of the highest in the world. Qataris are also some of the biggest consumers of water per capita per day, consuming around 400 litres.

In 2008, Qatar released its National Vision 2030, which highlights environmental development as one of the four main goals for Qatar over the next two decades. The National Vision is committed to developing sustainable alternatives to petroleum-based energy to preserve the local and global environment.

Climate

The dry subtropical climate does not allow for much cultivation, apart from those existing in the oases located along the coast. Dates are grown in oases.

Economy

Since the discovery of crude oil in the 1940s, and especially after the 1950s, Qatar’s economy has been based predominantly on the production and export of this resource. The economy’s vulnerability to oil price fluctuations, as well as limited oil resources, have changed the government’s outlook, with Qatar beginning to exploit significant natural gas reserves, as well as promoting investment in non-oil sectors of the economy. Natural gas resources place Qatar third in the world, after Russia and Iran.

The huge reservoir of non-associated gas in the north continues to attract major investors from developed countries. The “North” gas field of Qatar was discovered in 1971 and constitutes the largest reservoir of unassociated natural gas in the world; the discovered reserves are valued at approximately 164 billion barrels of crude oil, which represents 20% of the world total and expresses the sufficiency of production in the field over a period of 200 years. The Northern Field covers an area of ​​6,000 km2, which is subscribed, for the most part, to the territorial waters of the State of Qatar.

Qatar has consistently recorded one of the highest growth rates in the world in recent years, reaching 26.1% in 2007. The rapid growth of the economy, compared to a population of about 180,000 Qataris, has made the State of Qatar have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world. In 2013, according to the CIA World Factbook, Qatar was ranked 9th in the world by GDP per capita, and about 14% of families were millionaires. In June 2013 the unemployment rate in Qatar was 0.1%.

Business travel and work in Qatar

Romanian citizens cannot enter the territory of the State of Qatar on the basis of a temporary passport, because the Qatari authorities do not recognize it as a travel document.

The entry visa (work permit) for people from Romania employed with a work contract in Qatar is obtained, in advance, by the Qatari employer, based on the documents requested from the future Romanian employee (curriculum vitae, copy of the Romanian passport, record certificate judicial, medical certificate).

The gainful activity for foreigners is regulated by the Labor Law, the employee being obliged to strictly comply with the contractual conditions.

Leaving the country by the foreign employee or changing the place of work in Qatar can only be done with the written consent of the employer.

Tourism

The most important attraction of Qatar is the “Pearl Island” which can be reached in just five minutes by boat. Bordered by fine sandy beaches, the island is an oasis of tranquility. Tourists and locals rent traditional boats or relax in the sun, in cafes by the sea or in restaurants with a marine specialty.