Doha
| Doha الدوحة |
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| West Bay at night | |
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| Coordinates: {{#invoke:Coordinates|coord}}{{#coordinates:25|17|12|N|51|31|60|E|type:city | |
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| name= }} | |
| Country | Qatar |
| Municipality | Ad Dawhah |
| Established | 1850 |
| Area | |
| - City | 132 km² (51 sq mi) |
| Population (2004)[1] | |
| - City | 339,847 |
| - Density | 2,574/km² (6,690/sq mi) |
| - Metro | 612,707 |
| Time zone | AST (UTC+3) |
Doha (Arabic: الدوحة, transliteration: Ad-Dawḥah or Ad-Dōḥah) is the capital and largest city of Qatar. With over 80 percent of the nation's population residing in Doha or its surrounding suburbs, and is also the economic center of the country. Doha is home to the Education City, an area devoted to research and education, was the site of the first ministerial-level meeting of the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organization negotiations, and held the world's largest 2006 Asian Games.
Geography
The name "Doha" came from the Arabic ad-dawha, "the big tree." The reference is to a prominent tree that must have stood at the site where the original fishing village arose, on the eastern coast of the Qatar peninsula.
The city is located on the east coast of the Qatar peninsula, on a shallow bay about three miles (5km) from east to west. Its climate is very hot, with temperatures averaging over 104°F (40°C) from May to September, although during cool winter nights the temperature sometimes drops below 45°F (7°C). Humidity is variable. Dewpoints can reach above 25°C in the summer, when the city averages almost no precipitation, and less than an inch (25mm) during other months.[2] Rainfall is scarce (average 70mm per year), falling on isolated days mostly between October to March. Qatar has limited natural fresh water resources and has increasing dependence on large-scale desalination plants.
History
Like the other Arab emirates on the Persian Gulf, including Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar has been inhabited for millennia, and was part of the Persian Empire and Persian Gulf trade route connecting Mesopotamia and the Indus Valley. Mostly, the arid climate fostered only short-term settlements by nomadic tribes. Clans such as the Al Khalifa and the House of Saud (which would later ascend thrones of Bahrain and Saudi Arabia respectively) swept through the Arabian Peninsula and camped on the coasts within small fishing and pearling villages. In the 1760s, members of the Al-Khalifa of the Utub tribe migrated from Kuwait and central Arabia and established a pearling and commercial base at Zubarah in the north of Qatar.
A small village used as a port for Persian Gulf pirates activity, possibly founded by Sudanese refugees from Abu Dhabi, and located in the northwest of the city, was named Al-Bidain 1850.
During the 19th century, when the British sought out Qatar and the Persian Gulf to help their colonial interests in India, the Al Khalifa clan reigned over the northern Qatari peninsula from the nearby island of Bahrain to the west. In 1867, during a war between Qatar and Bahrain, in which Abu Dhabi was helping Bahrain, Doha was severely damaged.
In 1868, at the request of Qatari nobles, the British negotiated the termination of the Al Khalifa claim to Qatar, except for the payment of tribute. The British installed Muḥammad ibn Thani Al Thani, the shiekh of Doha, as the ruler of Qatar.[3] Piracy was reduced.
The tribute ended with the occupation of Qatar by the Ottoman Turks in 1872, when the Al Khalifa family moved to Bahrain. In 1882, al Rayyan built the Al Wajbah fortress, in southwestern Doha. The following year, Sheikh Qassim led a Qatari army to victory against the Ottomans.
Qatar became a British protectorate in 1916, and Doha was made capital. In 1917, Sheikh Abdulla Bin Qassim Al-Thani built the Al Kout fortress in the center of the city.
Still, early during the 20th century, much of Qatar's economy depended on fishing and pearling, Doha had about 350 pearling boats but after the introduction of the Japanese cultured pearls in the 1930s, the whole region including the town of Doha suffered a depression and Qatar became a poor country and plunged into poverty.
Oil was discovered there in the late 1930s, but the exploration and exportation was halted until after the Second World War (1939-1945), leading to economic transformation of Qatar. Prosperity enabled modernization of Qatar. Doha's slums were cleared, and replaced with modern commercial and residential buildings. In 1969, the Government House opened.
In September 1971, Qatar became independent, with Doha the capital. In 1973 the University of Qatar opened, and in 1975 the Qatar National Museum opened in what was originally the ruler's palace. The Al Jazeera Arabic satellite television news channel began broadcasting in 1996, with headquarters and broadcast center in Doha.
Government
Qatar is an emirate in which the chief of state is the emir, an inherited position. The head of government is the prime minister. A unicameral Advisory Council, or Majlis al-Shura, comprises 35 members who are appointed. No legislative elections have been held since 1970. Twenty nine members are elected to the Central Municipal Council, which has limited consultative powers aimed at improving the provision of municipal services. The first election for the municipal council was held in March 1999, followed by elections in April 2007.
The city of Doha, which is the capital of Qatar, is coterminous with the municipality of Dawhah, which also includes an enclave in the Al Rayyan municipality, in which the Industrial Area is located, south of Doha. For statistical purposes, the municipalites are further subdivided into zones, which are in turn subdivided into blocks.
Economy
Ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. Qatar was, in 2007, in the midst of an economic boom supported by its expanding production of natural gas and oil. Economic policy was focused on development of Qatar's non-associated natural gas reserves and increasing private and foreign investment in non-energy sectors. These enabled Qatar to attain a per capita income estimated at $80,900 in 2007 — the highest in the world.
Much of Qatar's oil and natural gas wealth is visible in Doha, which is the economic centre of Qatar. Doha is home to the headquarters of the country's largest oil and gas companies, including Qatar Petroleum, Qatargas and RasGas. Doha was developing rapidly - mostly the result of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa's modernization program.
In the past, expatriates in Qatar were not allowed to own land. However, now people who are not Qatari citizens can buy land in several areas of Doha, including the West Bay Lagoon, the Qatar Pearl and the new Lusail City. Ownership by foreigners in Qatar entitles them to a renewable residency permit, which allows them to live and work in Qatar.
An increase in the city's population of more than 60,000 between 2004 and 2006 this has caused a boom in the real estate sector, with real estate prices skyrocketing. This has led to projects such as the Lusail City project, which is being constructed north of Doha and will eventually house 200,000 people. Construction is also booming in Doha, a result of increasing corporate and commercial activity in Doha; this is most visible with the changing skyline of the city, as Doha has over 50 towers currently being constructed, the largest of those being the Dubai Towers. While 39 new hotels are joining Qatar's booming tourism market, adding about 9000 new rooms by 2009.
With the main mode of transport being the car, Doha has an excellent road network for private cars and taxis. There is an extensive bus system, but there was no metro system operating in 2008.
The Doha International Airport, Qatar's only international airport, is the hub of Qatar Airways. A new airport, the New Doha International Airport, was under construction east of the current airport, and was expected to have a capacity of 50 million passengers upon completion in 2015. The Doha Port is located just off the Doha Corniche. It's location in central Doha brings traffic and pollution problems, so a new port is planned.
Demographics
Doha recorded a population of 400,051 in the 2005 census,[4][citation needed] Each month tens of thousands immigrate to Qatar and it is estimated that within a few years the population will reach one million. [5] The population in 1986 was 217,294. Due to the high influx of incoming residents, there is a shortage of housing.
The demography of Doha is unusual in that the majority of residents are expatriates, with Qatari nationals forming a minority. The largest portion of expatriates in Qatar are from South Asian countries, mainly India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, with large numbers of expatriates also coming from the Levant Arab countries, Egypt, North Africa, and East Asia. Doha is also home to expatriates from the United States, Canada, France, South Africa, United Kingdom, Norway, and many other countries. Forty percent of Qatar's population were Arab in 2004, 18 percent Indian, 18 percent Pakistani, 10 percent Iranian, and others made up 14 percent.
Arabic is the official language, while English is commonly used as a second language.
Even though the official religion is Islam, the Emir allocated land in 2006 and 2007 to build churches. In March 2008, the first Catholic Church was opened, however out of respect for locals, Christian symbols are not displayed publicly. Five other churches were under construction. Muslims made up 77.5 percent of Qatar's population in 2004, Christians 8.5 percent, and others 14 percent.
Education has been a focus of the Qatari government. In addition to Qatar University, established in 1973, the government has solicited other universities to establish campuses in Doha, most notably at Education City. These include: Virginia Commonwealth University, Cornell University, Texas A&M University, Carnegie Mellon University, Georgetown University School of Foreign Service, Northwestern University, College of the North Atlantic, CHN University, University of Calgary, and Qatar Leadership Academy.
Doha is also home to many international schools established for its expatriate communities, such as Qatar Academy, Qatar International School, The American School of Doha, Doha College, DeBakey High School for Health Professions, The Qatar Canadian School, and The MES Indian School.
Sports
Doha is home to a number of sports stadiums, many of which were renovated in preparation for the 15th Asian Games, held in December 2006, which Doha spent $2.8-billion for preparation. Doha also hosted the 3rd West Asian Games in December 2005. Doha is also expected to host the 2011 Asian Indoor Games; Doha will also host the finals for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. Qatar is aiming to be the region's sports capital.
Sports venues in Doha include: Hamad bin Khalifa Stadium, Thani bin Jassim Stadium, Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium (Al Sadd Stadium), Al Rayyan Stadium, Al-Arabi Stadium, Hamad Aquatic Centre, Khalifa International Stadium (the main venue for the 2006 Asian Games), the Khalifa Tennis Stadium, and the Qatar Sports Club Stadium.
ASPIRE Academy, launched in 2004, is a sports academy which aims to create world-class athletes. It is situated in the Sports City Complex, which also includes the Khalifa International Stadium, the Hamad Aquatic Centre and the Aspire Tower. The MotoGP motorcycling grand prix of Doha is held annually at Losail International Circuit, located just north of the city.
Under-construction is the Wall Stadium, which would become the world's largest underground stadium, dwarfing the Fjellhallen ice-hockey arena in Norway, and would be the main venue for the 2011 Asian Cup. Doha submitted a bid for the 2016 Olympics. On June 4, 2008, the city was eliminated from the shortlist for the 2016 Olympic Games.
Gallery
The City Centre mall
- Doha Skyline.jpg
Skyline of Doha
- Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium.jpg
Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium
An evening view of the Doha Corniche
- Museum panoramic.jpg
Doha Museum
A panoramic view of the Doha Corniche
The Museum of Islamic Arts
Al Qutaifiya Lagoon (West Bay Lagoon) near Doha Golf Club
- Movenpick Hotel.JPG
Movenpick Hotel
- Early morning fishermen out on the Corniche.JPG
Early morning fishermen
Good Morning Doha
- Constructing Doha's skyline.JPG
Doha's developing skyline
- Sunrise on the Skyline.JPG
Sunrise on the skyline
- Welcome to Doha sunrise.JPG
Sunrise on the Corniche
Notes
Further reading
- Crystal, Jill. 1990. Oil and politics in the Gulf rulers and merchants in Kuwait and Qatar. Cambridge Middle East library, 24. Cambridge [England]: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 0521366399
- Ferdinand, Klaus, and Ida Nicolaisen. 1993. Bedouins of Qatar. New York, NY: Thames and Hudson. ISBN 0500015732
- Field, Michael. 1985. The merchants the big business families of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States. Woodstock, NY: Overlook Press. ISBN 0879519711
- Koolhaas, Rem. 2007. The Gulf. Baden: Lars Muller. ISBN 9783037780886
- Peck, Malcolm C. 1997. Historical dictionary of the Gulf Arab states. Asian historical dictionaries, no. 21. Lanham, Md: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 0810832038
- Trench, Richard. 1994. Arab Gulf cities. [Slough]: Archive Editions. ISBN 9781852075408
External links
- Encyclopaedia Britannica Doha Retrieved September 13, 2008.
- World Fact Book 2008 Qatar Retrieved September 13, 2008.
- Google map site and directory Doha dohamap.info, retrieved September 13, 2008.
- Doha thepersiangulf.org, retrieved September 13, 2008.
- Qatar Vision Retrieved September 13, 2008.
- History of Doha Retrieved September 13, 2008.
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- Mapping from Multimap or GlobalGuide or Google Maps
- Satellite image from WikiMapia
- Mapping from OpenStreetMap
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