Qatar

The Gulf of Bahrain (Arabic: خليج البحرين, romanized: Khalīj al-Baḥrayn) is an inlet of the Persian Gulf on the east coast of Saudi Arabia, separated from the main body of water by the peninsula of Qatar. It surrounds the islands of Bahrain. The King Fahd Causeway crosses the western section of the Gulf of Bahrain, connecting Saudi Arabia to Bahrain.

Doha (/ˈdoʊhɑː/; Arabic: الدوحة, romanized: ad-Dawḥah [ædˈdæwħæ,-ˈdoː-]) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population. It is also Qatar's fastest growing city, with over 80% of the nation's population living in Doha or its surrounding suburbs, known collectively as the Doha Metropolitan Area.

Doha was founded in the 1820s as an offshoot of Al Bidda. It was officially declared as the country's capital in 1971, when Qatar gained independence from being a British protectorate. As the commercial capital of Qatar and one of the emergent financial centers in the Middle East, Doha is considered a beta-level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Metropolitan Doha includes parts of Al Rayyan such as Education City, an area devoted to research and education, and Hamad Medical City, an administrative area of medical care. It also includes Doha Sports City, or Aspire Zone, an international sports destination that includes Khalifa International Stadium, Hamad Aquatic Centre; and the Aspire Dome.

The House of Thani (Arabic: آل ثاني, romanized: Āl Thānī) is the ruling family of Qatar, with origins tracing back to the Adnanite Banu Tamim tribe. Currently, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and his mother Moza bint Nasser lead the house.

Officially, the House of Thani rules Qatar as a constitutional monarchy, but the wide powers retained by the emir and his family have it bordering an absolute monarchy and autocracy.

Mohammed bin Thani (Arabic: محمد بن ثاني; c. 1788 – 18 December 1878), also known as Mohammed bin Thani bin Mohammed Al Thamir (Arabic: محمد بن ثاني بن محمد آل ثامر), was the first ruler from the House of Thani to rule the whole Qatari Peninsula, officially being recognized by the British in September 1868 following a meeting with British representative Lewis Pelly. He is known for being the father of Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani, the founder of Qatar and who fended off the Ottoman army in the late 19th century.

The Prime Minister of the State of Qatar (Arabic: رئیس الوزراء القطري) is the head of government of Qatar, and technically the second most powerful official in the country after the Emir, who in practice holds all power and authority.

Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, the Emir of Qatar since the coup d'état of 1972, was the first holder of this position from its establishment in 1970. He served as prime minister until the coup of June 1995, when he was deposed by his son Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani.

The Cabinet of Qatar is the chief executive body of the State of Qatar, presided over by the prime minister, and executing the will of the emir, who acts as absolute monarch.

As of 2025, there are 19 cabinet ministers, with Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani acting as both prime minister and minister of foreign affairs.

The Consultative Assembly (Arabic: مجلس الشورى القطري, romanized: Majlis as-Shura; also known as the Shura Council) is the unicameral legislative body of the State of Qatar. During its first and last elections in 2021, it consisted of 45 members, made up of 30 elected representatives and 15 appointees of the Emir, but as of 2024 it has gone back to all 45 members being directly appointed by the emir. The body can call a vote of no confidence against the appointed Prime Minister, though this requires a two-thirds supermajority, which is also necessary to oppose legislative action carried out by the Prime Minister.

General elections were held in Qatar for the first time on 2 October 2021 to elect 30 of the 45 seats in the Consultative Assembly. The elections had originally been scheduled for the second half of 2013, before being postponed in June 2013 until at least 2016. In 2016 they were postponed again. Finally, in November 2020, Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani pledged to hold the election in October 2021.

In a 2024 referendum future elections were abolished, making this the only legislative election in Qatar's history for the foreseeable future.

A referendum took place in Qatar on 5 November 2024 regarding the new revisions to the 2004 constitution. Some of the changes included strengthening the role of the emir and abolishment of the elections to the Consultative Assembly, with its members being appointed instead. The referendum results were be legally binding.

Piracy in the Persian Gulf describes the naval warfare that was prevalent until the 19th century and occurred between seafaring Arabs in Eastern Arabia and the British Empire in the Persian Gulf. It was perceived as one of the primary threats to global maritime trade routes, particularly those with significance to British India and Iraq. Many of the most notable historical instances of these raids were conducted by the Al Qasimi tribe. This led to the British mounting the Persian Gulf campaign of 1809, a major maritime action launched by the Royal Navy to bombard Ras Al Khaimah, Lingeh and other Al Qasimi ports. Some critics of the historical narrative, such as Sharjah ruler Sultan bin Muhammad Al Qasimi in his book The Myth of Piracy in the Gulf, argue that the allegations of piracy were exaggerated by the East India Company to cut off untaxed trade routes between the Middle East and India.

Piratical activities were common in the Persian Gulf from the late 18th century to the mid-19th century, particularly in the area known as the Pirate Coast which spanned from modern-day Qatar to Oman. Piracy was alleviated from 1820 with the signing of the General Maritime Treaty, cemented in 1853 by the Perpetual Maritime Truce, after which the Pirate Coast began to be known by the British as the Trucial Coast (present-day United Arab Emirates).