LYCOS RETRIEVER
Qatar: Saudi Arabia
built 658 days ago
Qatar is a peninsula, 11437 sq. km in area, that projects from the Arabian mainland. It is approximately 160 km in length and 80 km in width at its widest point. Overall, the country is very flat, rising to only 110 m at its highest point, and the land mass largely consists of scrubby desert terrain, covered in sand and loose gravel. The country is largely formed of limestone deposits and clays, laid down in various geologically defined areas. A broad North-South arch dominates the structure of the land, with the Dukhan anticline to the west, while the coastal areas are mostly characterized by salt flats, with an area of high sand dunes in the southeast. Lying in the path of strong prevailing south-easterly winds, the peninsulas owes many of its features to wind erosion, in addition to significant fluctuations in the level of the sea-bed.
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Apart from its wider oil interests, Qatar has focused its foreign policy largely on Persian Gulf affairs, seeking to maintain close and friendly relations with the other traditional, dynastic Arab states. Two long-standing and contentious border disputes, with Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, were resolved peacefully in 2001. Hamad has pursued a more active and independent foreign policy than did his deposed father. Qatar agreed to the deployment on its soil of U.S. and other non-Arab military forces during the Gulf Crisis in 1990 and 1991, and its troops participated in the fighting to liberate Kuwait. In the wake of increased U.S. military activities in the region after 11 September 2001 and the reluctance of Saudi Arabia to accede to U.S. military requests, Qatar permitted the construction of a large airbase called al-Udayd where U.S. command and control facilities and other assets were transferred from Saudi Arabia in 2002 and 2003 during the U.S. buildup for its war on Iraq.
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In 1981, Qatar joined neighboring countries in the formation of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) to strengthen economic relations among the participating nations. The country's stability was threatened by the Iran-Iraq War throughout the 1980s. Territorial disputes with Bahrain over the Hawar Islands and gas fields in the separating sea erupted in 1986, and there were armed clashes with Saudi Arabia in 1992 over their common border. These disputes were not completely settled until 2001.
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Qatar covers a peninsula on the Persian Gulf on Saudi Arabia's eastern coast. Qatar is mostly desert, with negligible rainfall, but irrigation allows many fruits and vegetables to be grown. Large oil and natural gas reserves provide the major source of foreign trade. The Arab Qataris live in great wealth, but the Asian population lives in poverty.
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Qatar is on the northeast coast of the large Arabian Peninsula, an emirate state in the Middle East. A once fishing and pearling village before the oil discover on 1940s. Qatar transformed a crude millionaire, brought the country a high standard of living. The shining blue waters of the Arabian Gulf, and the sandy desert surroundings provide the experiences await you. Possible for the warm-water skiing, kayaking, adventure by the desert safari... visit Oryx farm for a rare specie of goat inspection, discover historical museums, state-of-the-art sporting facilities, or go shopping extravaganza combined with fine dining and luxurious accommodations.
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Qatar permitted the international forces to use Qatar as a base during the 1991 Persian Gulf War. A border dispute erupted with Saudi Arabia that was settled in Dec. 1992. A territorial dispute with Bahrain over the Hawar Islands remains unresolved.... In 1994, Qatar signed a defense pact with the U.S., becoming the third Gulf state to do so.
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