Formerly a British protectorate, Qatar has been a hereditary monarchy since gaining independence on 3 September 1971. The Constitution, which came into force only on 8 June 2004, provides for a Consultative Assembly of 45 members (30 elected by direct suffrage, 15 chosen by the Emir), but the nation’s first elections have been postponed several times; the power of Qatar is concentrated in the hands of the Emir: there are no political parties. The foreign policy established by the emirate, autonomous and in good rapport with Iran, causes frequent tensions with other countries in the region.

Population by age and gender (% - 2020)
	75+ 60-74 45-59 30-44 15-29 0-14
MALE	AGE	FEMALE

The percentage of immigrant population, mostly from India, is one of the highest in the world. Most workers come to the country to do manual labour; this creates a clear conflict with the native population.

Agriculture is only possible due to artificial irrigation and plays a marginal role (dates, fruits and vegetables). Some animal husbandry is present (cattle, sheep, camels) as well as fishing. The main resources are oil and natural gas, that latter of which is extracted mostly from the world’s largest gas field, located off the northern coast of the country and owned in partnership with Iran. Natural gas is then liquefied in Ra’s Lafān. Oil refineries can be found in Ra’s Lafān and Musay’īd, which also has an aluminium foundry; cement factories can be found at Umm Bāb and Musay’īd. The country is a major exporter of helium, extracted from natural gas in Ra’s Lafān. Al Jazeera, the Arab world’s most important television broadcaster, is based in Doha. Favourable tax laws attract financial and high-tech investment from abroad. A large part of the mining industry is reinvested in wide-ranging infrastructural projects. In 2014 the new airport of the capital came into operation, and in 2019 an extensive underground subway was inaugurated. A new port near Musay’īd, south of Doha, has been active since 2015.