Qatar

A country of eastern Arabia on a peninsula in the southwest Persian Gulf. A traditional monarchy, it was under British protection from 1916 until 1971, when it became independent. Oil was first produced commercially in 1949, and its production still dominates Qatar's economy. Ethnic Qataris, Arabs of the Wahhabi sect, make up a quarter of the population, with the rest being immigrants and guest workers primarily from other Muslim countries. Doha is the capital and the largest city. Population: 907,000.