Qatar is largely barren, flat desert. Water is scarce, and
agriculture is minimal. Once a nomadic society, Qatar now has
little rural population. Doha, the main urban center, is on the
eastern coast of the peninsula. About 40% of the inhabitants are
Sunni Arabs of the Wahhabi sect of Islam. There are Christian
and other minorities. Other ethnicities include South Asians,
Iranians, and Palestinians. Less than one fifth of the
population are native Qataris; most of the workers associated
with the important oil and gas industries are foreigners. Arabic
is the official language, although English is widely used. Qatar
imports the majority of its food. Agriculture is limited to
fruits, vegetables, and livestock, and there is some fishing.
Oil and natural gas, the mainstays of the economy, account for
roughly 85% of the country's export earnings. Although total oil
reserves are somewhat modest in comparison to other Persian Gulf
countries, Qatar is one of the largest natural-gas producers in
the world. The vast Nort