emirate · Arabia and the Gulf

State of Qatar

1971 CE – present · capital Doha

Independent Qatar since 1971, whose vast gas reserves made it one of the world's richest states and an outsized diplomatic and media power.

Origins

When Britain withdrew from the Gulf, the Sheikhdom of Qatar chose not to join the United Arab Emirates and became independent on 3 September 1971. In February 1972 Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani deposed his cousin Ahmad and took power.

Rule and society

Qatar is an absolute monarchy of the Al Thani with an advisory council. The North Field, the world's largest gas field shared with Iran, made it a leading exporter of liquefied natural gas from the 1990s. Hamad bin Khalifa, who displaced his father in 1995, founded Al Jazeera in 1996, hosted a large US air base and pursued an independent foreign policy. Most residents are foreign workers.

To the present

Tamim bin Hamad succeeded his father in 2013. Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt blockaded Qatar from 2017 to 2021, and in 2022 it hosted the FIFA World Cup.

Lineage

Sheikhdom of Qatar 1868 CE – 1971 CEState of Qatar

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). State of Qatar. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-qatar
MLA
“State of Qatar.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-qatar. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “State of Qatar.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-qatar.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘State of Qatar’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/state-of-qatar (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻