Qatari Riyal - The Currency of Qatar

Qatari Riyal or QAR is the official currency of the State of Qatar issued by the Central bank of Qatar. 1 Qatari Riyal or 1 QAR is divided into 100 dirhams or DHs. The Banknotes of Qatari Riyal are available in 1,10,50,100 and 500 QAR notes and the coins in 25 and 50 dirhams.

Images of Qatari Riyal and dirhams.

The Qatari Coins

Qatari Riyal 1

Qatari Riyal 5

Qatari Riyal 10

Qatari Riyal 50

Qatari Riyal 100

Qatari Riyal 500

The exchange rate of 1 USD is approximately 3.6 QAR. Click here to go back to Qatar Guide.

Qatar Flag - The Flag of Qatar

Qatar flag is maroon with a broad white serrated band on the hoist side having nine white points.

• Qatar flag has undergone many changes since 1949 and current pattern is adopted on 9th July 1971.
• The flag proportion is 11:28 and often used as 2:3 or 2:5.
• The approximate color value for Maroon: Pantone 222 c / CMYK (%) C 0 - M 100 - Y 15 - K 60
• At first glance, the flag of Qatar will appear almost similar to the flag of Bahrain, but you can easily distinguish as their color and proportions are different. Flag of Bahrain uses red instead of maroon with a proportion of 3:5. This similarity shows the intertwined history.

Qatar Facts & Figures

Qatar Facts & Figures - A Complete Factsheet

Country Name: State of Qatar (دولة قطر )
Nationality: Qatari

Official Language: Arabic
Other Languages: English (Commonly used as a second language), Hindi, Malayalam
Ethnic Groups: Arab 40%, Indian 18%, Pakistani 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%

Capital: Doha
Cities: Doha, Dukhan, Al-Khor, Al-Shamal, Umm Saeed (Masaeed), Al-Wakra
Administrative Divisions: 10 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batinah, Madinat ash Shamal, Umm Saeed (Masaeed), Umm Salal

Currency: Qatari Riyal (QAR)
GDP per Capita: $87,600
Exchange Rate: 1 QAR = 0.272 USD (approx); 1 USD = 3.66 QAR (approx)

Flag: Maroon with a broad white serrated band on the hoist side having nine white points
Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Time Zone: UTC+3

National Holidays: Independence Day 3rd September (1971), National Day 18th December
National Anthem: As Salam al Amiri

Government Type: Emirate (Monarchy)
Legal System: Islamic law or Sharia is followed for personal and family matters and the civil code for other matters; discretionary system of law controlled by the Amir
Political Parties: None

Population: 824,789 (July 2008 est.)
Area: 11,437 sq km
Costline: 563 km

Main Airport: Doha International Airport
Ports & Harbours: Doha, Ras Laffan, Umm Saeed (Masaeed)
Driving: On right

Telecom & ISP: Qatar Telecom (Q-Tel)
International Dialing Code: +974
Internet Country Code: .qa

Electricity: 220-240 V
Video System: PAL

Natural Resources: Natural gas, Petroleum, Fish, Pearl

Please refer to the Qatar Guide for detailed information.

Detailed Map of Qatar - Road Map - Interactive Travel Map

Detailed map of Qatar includes the detailed road map which can be used for your travel needs in Doha Qatar, and an interactive Google satellite map to have an ariel view of the country.

Use the navigation controls on the top left corner which will guide you through Qatar, once you double click on a certain area of the map it'll be zoomed to give you a better view.

Detailed Road Map of Qatar

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Detailed Satellite Map of Qatar

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Living in Qatar

Living in Qatar is totally different and enjoying than living in anywhere else in the Middle East. I've been here for some years and I found some interesting ways to make my living better, hope my findings will help you too to have a better living in Qatar. There are several things someone has to know if he is planning to move to Qatar.

Government & Legal System
Basically Qatar is an emirate, ruled by an Emir of Al-Thani family and follows the Islamic law or Sharia for the personal and family issues and the civil code for the other issues. These days there is no religious police available in the state. Qatar is popular for its very low crime rate, but these days there is a slight increase in the crime rate and its completely controlled by the police system wide spread across the country.

Dress Code
There is no specific dress code in Qatar you can find people wearing shorts, sleeveless shirts, mini or short skirts, pyjamas, sari, etc, and you will find most of the Qatari ladies are wearing black abaya and the Qatari gents are wearing white long dress called Thoub, with a white scarf like hair covering called Gitrah and a black band known as Ogal.

Entertainments
During weekend you can do lots of things to have the fun of living here. I have specified those in detail in the following blog entry named Entertainments in Qatar. Try that link to enjoy your stay. :)



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National Anthem of Qatar - As Salam al Amiri

As Salam al Amiri is the national anthem of Qatar written by Sheikh Mubarak bin Saïf al-Thani and it was first performed in 1996 for the reception of GCC leaders during the 17th GCC Summit held in Qatar.

In Arabic	In English	Translation
قسما بمن رفع السماء	qasaman biman rafa' as-sama'	Swearing by God who erected the sky
قسما بمن نشر الضياء	Qasaman biman nashraz ziye'	Swearing by God who spread the light
قطر ستبقي حرة تسمو	Qataron satbaqa x.auratan Tasmu	Qatar will always be free
بروح الاوفياء	birux.i l-aufie'	Sublimed by the souls of the sincere
سيروا على نهج الأولى سيروا	Siru' 'ala nuhaj ilu Siru'	Proceed thou on the manners of the ascendants
وعلى ضياء الانبياء	va 'ala t'aya' il ithbaya'	And advance on Prophet's guidance
قطر بقلبي سيرة	Qat.arunai biqalbi sirat	In my heart,
عز وأمجاد الإباء	'azul amjaad ul-'iba	Qatar is an epic of glory and dignity
قطر الرجال الاولين	Qat.arunai i-rijaal al-'awain	Qatar is land of the early men
حماتنا يوم النداء	aumatnu yaum al-nida'	Who protect us in time of distress,
وحمائم يوم السلام	Wax.amaymunai yaum as-salam	Doves they can be at times of peace,
جوارح يوم الفداء	Jawarix.a yaum al-fida'a	Warriors they are at times of sacrifice
قسما قسما	Qasaman Qasaman	(repetition)
قسما بمن رفع السماء	qasaman biman rafa' as-sama'	Swearing by God who erected the sky
قسما بمن نشر الضياء	Qasaman biman nashraz- ziye'	Swearing by God who spread the light
قطر ستبقى حرة تسمو	Qataron satbaqa x.auratan Tasmux	Qatar will always be free
بروح الأوفياء	birux.i l-aufie'	Sublimed by the souls of the sincere

Entertainments in Qatar

The entertainment and leisure options are little bit limited in Qatar, when you compare to the other modern cities. The main time pass for the local people is to sit in a traditional Arab coffee shop like the ones in the Irani Souq and enjoy smoking shisha or sipping Turkish coffee with friends. Some Qataris are so much fond of horse and camel race and Qatar is having a high class Horce Racecource near the Aspire Academy in Al-Rayyan area, and a Camel racecource somewhere in Shahaniya.

The local ladies spends their time by doing lots and lots of shopping, and some more shopping.

The new generation guys and gals are enjoying their weekends by throwing party, and by dancing in the night clubs, where you can just dance and have some bear or something. These night clubs and bars are located in high class Hotels. Some of them used to conduct various DJ programs and comedy shows. Some guys and teens enjoy playing the pool table, located almost all commercial streets, bowling and ice skating in City Centre.

If you are a rich guy who likes to have adventures, then there are plenty of opportunities waiting for you. As three sides of Qatar is surrounded by the Persian Gulf, you may do maritime activities like Jetskiing, waterskiing, diving, sailing, parasailing, etc.

The average expats and almost everyone in Qatar spends their some of time in Corniche, as an average most of the people here used to visit the Corniche at least once in a while. During normal climate the Corniche becomes very rush. The ministries and the govt organizations conduct most of the festivals and the celebrations in the Corniche. Also there are some parks available for the children and the family near to it. In Corniche you can find some traditional wooden boats for a quick voyage over the sea.

Qatar is having a number of cinemas, which you can find independently and also attached with the major shopping centres like City Centre, and Mall. These cinemas show Arabic, Hollywood, and Bollywood movies. The Gulf cinema and the Doha Cinema located near the Najma traffic signal is famous for the Indian movies in Hindi (Bollywood), Malayalam and Tamil languages; they also show the Arabic movies. In addition to these, there is a national theatre in Qatar which sometimes hosts some plays.

Some people go to the farms, owned by Qatari families, located in Shahaniya, Shamal areas and spends some hours by moving around the vegetables and cattle; and its a very good entertainment and you'll definitely love this as you can't find another greenish place in this desert area.

Aladdin Kingdom is an amusement park located in West bay, and its a good place for families to entertain. It offers plenty of rides for the kids and the adults. Including Alladin, most of the parks in Qatar is open to all on all days, except some days are reserved for the ladies and some days for the families. So be aware of it, also dont try to take the photos of ladies which may put you in some serious trouble.

Qatar Information

This fact sheet provides some useful information on Qatar

• Dawlat Qatar or the State of Qatar is a peninsula located in the Persian Gulf having its land border shared with the Saudi Arabia.
• Qatar is enriched with natural gas and oil, which makes it one of the fastest growing economy in the world.
• Qatar is having the third largest natural reserve and its the top liquefied natural gas (LNG) exporter in the world.
• Qatar is an emirate and ruled by an Emir from the Al-Thani family.
• Qatar became independent on 3rd September 1971 from UK.
• Qatar is having the highest per capita income in the world.
• The 15th Asian Games, Doha 2006 was held in Qatar with athletes from 45 countries and Qatar became the 9th in the medal count.

Where is Qatar

I used to hear from the people outside asking where is Qatar? Qatar is a relatively smaller peninsula located in the Middle East bordering with the Persian Gulf and the Saudi Arabia. It's geographic coordinates are 25 30 N, 51 15 E. Its a peninsula of having a total area of 11,437 sq km.

The following detailed Google map of Qatar best describes Qatar's location on the globe. You may use the Navigation Controls on the top left corner to explore Qatar virtually.


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Qatar Guide

QatarGuide or Qatar Guide is your complete guide to Qatar. Here you'll find the whole information you need either to visit Qatar or to enjoy your living in Qatar.

The Qatar Guide is designed to help you to find the information you need in a fast way and I'll try to keep only the relevant information on Qatar which includes the location and a detailed map of Qatar.

There are plenty of entertainments available in Qatar for your pleasant stay, enjoy them and dont forget to post your opinions and comments so that I can make this blog better and reliable for everyone.

If you like to post your experiences in Qatar, please contact me by dropping a comment.