Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 5% forest and woodland: 0% other: 95%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment:
current issues: limited natural fresh water resources are increasing
dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
natural hazards: haze, dust storms, sandstorms common
international agreements: signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law
of the Sea

Note: strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum
deposits

@Qatar:People

Population: 533,916 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30% (female 81,443; male 80,591)
15-64 years: 68% (female 104,921; male 258,135)
65 years and over: 2% (female 2,941; male 5,885) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.74% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 22.72 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)