Qatar, with its capital Doha, is located in the Middle East. It occupies 11,437 square miles (4,415 square miles) on a peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia. Qatar's population numbers some 817,052 people, most of whom live in the cities. Ninety-five percent of the population is Muslim. Foreigners outnumber Qatari nationals. The Qatar Peninsula is hot and dry desert land, with very warm summers and mild winters.

Qatar has been ruled as an emirate since the mid-1800s by the al-Thani family, who settled in the region after coming from Najd, Saudi Arabia. It came under British protection in the early twentieth century. After failed negotiations to form a federation with Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, Qatar became independent on September 3, 1971. The emir at independence was Ahmad bin Ali al-Thani (1917–1977), who was ousted in a bloodless coup in 1972 by Khalifa bin Hamad al-Thani (b. 1932). On January 27, 1995, while out...