It is easy for Welsh visitors to reach
Fun-loving, down-to-earth Cardiff couldn’t be more different from futuristic, oil-rich Doha. But since May 2018 the two cities have been linked with a daily flight, courtesy of Qatar Airways. Do the rugby-mad residents of the Welsh capital long to explore the souks and skyscrapers of Doha? Are Qatari businesses itching to invest in South Wales? We can only wonder.
Qatar
WRITTEN BY: Jill Ann CrystalJohn Duke Anthony
LAST UPDATED: Jan 11, 2020 See Article History
Alternative Titles: Dawlat Qatar, State of Qatar
Qatar, independent emirate on the west coast of the Persian Gulf.
Occupying a small desert peninsula that extends northward from the larger Arabian Peninsula, it has been continuously but sparsely inhabited since prehistoric times. Following the rise of Islam, the region became subject to the Islamic caliphate; it later was ruled by a number of local and foreign dynasties before falling under the control of the Āl Thānī (Thānī dynasty) in the 19th century. The Āl Thānī sought British patronage against competing tribal groups and against the Ottoman Empire—which occupied the country in the late 19th and early 20th centuries—and in exchange the United Kingdom controlled Qatar’s foreign policy until the latter’s independence in 1971. Thereafter, the monarchy continued to nurture close ties with Western powers as a central pillar of its national security. Qatar has one of the world’s largest reserves of petroleum and natural gas and employs large numbers of foreign workers in its production process. Because of its oil wealth, the country’s residents enjoy a high standard of living and a well-established system of social services.
Explore journey 