Qatar is an independent state in the Southern Arabian Gulf surrounded by Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Iran. The country is situated midway along the western coast of the Arabian Gulf. Qatar’s area is 11,437 square kilometres, projecting northward about 160 kilometres into the Gulf. The coastline is 563 kilometres long and bounds the country to the west, north and east. Qatar is a member of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), a political and economic union involving six Arab states along the Persian Gulf. The objectives of this union are the formulation of similar regulations and policies in various fields such as economy, finance, trade, customs and tourism.

Qatar’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth confirms its status as one of the fastest growing economies in the world with an average growth of 19.88% over the past four years (2006-2009). Economic diversification has become the cornerstone of the Qatari economy with the non-oil and gas sector overtaking the oil and gas sector for the first time in 2009, and also with the gas sector overtaking oil as the single largest contributor to the economy. The non-oil and gas sector accounted for 48% of overall GDP in 2009, with the oil and gas sector accounting for 52% of overall GDP, according to data released by the Qatar Statistics Authority.