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The Epic Interactive Encyclopedia 1998
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Epic Interactive Encyclopedia, The - 1998 Edition (1998)(Epic Marketing).iso
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Qatar
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Country in the Middle East, occupying Qatar
peninsula in the Arabian Gulf, bounded to the
SW by Saudi Arabia and to the S by United
Arab Emirates. government A provisional
constitution adopted 1970 confirmed Qatar as
an absolute monarchy, with the emir holding
all executive and legislative powers. The
emir appoints and heads a council of
ministers. An advisory council of 30 was
established 1972, with limited powers to
question ministers. There are no political
parties. history For early history, see
Arabia. Qatar, which used to be under
Bahrain's control, has had a treaty with
Britain since 1868. It was part of the
Ottoman Empire from 1872 until World War I.
The British government gave formal
recognition 1916 to Sheikh Abdullah al-Thani
as Qatar's ruler, guaranteeing protection in
return for an influence over the country's
external affairs. In 1968 Britain announced
its intention of withdrawing its forces from
the Persian Gulf area by 1981, and Qatar,
having failed in an attempt to form an
association with other Gulf states, became
fully independent 1 Sept 1971. A new treaty
of friendship with Britain replaced the
former arrangements. In 1972, while the emir,
Sheik Ahmad, was out of the country, his
cousin, the crown prince, Sheik Khalifa, led
a bloodless coup; already prime minister, he
declared himself also emir. He embarked on an
ambitious programme of social and economic
reform, curbing the extravagances of the
royal family. Qatar has good relations with
most of its neighbours and is regarded as one
of the more stable and moderate Arab states.