Land area

11,521 sq km

Population

1,631,728 at end-2009 (Qatar Statistics Authority)

Main towns

Doha (capital), Messaieed and Ras Laffan (industrial cities)

Climate

Summer, hot and humid; winter, mild with minimal rainfall

Weather in Doha (altitude 5 metres)

Hottest months, July-September, when maximum temperature can be 45°C and humidity 85%; coldest months, December-March, average temperature 10-20°C; driest month, August; wettest month, December; annual average rainfall 39 mm

Language

Arabic; English widely used

Measures

UK (imperial) and metric systems

Currency

Qatari riyal (QR) = 100 dirhams. Exchange rate pegged at QR3.64:US$1

Time

3 hours ahead of GMT

Fiscal year

April 1st-March 31st

Public holidays

The dates of Islamic holidays are based on the lunar calendar and are therefore approximate: Eid al-Fitr (end of Ramadan, August 31st-September 3rd 2011); Eid al-Adha (November 6th 2011)

Fixed secular holidays are the Emir's Accession (June 27th); Independence Day (September 3rd); National Day (December 18th)