The Londoner

Qatar   is located in Western Asia , occupying the small QatarPeninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula . Its sole land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf . A strait of the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island state of Bahrain. Qatar has been ruled as an absolute and hereditary emirate by the Al Thani family since the mid-19th century. Formerly a British protectorate noted mainly for pearl hunting, it became independent in 1971. Since then, it has become one of the region's wealthiest states due to its enormous oil and natural gasrevenues . In 1995, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani became Emir when he seized power from his father, Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani, in a peaceful coup d'état.  The most important positions in Qatar are held by the members of the Al Thani family, or close confidants of the al-Thani family. Beginning in 1992, Qatar has built int