Qatar

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Qatar fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. 🇧🇭 Bahrain1867 to 1868

   Bahrain's Al Khalifa rulers claim the Qatar peninsula. In 1867, with Abu Dhabi, they sack Doha and Wakra, and the Qataris strike back. Britain imposes peace in 1868, treating Qatar as separate for the first time.

2. 🇹🇷 Ottoman Empire1871 to 1915

   The Ottomans post a garrison in Doha in 1871 and try to tighten their grip on taxes and appointments. Jassim bin Mohammed defeats their troops at Al Wajbah in 1893, and the garrison leaves in 1915.

3. 🇧🇭 Bahrain1937 to 2001

   The neighbours quarrel over Zubarah, taken by Qatar in 1937, and the Hawar Islands, awarded to Bahrain in 1939, and clash briefly over a shoal in 1986. In 2001 the International Court of Justice gives Zubarah to Qatar and Hawar to Bahrain.

4. 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia1992 to 2001

   A deadly clash at the al-Khufus border post in 1992 strains relations. An agreement mediated by Egypt that December, and final maps signed in 2001, settle the land border between the two kingdoms.

5. 🇸🇦 Saudi-led bloc2017 to 2021

   Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties in June 2017, accusing Qatar of backing extremists and courting Iran, and close its only land border. Qatar refuses their demands, and the Al-Ula declaration of January 2021 ends the blockade.

Today

Qatar now

Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar within the last 60 years transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant hydrocarbon revenues.

Capital

Doha

Government

absolute monarchy

Head of government

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani

Head of state

Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani

Languages

Arabic

Area

11,637 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population3.0 million2023 · 24,300 in 1950
• Life expectancy82.4 years2023 · 50.8 years in 1950
• GDP per person$149,1712022 · $48,436 in 1950
• Living in cities99%2025 · 30% in 1950
• Literacy99%2024 · 8% in 1950
• Political regimeClosed autocracy2025 · Closed autocracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
• Military spending6.5% of GDP2022
• War deaths0.2 per 100,0002025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 24 October 2026.