13 October 2026
HH the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani spoke at the opening of the Shura Council's second ordinary session of its second legislative term.
The session coincided with the Council's 55th annual session.
He said the country has projects and investment opportunities valued at approximately QAR 221 billion over the next five years.
The portfolio includes infrastructure projects such as public-private partnerships, and private-sector investment in real estate and hospitality.
He said the direction set out in the Third National Development Strategy is sound.
Projects and opportunities:
QAR 221 billion
Period:
next five years
Framework:
Third National Development Strategy
Why it matters for exams: Qatar's five-year investment pipeline and the Third National Development Strategy are the kind of economy facts asked in Country Focus and Gulf-economy questions.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
PPP Public-private partnership — A way of building infrastructure in which the state and private firms share the work and risk.
13 October 2026
The Amir said Qatar supplies approximately one-fifth of the world's liquefied natural gas trade.
The closure of the Strait of Hormuz and direct damage to some energy facilities in Ras Laffan Industrial City disrupted a significant part of exports.
The impact was mainly in the energy sector, while non-hydrocarbon sectors kept growing.
They contribute approximately 80% of real GDP, which he cited as evidence of the economy's resilience.
The state, with the private sector, diversified supply routes and secured essential goods and strategic reserves.
Share of world LNG trade:
approximately one-fifth
Non-hydrocarbon share of real GDP:
approximately 80%
Why it matters for exams: Qatar's LNG share and the weight of non-hydrocarbon output in GDP are core economy facts for Gulf-focused questions.
UPSCSSCBank
In plain words
LNG Liquefied natural gas — Natural gas cooled into liquid form so ships can carry it across oceans.
Real GDP Real gross domestic product — GDP measured after removing the effect of price changes.
14 October 2026
Qatar is chairing the fourth and final Inter-regional Preparatory Meeting for the ITU Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 (PP-26).
The chair is Eng. Ahmad bin Abdulla AlMuslemani, President of Qatar's Communications Regulatory Authority and Chair-Designate of PP-26.
PP-26 is set for 9 to 27 November 2026 at the Doha Exhibition and Convention Center.
Held every four years, it is ITU's principal governing body, with 194 Member States.
It elects ITU's five top officials and 48 Member States to the ITU Council.
Conference dates:
9 to 27 November 2026
ITU Member States:
194
Council seats:
48
Why it matters for exams: ITU is a UN specialised agency, and Qatar hosting its main governing conference links an international body to a Country Focus fact.
UPSCSSC
In plain words
ITU International Telecommunication Union — The UN specialised agency for information and communication technologies.
PP-26 Plenipotentiary Conference 2026 — ITU's principal governing conference, held every four years.
13 October 2026
The Amir spoke at the opening of the Shura Council's 55th annual session.
He said the security of the region and the world is interconnected.
He described the security of GCC states and the protection of their sovereignty and stability as non-negotiable.
He called for redoubled efforts to secure navigation in the Gulf and the Strait of Hormuz, and to protect energy and water facilities and civil infrastructure.
Qatar will keep working with its GCC partners and international and regional partners.
Stance on GCC security:
non-negotiable
Session:
55th annual session of the Shura Council
Why it matters for exams: The GCC is Qatar's key regional grouping, and the Strait of Hormuz is the Gulf's most asked chokepoint.
UPSC
In plain words
GCC Gulf Cooperation Council — A regional grouping of six Arab states of the Gulf, of which Qatar is a member.
11 October 2026
Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs, Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi, and Saudi Energy Minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman Al Saud signed the MoU in Riyadh.
It was signed on the sidelines of the 17th International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting, part of Riyadh Energy Week.
It covers oil and gas, refining and petrochemicals, electricity, clean hydrogen, renewables, energy efficiency and storage, and carbon capture and emissions reduction.
It enters into force once legal procedures are concluded in both countries.
Signed for Qatar:
Saad Sherida Al-Kaabi
Venue:
Riyadh
Forum:
17th International Energy Forum Ministerial Meeting
Why it matters for exams: A bilateral MoU between two Gulf energy producers, with the signatories, venue and entry-into-force clause, is a typical factual question.
UPSC
In plain words
MoU Memorandum of Understanding — A document recording an agreement to cooperate, which can set a framework without being a full treaty.
Background
Al Zubarah Archaeological Site was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 2013 under criteria (iii), (iv) and (v). It is a walled coastal town on the Persian Gulf that flourished as a pearling and trading centre in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, founded by Utub merchants from Kuwait. At its height it traded high-value goods, above all pearls, with the Indian Ocean, Arabia and Western Asia. Al Zubarah was mostly destroyed in 1811 and finally abandoned in the early twentieth century, and only a small part of it was resettled in the late nineteenth century. UNESCO describes it as the only remaining complete urban plan of an Arabian pearl-merchant town. A short distance away stand the remains of the fort of Qal'at Murair, which shows how the desert's water supplies were managed. The inscribed property covers 415.66 hectares with a buffer zone of 7,196.4 hectares, and only a small part of the site has been excavated.
Year of inscription:
2013
Criteria:
(iii)(iv)(v)
Property area:
415.66 ha
Buffer zone:
7,196.4 ha
Mostly destroyed in:
1811
Nearby fort:
Qal'at Murair
Why it matters for exams: Al Zubarah is the one entry an examiner can use to ask about Qatar's World Heritage, and the 1811 destruction, the 2013 inscription and the fort of Qal'at Murair are the details that separate a prepared candidate.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Pearling — The diving for and trade in natural pearls that was the main livelihood of the Gulf coast before oil.
Buffer zone — The protected area around a World Heritage property that shields it from damaging change.
Background
Qatar is a peninsula on the Arabian Gulf whose terrain is desert and beach. Its capital is Doha — in Arabic ad-Dawha, which means 'the big tree' — and the city too stands on the coast. The Qatar Atlas of the National Planning Council puts the total land area of Qatar at approximately 11,636.8 square kilometres, a figure calculated from the total zone area for the census of 2020. The peninsula lies between latitudes 24° 27' and 26° 10' North and longitudes 50° 40' and 51° 40' East. Arabic is the official language of the country and Islam is its official religion, with Shari'a, Islamic law, as the principal source of legislation. The ruling line is the Al Thani family: Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani, named as the founder of the State of Qatar, took over the affairs of the country after his father died on 18 December 1878, and the present ruler, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, assumed his duties as Amir on 25 June 2013.
Capital:
Doha (in Arabic ad-Dawha, 'the big tree')
Total land area:
approximately 11,636.8 sq km (from the total zone area for census 2020)
Official language:
Arabic
Official religion:
Islam
Principal source of legislation:
Shari'a (Islamic law)
Founder of the State of Qatar:
Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed bin Thani; took over after his father's death on 18 December 1878
Present Amir:
Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, from 25 June 2013
Why it matters for exams: Capital, official language, area and the source of legislation are the standard first-line facts an examiner asks about any Gulf country, and the 11,636.8 sq km area and the 1878 succession of Sheikh Jassim are the details that separate Qatar from its neighbours.
Kerala PSCUPSCSSC
In plain words
Shari'a — Islamic law, which the Qatar Atlas names as the principal source of legislation in Qatar.
Arabian Gulf — The sea arm between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran, on which the Qatar peninsula sits.
Background
Qatar's vast natural gas reserves are primarily in the giant offshore North Gas Field, known as South Pars, which is located on Iran's side of the Persian Gulf. The U.S. Energy Information Administration, citing the Oil & Gas Journal, records that Qatar holds 11% of the world's proved natural gas reserves and almost 30% of the Middle East's reserves. Qatar was one of OPEC's longest-standing members and left the organization in January 2019, saying it wanted to shift resources away from oil to natural gas. Qatari gas moves by pipeline as well as by ship: the country's exports include gas carried through the Dolphin Pipeline to the United Arab Emirates and Oman, and in 2021 Qatar shipped 2.04 billion cubic feet per day (Bcf/d) through that pipeline. Between 2011 and 2021 its natural gas export capacity remained unchanged at 13.3 Bcf/d. In its brief of August 2023 the EIA reported that state-owned Qatar Energy planned to raise export capacity in stages to 19.7 Bcf/d once six new liquefaction trains linked to two new North Field LNG export terminal projects entered commercial service, with the major North Field expansion expected to be completed by 2028. Crude oil is the smaller side of the story: Qatar's crude oil production fell 18% between 2012 and 2017 and has been relatively flat since, hovering around 600,000 barrels per day.
Main gas field:
North Gas Field (offshore); known as South Pars on Iran's side of the Persian Gulf
Share of proved natural gas reserves (Oil & Gas Journal):
11% of the world's; almost 30% of the Middle East's
Left OPEC:
January 2019
Dolphin Pipeline:
To the United Arab Emirates and Oman; 2.04 Bcf/d in 2021
Gas export capacity, 2011 to 2021:
unchanged at 13.3 Bcf/d
Planned export capacity (EIA, August 2023):
19.7 Bcf/d after six new liquefaction trains; North Field expansion expected complete by 2028
Crude oil production:
around 600,000 barrels per day, after an 18% fall between 2012 and 2017
Why it matters for exams: Qatar's departure from OPEC in January 2019 is a standard trap in questions that list OPEC members, and the North Gas Field shared with Iran as South Pars is the single geographic fact behind Qatar's economy.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
Bcf/d Billion cubic feet per day — The unit in which daily flows of natural gas, such as pipeline shipments and export capacity, are measured.
LNG train Liquefied natural gas train — One complete processing line at a plant that chills natural gas into liquid form for shipping.
OPEC Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries — A group of oil-exporting states that coordinates petroleum policy among its members.
Background
The Embassy of India in Doha describes the Indian community in Qatar as around 830,000 strong and vibrant, and records that Indians comprise the largest expatriate community in Qatar. India's diplomatic relations with Qatar were established in 1973, and the year 2023 marked the 50th anniversary of that event; the relationship was elevated to a strategic partnership during the State Visit of the Amir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, to India in February 2025. Energy is the spine of the relationship. Qatar is the largest supplier of LNG to India, which took 10.86 million tonnes of it for US$ 5.61 billion in FY 2025-26, and Qatar is also India's largest supplier of LPG. A long-term LNG sale and purchase agreement was signed in February 2024, during the visit of Qatar's Minister of State for Energy Affairs to India Energy Week; the deal stipulates 7.5 MMTPA of supply by QatarEnergy to Petronet LNG for 20 years starting from 2028. In FY 2025-26 India's bilateral trade with Qatar stood at USD 13.91 billion, made up of Indian exports of USD 1.62 billion and imports of USD 12.29 billion, and in FY 2024-25 it was almost the same at USD 14.14 billion. Hydrocarbons dominate that trade: at US$ 10.81 billion in FY 2025-26 they accounted for 77.71% of overall bilateral trade. Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid an official visit to Qatar on 14-15 February 2024, his second visit to the country.
Indian community in Qatar:
around 830,000; the largest expatriate community in Qatar
Diplomatic relations established:
1973; the 50th anniversary was marked in 2023
Strategic partnership:
elevated during the Amir's State Visit to India, February 2025
LNG from Qatar (FY 2025-26):
10.86 million tonnes for US$ 5.61 billion; Qatar is India's largest LNG supplier
QatarEnergy - Petronet LNG agreement (February 2024):
7.5 MMTPA of LNG for 20 years starting from 2028
Bilateral trade:
USD 13.91 billion in FY 2025-26 (exports 1.62, imports 12.29); USD 14.14 billion in FY 2024-25
Hydrocarbon share of trade (FY 2025-26):
US$ 10.81 billion, 77.71% of overall bilateral trade
Why it matters for exams: Kerala sends a very large share of the Indian workforce in Qatar, and the community size, the Petronet LNG contract and the bilateral trade figure are the numbers an examiner uses to test the India-Qatar relationship.
Kerala PSCUPSCBank
In plain words
MMTPA Million metric tonnes per annum — The unit in which long-term LNG supply contracts state their yearly volume.
Sale and purchase agreement SPA — The contract that fixes the volume, price basis and duration of an energy supply deal.
Background
Qatar is a peninsula on the western coast of the Arabian Gulf.
It is approximately 100 km wide and 200 km long.
Its islands include Halul, Shirawa and Al-Ashat.
Qatar shares its southern border with the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
It joined the United Nations in 1971.
Width:
approximately 100 km
Length:
200 km
Southern neighbour:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Joined the UN:
1971
Why it matters for exams: Location, size, neighbours and islands are standard country-profile questions, and the Saudi land border is the usual one asked.
UPSCSSC