Qatar - Population & Resources

Doha, Qatar

Manhattan,NY,New York.

By Maha Khalid
development, population, investment, institutions, transport.

These thematic maps represent various data sets found on the state of Qatar.

The country gained its independence from Britain in 1971 and with the growth of the population and economy the capital city Doha underwent a rapid phase of urbanization. To analyze its population the country began its first census in 1986. The data that was compiled for creating these maps uses the results from these censuses and other information gathered from the state initiated Development Atlas. Below are the first set of choropleth maps with the total population per census.

Due to the rapid jumps in the population and the country’s growth patterns, the classes within each legend could not be applied throughout all maps. To provide some context regarding these outliers, the country houses the U.S Air Force in a military base southwest of Doha. This may account for the 2660% increase in population from 2010 to 2015. However the military base is just north of this district and therefore geographically not within that boundary. Also in 2010, there was a rapid increase in population within Ras Laffan which is an industrial hub located 80km north of Doha. This port is the largest artificial harbor in the world and the contains the world’s largest LNG export facility. The labor camps in this area accommodate the employees and staff who work in these facilities.

As the country’s population growth increased exponentially, by 2015 you can see a general decrease in residents living around the capital city’s eastern coastline as this area became developed for commercial, public and governmental use.

Population per district (2004)(2010)(2015)

Population per change

Population Change

This growth in population is attributed to the oil and gas sector and the revenues generated by it. As the economy grew so did its reliance on imported labour as Qatari’s only make up approximately 10% of the total population. To shift its reliance on this extractive economy, the country is using its sovereign wealth fund to make domestic and foreign investments in other sectors. The following map looks at the investments made in Manhattan within the past decade. Tracking these transactions were done through searching articles which were linked to state owned companies or government officials.

Qatar Investments

Another long-term strategy by the the government to further diversify the economy is to invest in the knowledge sector. While investment data is not available on this topic, the government planning website provides information on all the different schools operating within the country. As Qatar is a conservative country, mosques are considered a resource in the development of society.

Mosques & Schools

Qatar Resources

The last map created is for the Doha Metro which will be operational by the end of the year. There are currently no published interactive maps of the stations and lines this metro will operate in. By using a static map found on the company’s website, the stations have been georeferenced on their corresponding lines in the map.

Doha Metro