Qatar-Transportation and Telecommunications

In 1993 Qatar had 1,500 kilometers of roads, 1,000 of which were paved and the rest gravel. Most paved highways are centered in the Doha area or radiate from the capital to the northern end of the peninsula, to Dukhan on the west coast, or southwest to the border with Saudi Arabia to connect with the Saudi highway system. Outside the capital and the principal highways, however, large stretches of country are accessible only by vehicles with four-wheel drive.

Facilities for air and water transportation are located in or near the capital. Doha is the main port, having four berths capable of handling ships up to nine meters in draught and five additional berths that can accommodate ships requiring 7.5 meters of water. Forty kilometers south of Doha, Umm Said handles petroleum exports. Doha International Airport, with a 4,500-meter runway, accommodates all types of airplanes. Qatar is part owner of Gulf Air, the flag carrier for Qatar, Bahrain, the UAE, and Oman. Most international air traffic to and from Qatar is shunted through Bahrain, but Gulf Air and a few international carriers offer nonstop service from Doha to other points in the Middle East, South Asia, the Philippines, and France.

Domestic and international telecommunications are excellent. In 1992 Qatar had 110,000 telephones, or twenty-three per 100 inhabitants, a per capita figure higher than many European nations. Radio-relay and submarine cables link Qatar with all the Arab states around the Persian Gulf. Three satellite ground stations, one operating with the International Telecommunications Satellite Organization's (Intelsat) Atlantic Ocean satellite, one operating with Intelsat's Indian Ocean satellite, and one operating as part of the Arab Satellite Communication Organization (Arabsat) system, provide excellent international telephone and data links and live television broadcasts. Seven AM and three FM radio stations have programs in Arabic, French, Urdu, and English. A powerful shortwave station with broadcasts in Arabic and English is heard worldwide.

Data as of January 1993