Qatar Basic Facts

In response to the bid to buy Sainsburys, The Telegraph published this Q&A list by Ben Bland

Who lives in Qatar?

The population of Qatar is just 900,000, compared to some 16 million people who walk through the doors of a Sainsbury's store every week. The population is dominated by foreign workers of both the blue and white-collared variety.

Despite being an Arab state, less than half of the population is actually of Arab descent. Around 36pc of the populace is Indian or Pakistani and 10pc is Iranian. This mix has led to some strange anomalies, like the fact that in the 15-64 age bracket, there are 2.2 males for every female.

Qatar's wealth is all based on oil, isn't it?

Yes and no. Like other Gulf states, Qatar exports considerable amounts of oil. But the bulk of its wealth comes from its massive reserves of natural gas, which are the third biggest in the world behind Russia and Iran. Together, oil and gas account for 60pc of GDP.

Why is Qatar investing in British companies?

The Qatari government has built up a giant surplus of around $20bn, according to estimates from HSBC, and is keen to recycle its mountains of gas and petro-dollars into overseas investments.

It is particularly wise to reduce its reliance on energy assets given that they will eventually run out.

Does the UK do a lot of business with Qatar?

Bilateral trade between the two countries is increasing and in 2006, UK exports to Qatar reached £489m, compared to £199m of imports from Qatar. 7,000 British nationals live in Qatar, and around 30,000 visit each year.

Wasn't Qatar part of the British empire?

Indeed. Qatar was a protectorate of the Ottoman empire until the end of the First World War in 1918, when the British took over the "protection" over the state, working alongside the ruling al-Thani family who have been dominant in Qatari politics since the mid-1800s. Qatar became independent from Britain in 1971. The current Emir, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani, ousted his father from power in a bloodless coup in 1995.

What do Qataris do for fun?

Camel racing is the preferred pastime for many - but it's no laughing matter. For many years, Qatar faced widespread criticism from the US State Department and human rights campaigners over the trafficking of children from the Indian sub-continent who were brought to the emirate to be camel jockeys.

Camels do not take kindly to anything other than the lightest of weights being placed between their humps and whipping them - which is why small children were used for so long. The government insists that the practice has now been wiped out with the children replaced by robot camel jockeys.

What about Al Jazeera?

The Qatari government funds Al Jazeera, the sometime-controversial TV news channel that has been attacked by many in the West for its critical and gory coverage of events in Iraq and Afghanistan and the apparent ease with which it obtains videos from Al Qaeda and other terrorist organisations.

But Al Jazeera's new English language station has attracted some of the top talent from the BBC, CNN and Sky since it launched last year and has been winning over fans in the West.