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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
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