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Qatar imports the majority of its food, although livestock and fruits and vegetables are raised and there is fishing. Oil and natural gas, the mainstays of the economy, account for roughly 70% of the country's export earnings. Although total oil reserves are somewhat modest in comparison to other Persian Gulf countries, Qatar is one of the largest natural-gas producers in the world. The vast North Field gas reserve, an underwater field northeast of the Qatar peninsula, began production in the 1990s. Natural gas, crude oil, refined petroleum, and petrochemicals are produced, and steel, cement, and fertilizers are some of Qatar's developing diversified industries. The country has also become a regional banking center. Native Qataris have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.
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