Al-Khor Toastmasters
Affiliated to Toastmasters International

Location

The State of Qatar is situated half-way along the west coast of the Arabian Gulf, east of the Arabian peninsula. It is itself a peninsula that extends northward covering an area of 11,437 sq km.

Its territory includes a number of islands in the waters around it. The most well-known of these are the Hawar Islands, Halul which is the export terminal for the offshore oil fields and others

The Economy

Oil and natural gas

The utilization of oil and natural gas along with a group of affiliated and complementary industries constitutes the backbone of the Qatari economy.

The government has pursued a policy of full control, ownership and wise utilization of the country's hydrocarbon resources in the service of national aspirations. In attempting to realize the policy, the government has sponsored development plans and studies relating to the best use of oil revenues. The establishment of economically viable projects and a solid oil-related industrial base has been the aim.

Qatar General Petroleum Corporation (QGPC)

The Qatar General Petroleum Corporation undertakes exploration and production activities through two divisions:

· Onshore -- This division is responsible for production in a single large oil-field, consisting of four major hydrocarbon reservoirs -- three oil bearing and one containing non-associated gas.

· Offshore -- This division is in charge of oil production in offshore oil fields located within the country's territorial waters.

There is also an oil-field, Bunduq, which straddles the marine boundary between Qatar and the UAE and which is owned by both countries in equal shares.

QGPC supervises a number of local industries based on the utilization of gas an oil as well as a number of investments abroad. RasGas is also one of the companies owned by QGPC and is located in the Northern side of Qatar

The North Gas Field Discovered in 1971 in water from 15 to 17 meters deep located north east of the Qatar peninsula, it covers a surface area of about 6000 square kilometers. Its reserves are estimated at about 500 trillion cubic feet and in considered the largest single concentration of natural gas on earth. This discovery propelled Qatar into the top five countries in terms of biggest gas reserves in the world.