Marhaba
One week in the country and my head is still spinning. Take a guy who spent half his life in New Mexico, the second half in Hawaii, and toss him in this melting pot of a middle eastern country. A few facts about Qatar
† 2.1 million people, with only about 20%Qatari. The rest are expatriates and literally come from every corner of the globe. Arab 40%, Indian 18%, Pakistani 18%, Iranian 10%, other (that would be me)14%
† Over 75% of the population is male, mostly young men coming to earn money to send to families back home. Average age 31 years old. Yet, 98% of the population is literate, the average life expectancy is over 78 years and the average school expectancy is over 14 years!
† Not surprising, the religious breakdown is Muslim 77.5%, Christian 8.5%, other (includes mainly Hindu and other Indian religions) 14% and while the official language is Arabic, most everyone is pretty fluent in English.
† The temperature has been very pleasant, in the mid 70's, for me, but the summer can be brutally hot (over 120 with 50 - 70% humidity) and winters can even be a little chilly (dipping into the low 50's at night)
Aside from the dizzying array of nationalities, languages and cultures, the main thing that strikes you about Doha, is its rapid growth. Huge construction projects are literally everywhere and they go on 24/7. The city is growing before my eyes!
Doha 1988
That same Skyline over the past 5 years.
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