German Padinger

(CNN Spain) – The futuristic city of Doha, the capital of Qatar, sits on the shores of the Persian Gulf and extends eastward to a desert peninsula, projecting a jungle image of high and sophisticated modern skyscrapers. technology. But it wasn’t always like this.

At the time of its independence, in 1971, nearly 120,000 people lived in Qatar, while today the number stands at nearly three million.

This is what the streets in Qatar looked like before the start of the World Cup

It was a very different Qatar, with small towns in the middle of the desert and a capital that was just starting to grow.

But thanks to oil and gas, the country began a real transformation in the second half of the 20th century that has been emphasized in recent decades.

Qatar painted itself in World Cup colors weeks after the initial whistle 0:42

This is how Qatar went from being a small and poor pearl producer to the energy powerhouse known for its futuristic capital.

Qatari population growth

1,186,023 people currently live in Doha, which is roughly a third of the country’s total, set at 2,985,029 people —mostly migrant workers—, according to official statistics.

But if you count the surroundings, which include the cities of Al Rayyan, Al Wakra, Al Daayen and Umm Slal, the population is just over 2.5 million, that is, almost 85% of the country’s total is concentrated in this coastal region.

Qatar’s population growth has exploded in recent decades. Ten years ago the country’s population stood at 1,836,676 people instead of nearly three million today. And in 2002, two decades ago, the number was nearly 640,872.

A group of men sit in the street outside Doha, Qatar’s capital, in September 1953. (Credit: Keystone Features/Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

Whereas in 1971, at the time of its independence from Britain, there were only 120,000 people in Qatar.

The importance of oil and gas

In the early 20th century, Qatar was an impoverished region, primarily dedicated to the collection and cultivation of pearls, and its trade.

But Qatar’s first oil well was discovered in 1939, and exploitation began in 1949.

In the following decades, especially from the 1950s and 1960s, the country began to grow rapidly thanks to this income, with the majority of its current wealth coming from the South Pars-North Dome Natural Gas Field, located on the Persian Gulf. and share with Iran.

Posters of Cameroonian goalkeeper Andre Onana decorate a building in Qatar’s capital, Doha, on August 16, 2022, ahead of the soccer World Cup. (Credit: MUSTAFA ABUMUNES/AFP via Getty Images)

Following independence and the nationalization of oil—Qatar Petroleum is a state-owned enterprise today—in the 1970s, Qatar’s per capita income was one of the highest in the world.

And today Qatar’s real per capita GDP is around $93,500, according to World Bank data. As such, it would be the sixth richest country in the world, behind Liechtenstein, Monaco, Luxembourg, Singapore and Ireland, according to the CIA World Factbook.

Doha, the city of the future

Qatar’s capital is the most prominent symbol of this exponential growth in wealth and population: in the center of Doha, tall skyscrapers, modern in design and equipped with high technology, mark the pace of the city.

The metro system under the desert in Qatar 1:12

Some of the world’s leading architects – such as Chinese-American Ieoh Ming Pei, who designed the Museum of Islamic Art – have been hired by Qatari firms in recent years to shape the current Doha, which incorporates sustainability into its designs.

Msheireb Properties, for example, is behind the development of the new downtown Doha, a US$5.5 billion investment that seeks to reduce the city’s carbon footprint by minimizing the number of cars and using microclimate effects to keep the city cool. environment.

However, with an economy based on oil and gas extraction, Qatar still has a long way to go in environmental stewardship: the country has one of the largest per capita carbon footprints in the world.

Underground, in addition, the Doha metro circulates: a state-of-the-art driverless transport system that opened in 2019 but is still under construction within the framework of an ambitious regional project.

By reporting from CNN’s Eoin McSweeney

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