Plant and animal life Vegetation is found only in the north, where the country’s irrigated farming areas are located and where desert plants blossom briefly during the spring rains. Fauna is limited, and the government has implemented a program to protect the Arabian oryx, Qatar’s national animal. People Ethnic groups and languages Qatar was originally settled by nomads from the central part of the Arabian Peninsula. Qatari citizens, however, constitute only a small portion—roughly one-ninth—of the total population today. Economic growth beginning in the 1970s created an economy dependent on foreign workers—mostly from , , and Iran—who now far outnumber nationals. Few Qataris retain a nomadic lifestyle. is the official language, and most Qataris speak a dialect of Gulf Arabic similar to that spoken in surrounding states. Modern Standard Arabic is taught in schools, and English is commonly used. Among the large expatriate population, Persian and Urdu are often spoken. Religion Doha, Qatar: Fanar, Qatar Islamic Cultural CenterFanar, Qatar Islamic Cultural Center, Doha, Qatar.(more)Doha, QatarA minaret and houses in the capital city of Doha, Qatar.(more)Islam is the official religion, and Qataris are largely Muslims. There is a small minority. The ruling (Āl Thānī) adheres to the same interpretation of Islam as the rulers of Saudi Arabia, though not as strictly. Women, for example, have greater freedom in Qatar than in Saudi Arabia. The non-Qatari population has a more diverse religious makeup, with Muslims, Christians, and Hindus constituting the largest religious groups. Settlement patterns Qataris are largely urban dwellers; less than 1 percent of the population lives in rural areas. Doha, on the east coast, is Qatar’s largest city and commercial center and contains about half of the emirate’s population. It has a deepwater port and an international airport. The main oil port and industrial center is , to the south of Doha on the eastern coast. Al-Rayyān, just northwest of Doha, is the country’s second major urban area. These three cities and many smaller settlements are linked by roads. Of the many islands and coral reefs belonging to Qatar, Ḥālūl, in the Persian Gulf 60 miles (97 km) east of Doha, serves as a collecting and storage point for the country’s three offshore oil fields., Qatar, [a] officially the State of Qatar, [b] is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf., Qatar is an independent emirate on the west coast of the Persian Gulf. It has one of the world’s largest reserves of petroleum and natural gas and employs large numbers of foreign workers in its production process. The country is ruled by the Thani dynasty, and its capital is the eastern coastal city of Doha..