Doha, population 400,051, is the capital of Qatar.
Doha is located in the Ad Dawhah municipality, sometimes also known as the capital municipality.
The city is Qatar's largest city, with over 80% of the population residing in Doha or its suburbs, and is the economic centre of the country.
Doha is home to the Education City, an area devoted to research and education.

History

In 1850, the city of Doha was founded under the name Al-Bida.
In 1882, al Rayyan built the Al Wajbah fortress, in southwestern Doha.
The following year, Sheikh Qassim led a Qatari army to victory against the Ottomans.
The city was made capital of the British protectorate of Qatar in 1916, and when the nation gained independence in 1971, Doha remained the capital of Qatar.
In 1917, the Al Kout fortress, which is located in the center of the city, was built by Sheikh Abdulla Bin Qassim Al-Thani.
In 1949, oil exportation began in Qatar. Today the nation as a whole produces over 800 000 barrels of oil daily. In 1969, the Government House opened.
Today it is considered to be Qatar's most prominent landmark.
In 1973 the University of Qatar opened, and in 1975 the Qatar National Museum opened in what was originally the ruler's palace in 1912.
The Al Jazeera Arabic satellite television news channel began broadcasting in 1996, with headquarters and broadcast center in Doha.
Today, Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al-Thani currently rules in what some consider to be Qatar's most beautiful city.

Economy

Much of Qatar's oil and natural gas wealth is visible in Doha, which is the economical centre of Qatar.
Doha is home to the headquarters of the country's largest oil and gas companies, including Qatar Petrolium and RasGas.
Doha's economy is built on the revenue the country has made from its oil and natural gas industries, and the Qatari government is rapidly trying to diversify the Qatari economy in order to move away from this dependence on oil.
As a result, Doha is currently experiencing a very large boom, with the city developing very rapidly - this is mostly the result of Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa's modernization program.
Like the nearby city of Dubai in the United Arab Emirates, Doha's economy is moving away from its dependency on the oil and natural gas industries, although unlike Dubai, Doha's main focus is not tourism.
Doha is seeing huge amounts of growth, with the population of the city increasing by more than 60,000 between 2004 and 2006; this has caused a boom in the real estate sector, with real estate prices skyrocketing.