The Unique Country of Qatar Trivia Quiz

Answer: Persian Gulf

Qatar is a small country on the eastern side of the Arabian Peninsula where it juts out into the Persian Gulf. A small strait separates the country of Qatar from the island nation of Bahrain to the north. The country's location on the Persian Gulf has caused much of its culture and industry to be dependent on the waters that surround three sides of the nation.

Answer: Pearl hunting

One of the best places to buy pearls is Qatar. For centuries, pearl diving was one of the main sources of income for this country. There were two diving seasons, the small dive which lasted only 40 days, and the big dive which was a two-month period of pearl harvesting. Both of these occurred between June and September, the dates varying due to weather.

The industry crashed in the 1930s with the advent of Japanese artificial pearls and the discovery of oil. Some very nice pearls are available to tourists who travel to the area and pearl diving boats can still be seen in the waters off the coast, although very few in number.

Answer: The largest open marketplace in the country.

A souq is simply a bazaar or large open marketplace. The Souq Waqif if the oldest and largest souq in the country. Almost anything can be bought here. This location offers open air restaurants, bakeries, jewelers, fresh spices, artwork, household goods, seafood, as well as gold and silver.

There is often the sound of local music being played and the hustle and bustle of hundreds of customers walking around, bartering and bargaining.

Answer: They are robots.

Camel racing is an ancient sport found in many Arabian countries, including Qatar. For many years, small children were used as the jockeys. In 2007, the Emir of Qatar banned child jockeys forever and declared that only robot jockeys would be used. Camel racing is a popular tourist attraction and most large cities in the country have at least one camel racing track.

Answer: True

The country of Qatar has no perennial rivers or permanent lakes. It is one of the driest countries in the world and has suffered for centuries from a lack of access to fresh water. This peninsular country is mostly flat with stony, arid land. Slightly over 1% of the land is arable.

This photo shows one of the many sandstorms that occur in Qatar. Taken by a NASA satellite, this image vividly shows how big these storms can be, especially with no water to help break them up or slow them down.

Answer: Coffee

The drinking of coffee is one of the oldest traditions in the area. Their coffee is considered to be of very high quality, is usually spiced with cardamom and often served with dates. They use small, thimble-like cups and coffee drinking is acceptable at home, work, in public, basically anywhere but temple. Visitors are usually greeted with coffee and small cakes. Qahwa helw is a very fine coffee that is drunk on special occasions.

It is a sweet coffee with an orange color, the flavor is enhanced with saffron, cardamom, and sugar.

Answer: Oud

The oud can be seen heard over the country of Qatar. The oud is one of the oldest string instruments in the world. Many of today's modern musical instruments are thought to be offspring of this music maker, including the mandolin, lute and guitar. The oud has a round-backed body with a peg box that is bent back. Because this instrument has no frets, players are able to produce the slide notes and vibrato that is so characteristic of the music in Qatar.

It can be plucked or played with a bow, adding to the wide variety of sounds it can produce.

The other three options are percussion instruments native to the African continent.

Answer: Palm Tree Beach

Umm Bab is an unusual beach in Qatar and is also known as Palm Tree Beach. This is due to a small cluster of palm trees on the beach. Palm trees are not commonly found on the beaches of Qatar. The beaches of Qatar are some of the favorite spots for visiting tourists. Umm Bab is unique, as it is the only beach in the country where lots of palm trees grow.

Answer: Doha

Rapid modernization of Qatar occurred after the country declared independence from Great Britain in 1971. Using the new-found wealth brought in by the discovery of the world's largest natural gas field, the capital city of Doha exploded. It has one of the most unusual skylines in the world.

Many think that their skyline is an architectural masterpiece containing multiple unique buildings. At the turn of the 21st century, multiple skyscrapers had been built and multiple ones were under construction.

Answer: Motorcycle racing

The Lusail International Circuit is home to Grand Prix motorcycle racing, one of the most popular sports in Qatar. It has been the location for the FIM MotoGP, and the FIM World Superbike World Championships. Most of the races are held at night when the outdoor temperature is a little more comfortable.