Doha (Arabic الدوحة‎, Ed-Doha) is the capital and largest city of the Arab state of Qatar, located off the coast of the Persian Gulf. The administrative center of the municipality of Ed Doha.
In May 2015, Doha was officially selected as one of the “Seven New Wonder Cities”, along with the cities of Beirut, Vigan, Durban, Havana, Kuala Lumpur and La Paz.

Geography
Doha is located in the central-eastern part of the Qatari Peninsula and is washed by the waters of the Persian Gulf in the east.
It borders the municipalities of El Wakrah in the south, Ar Rayyan in the west, Umm Salal in the northwest and Ad Dayyan in the north.
The average altitude in the city is only 3 meters above sea level. Absolute marks exceed marks of 15 meters.
The area of ​​the city is 158.72 km2. Land reclamation near the coast has added about 400 hectares of land and 30 kilometers of coastline to the city area. For example, Hamad International Airport is located on reclamation land attached to the city.
In the center of the bay in front of the city is an artificial island of the Pearl. In addition, off the coast of the city there are islands – Palma, Shrao, El Safiya, Banana and others.
The city also includes the so-called Doha Industrial Zone, located southwest of the main part of the city and is an enclave surrounded by the municipality of Ryan.

Climate
The climate of Doha, like the entire Arabian Peninsula, is extremely hot and tropical desert. The average maximum in the summer months exceeds 40 °C, and the temperature in the shade is often +45 °C or more. The highest temperature was recorded on July 14, 2010 and was +50.4 °C. Precipitation in summer is excluded. In the winter months, the temperature is lower, rare precipitation falls (an average of 76 mm of precipitation falls annually, but in some years there was no precipitation at all). The lowest temperature was recorded on January 24 and 25, 1992 (both times in a row) and amounted to +5.0 °C.

History
Doha was founded in 1850 and was originally called Al Bida. In 1883, the battle of the detachments of Sheikh Kassim against the Turkish army took place here. Ottoman troops were defeated.
In 1916, Doha became the capital of the British protectorate of Qatar, and in 1971, the capital of an independent state.
In 1973 in Doha Qatar University was opened, in 1975 – the Qatari National Museum, in 1996 – the Arabic satellite channel Al Jazeera began broadcasting.
The main street is Al Corniche.

Etymology
The name of the city probably comes from the Arabic word Ad-Dawḥa, which means “big tree”. This may have been a reference to some prominent tree back when small fishing villages were still located on the territory of the modern city.

Demography
The demographic situation in Doha is remarkable in that the majority of the permanent residents of the city are immigrants, while Qataris are a minority. The largest group of emigrants arrived in Doha from South Asia, as well as many immigrants from the Arab Levant and East Asia. Doha has also become a home for emigrants from the USA, France, Great Britain, South Africa, Norway and many other countries. In the past, expats were banned from owning land, but are now allowed to buy land in several areas of Doha, including West Bay Lagoon, the Qatar Pearl and Lusail City.

Culture
Doha is the cultural center of the country. The city is home to the National Museum, the National Library, and the National University. Among the architectural monuments are the Al-Kout fortress (1880s), the Grand Mosque, the government building (1969), the bazaar, the building of the ethnographic museum.

Architecture
Most of the buildings in the old part of Doha were demolished in the 1980s and 1990s to make way for the construction of new buildings. As a result of this, entire movements were launched, calling for the abandonment of the old buildings of the city in order to preserve the cultural identity of Doha.
In 2011, more than 50 skyscrapers were under construction in the city, the tallest of which was the Convention Center Tower, whose height at the end of construction was to be 551 meters. However, in 2012, the construction of the tower was suspended and then curtailed due to concerns that the tower would interfere with the movement of aircraft.
In 2014, the government announced that Qatar would spend $65 billion on new infrastructure projects in the coming years in preparation for the 2022 FIFA World Cup and to achieve the goals set in Qatar’s national strategy for 2030. year.

Sport
In 2000, athletics competitions were held – the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The stage of the Diamond League in athletics is held annually.
In 2006, the Asian Games were held.
The Moto GP stage is held annually at the Losal circuit.
Doha will also host matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.