Doha

Doha (Arabic: الدوحة, romanized: ad-Dawḥah [ædˈdæwħæ,-ˈdoː-]) is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor and Lusail, it is home to most of the country's population.[1] It is also Qatar's fastest growing city, with over 80% of the nation's population living in Doha or its surrounding suburbs, known collectively as the Doha Metropolitan Area.[2]

Doha was founded in the 1820s as an offshoot of Al Bidda. It was officially declared as the country's capital in 1971, when Qatar gained independence from being a British protectorate.[3] As the commercial capital of Qatar and one of the emergent financial centers in the Middle East, Doha is considered a beta-level global city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network. Metropolitan Doha includes parts of Al Rayyan such as Education City, an area devoted to research and education, and Hamad Medical City, an administrative area of medical care. It also includes Doha Sports City, or Aspire Zone, an international sports destination that includes Khalifa International Stadium, Hamad Aquatic Centre; and the Aspire Dome.

The city was host to the first ministerial-level meeting of the Doha Development Round of World Trade Organization negotiations. It was also selected as host city of several sporting events, including the 2006 Asian Games, the 2011 Pan Arab Games, the 2019 World Beach Games, the FINA World Aquatics Championships, the FIVB Volleyball Club World Championship, the WTA Finals and most of the games at the 2011 AFC Asian Cup. In December 2011, the World Petroleum Council held the 20th World Petroleum Conference in Doha.[4] Additionally, the city hosted the 2012 UNFCCC Climate Negotiations and the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[5] The city will host the 2027 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

The city also hosted the 140th Inter-Parliamentary Union Assembly in April 2019 and hosted the 18th yearly session of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in 2012. Doha has been named as the second safest city in the world in the Numbeo Crime Index by City 2021.[6] The index tracks safety in 431 cities.[7]