If you want to say that there are "no poor" countries in the world, I believe that the name "Dubai" may first come to the mind of many people.
Dubai is the shining pearl of the United Arab Emirates, famous for its luxury and prosperity, and the saying that "if you go to Dubai to pick up garbage, you can earn more than 10,000 yuan a month" circulated on the Internet in the early years, which has deepened people's impression of Dubai's wealth collection.
However, despite the huge wealth and many wealthy people in Dubai, there is a huge gap between the rich and the poor in society, and many migrant workers earn less than 2,000 yuan a month.
And Dubai is not a country, it is simply the most densely populated city in the UAE.
Do you know that there is indeed such a country with "no poor people" in the world: 3 hours a day, birth, old age, sickness and death are free, and oil is cheaper than water, and it is also very enthusiastic about Chinese.
The mysterious country of "deep pockets": Qatar
Qatar is a special country that rarely makes a presence on the international stage due to its low political influence, and it wasn't until 2022, when the World Cup was held here, that people began to get to know the country better.
Qatar is located in the northeastern part of the Arabian Peninsula, surrounded by Saudi Arabia and surrounded by the famous Persian Gulf in the southwest.
When they come to this land, many tourists can't help but sigh that all their worries seem to be blown away by the warm desert wind, and Qatar's geographical features are mainly composed of two elements: desert and coast.
It's the perfect destination for beach lovers, with stunning sand dunes and the rolling coastline of the Persian Gulf further west.
With a coastline of 563 kilometers and the sea on three sides, it is a true Gulf country.
The waters of the Persian Gulf, famous all over the world, range in color from deep blue to emerald, sometimes choppy, sometimes as calm as a mirror, this sea is not only a livelihood for fishermen, but also a striking tourist destination.
Due to the predominance of the desert landscape, the local area is not suitable for conventional agriculture, and the climate here is extremely hot, and the summer sun shines on the ground, the temperature exceeds 40 degrees Celsius, and walking barefoot on the beach is simply torture.
Winters are a bit cooler, so many people like to take advantage of the winter in Qatar, the country relies on the tourism industry to bring huge economic benefits, and the locals are very friendly to foreign tourists.
A long time ago, Qatar was an economically backward country, and the locals could only survive by fishing, and rarely interacted with the outside world, but later people gradually realized that communication can promote development, so they opened their doors and the economy slowly recovered.
However, Qatar's economy was single, and even if it opened its doors, it did not develop well, and this situation continued until the end of the 30s of the 20th century, when Qatar discovered oil for the first time in its territory.
At that time, BP cooperated with Arabia to carry out exploration activities in the area, and in 1939, Qatar discovered the first commercial oil well in the Duhat Desert, about 16 kilometers east of Doha, and from then on, the gears of Qatar's fortunes began to turn.
It was named "Well No. 1", and this discovery turned Qatar's economy upside down, and they continued to develop the oil industry and gradually became one of the mainstream oil exporters in the world.
Nowadays, the locals are rich, the roads are lined with world-class luxury cars, people gather in the desert all day to party, and most importantly, there are almost no new energy vehicles here, after all, the price of oil is so cheap.
Qatar has abundant oil and gas resources, with proven natural gas reserves ranking third in the world, oil reserves ranking 13th in the world, and the export oil industry accounts for a large proportion of the country's fiscal revenue.
However, in seemingly wealthy Qatar, there has been a serious problem of water shortage.
Situated on the edge of the Persian Gulf, the country has no large lakes and a large desert area that makes it difficult to store fresh water, but people have been looking for groundwater since the last century.
Qatar has long relied on desalination plants to produce fresh water, but the energy cost of desalination is so high that few countries in the world are willing to do so.
For Qatar, they don't care about the money, which is why they have formed such a comical social scene: in Qatar, fresh water is more precious than gasoline.
Oil and gas export revenues are the main source of revenue for Qatar's finances, so since January 2018, they have implemented the latest tax policy and no longer collect income tax from the people.
It is worth mentioning that this policy is implemented very thoroughly, whether you are an expatriate or a native, there is no income tax, and the welfare system is very well-established.
According to the latest data from the Economic Indicators website, the country with the lowest unemployment rate in the world is Qatar in the Middle East, with only 0.1 percent.
Free education is a major feature of Qatar, from kindergarten to tertiary education, so there is very little illiteracy and a low crime rate, which is of great significance for the future development of the country.
Education in Qatar is almost completely free, in addition to not having to pay for school, the accommodation and food expenses incurred during the school are also reimbursed by special institutions, and the school will also issue scholarships on a regular basis.
The country remains open to the outside world, especially Chinese, who can enjoy a visa-free policy for a long time, and the locals are particularly friendly to the Chinese, and many people are also deeply attracted by this to travel to Qatar.
In Qatar, medical care is also free, every month the government pays money, water, electricity and gas are also free, and the local people are covered by the state for old age, sickness and death, even if they don't do anything, they can receive good benefits every month.
Therefore, the local crime rate is very small, and it is really possible to not leave the road behind and not close the door at night.
I have been to Qatar and say that it is like a miniature global village, where I can interact with people from different countries, see diverse folk cultures, and see the rich and colorful appearance of the world.
It is hoped that this small country in the Middle East will continue to remain a model of human civilization.
Text: Uncle Luo Ying
Edited by Uncle Luo Ying
Resources:
The Paper's report on "Qataris only have to work 3 hours a day?".
Global Zero Carbon reports on "How the real tycoon Qatar was made: it only took 30 years to go from bankruptcy to richest man".