GULF REGION

• Officially Established on 26 May 1981

• Aim of GCC :To promote coordination between member states in all fields in order to achieve unity.

• In 1991 it joined with Egypt and Syria to create a Regional Peacekeeping Force.

• In 2003 Tariffs on trade between member nations was eliminated and established Common External Tariffs .

• In 2008 Gulf Common Market was established.

• By 2010 they are aiming to establish a Broader Economic union (including a single market and currency)

Map of the countries comprising GCC(in green) Map of the countries comprising GCC(in green)

Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC)

GCC COUNTRIES

•Saudi Arabia• Kuwait• Bahrain• Qatar•Sultanate of Oman • United Arab Emirates

•Abu Dhabi •Dubai.•Sharjah.•Ajman.•Umm Al Qaiwain.•Ras Al Khaimah .•Fujairah

NON GCC COUNTRIES

•Algeria•Djibouti•Egypt•Iraq•Jordan•Lebanon•Libya•Mauritania•Morocco•Sudan•Syria•Tunisia•West Bank/Gaza•Yemen

Climatic Conditions of Gulf• Saudi Arabia :one of the driest countries in the

world. with rainfall averaging is less than 5 inches per year.

• Bahrain : Most of the year the climate is very hot and also very humid because of the Arabian gulf sea surrounding the Island

• Kuwait :Little rainfall, high temperatures and lots of sunshine.

• U.A.E : Climate is subtropical. Rain occurs in winter and amounts to 13cm a year only.

• Oman: Climate is very complicated. Hot and dry in the interior, hot and humid along the coast. Rainfall throughout the country is minimal, averaging only about 4 inches (100 mm) per year, although precipitation in the mountains is heavier.

Environment of Gulf

• Saudi Arabia: Most known type of animal’s

are Falcon’s Camels, different types of Lizards

& Snakes.

• Bahrain : Tubli bay in the eastern part of the

island holds the vast of the mangroves

• Kuwait :Camels are likely to find in the Kuwait

desert, although the camel has been

domesticated it is a natural Arabian Species

• Oman: Over thirteen types of whales and

dolphins are found in the waters off Oman.

Customs and Traditions of Gulf Region

• The traditional clothes is the Thobe , on their heads

they’d wear the gahfia ,on top of that would be the

Iga the shaila and abaya for the women.

• Sword dance is famous in Saudi Arabia.

• Traditional activities like Falconry& Pearl Diving

are famous in Kuwait

Population:24,573,000

Capital: Riyadh

Language: Arabic

Religion: Muslim

Currency: Saudi riyal

Life Expectancy:72

GDP : U.S. $11,400

Literacy Percent:79

Location & Geographical Features

Saudi Arabia is Bordered by

• Jordan on the north-west.• Iraq on the North and Northeast.• Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain.• United Arab Emirates to East. • Oman on the Southeast.• Yemen on the South.

• Geographical Features

• The southwestern region has mountains as high as 3,000 m, and is known for having the greenest and freshest atmosphere in all of Saudi Arabia.

• The Red Sea lies to the West of Saudi Arabia.

Government

• Saudi Arabia is a monarchy

country, Lead by “King Abdullah

bin Abdul Aziz”.

• The king was elected by the vote of

the (male) citizens.

• The king's powers are supposedly

limited within the Shari'a and other

Saudi traditions.

Population:731,000

Capital:Manama

Language: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Religion: Shiite and SunniMuslim

Currency: Bahraini dinar

Life Expectancy: 74

GDP per Capita U.S. $15,100

Literacy Percent:89

Location & Geographical Features

• Bahrain is an island so there are no countries

that border it.

• Places near it are

• Saudi Arabia

• Qatar

• Kuwait

• U.A.E.

• Geographical Features• It is generally flat made up of thirty three

islands.

Government

• It is constitutional monarchy leaded

by the King, Sheikh Hamad bin Isa Al

Khalifa.

• The head of government is the

Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa

bin Salman Al Khalifa.

• The cabinet is made up of 23 people.

• The first elections for the members of

parliament took place in 2002

• Although 70% of the country are

Shia the rulers and the government

are Sunni.

Tourism• Very popular place for tourists.• It gets about 8 million tourists a

year mostly from surrounding Arab nations but the numbers from outside the region is growing rapidly due to the countries rich legacy and the Bahrain formula one race track.

• It is described as “an excellent introduction to the Persian gulf.”

• The Bahrain national museum has artifacts that date to 9000 years ago.

Population:2,589,000

Capital: Kuwait City

Language: Arabic, English

Religion: Sunni and Shiite

Muslim, Christian, Hindu,

Parsi

Currency: Kuwaiti dinar

Life Expectancy: 78

GDP : U.S. $17,500

Literacy Percent : 84

Location & Geographical Features

• Located in the Southwest Asia next to the Persian Gulf and between Iraq and Saudi Arabia.

• The countries that are near :

• Qatar

• Saudi Arabia

• UAE

• Bahrain

• Yemen

• Oman

• Geographical Features• Flat to slightly undulating desert plain.

Government

• It is a constitutional monarchy,

governed by the al-Sabah family.

• The present Emir of Kuwait is his

highness Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmed

Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Tourism

• Places tourist can visit is:

• The Liberation Tower, it is the symbol of

Kuwaiti liberation.

• There are also the Kuwaiti Towers and the National Museum.

Population: 2,436,000

Capital: Muscat

Language: Arabic, English,

Baluchi, Urdu, Indian

dialects

Religion:Ibadhi Muslim,

Sunni Muslim, Shiite Muslim,

Hindu

Currency: Omani rial

Life Expectancy: 73

GDP :U.S. $8,300

Literacy Percent:76

Location & Geographical Features

• Located in the Middle East, bordering

• The Arabian Sea to the east.

• Saudi Arabia to the west.

• Yemen to the south .

• UAE to the north .

• Geographical Features• It is s the dessert landscape and also the

highness of the topography of the land.

• Because of Arabian Sea Omani people and the Arabian peninsula in whole provided with water, fish, and fossil water which is a resource.

Government

• In Oman the legislative group are the people who make the laws in Oman.

• Oman is governed by a monarchy (sultanate). Sultan Qaboos bin Said

• The sultan is the head of state, and, although he also acts as the prime minister, he may appoint one if he chooses.

• The sultan is chosen by a method called voting, in which only the tribal leaders and intellectuals and prominent businessmen may vote.

Tourism

• Over 4 million people from different countries visited Oman.

• Oman has so many tourist attractions like

• wadi shab• wahiba • The jabrin Fort• Grand Mosque

Wadi Shab

Grand Mosque

Jabrin Fort

Wahiba

Population: 4,618,000

Capital:Abu Dhabi Language:

Arabic, Persian, English,

Hindi, Urdu

Religion: Sunni and Shiite

Muslim, Christian, Hindu,

Currency:Emirati dirham

Life Expectancy:74

GDP :U.S. $22,100

Literacy Percent:78

Location & Geographical Features

• The United Arab Emirates which is also known as the U.A.E.

• The countries surrounding the U.A.E are • Qatar• Saudi Arabia• Oman• Iran

• Geographical Features• United Arab Emirates is almost completely

a desert, except for Dubai, which is a really improved city, with great technology and beautiful sky scrapers.

Burj Dubai

Government

Government is a monarchy Consists of Seven tiny kingdoms each ruled by an emir and one emir plays a in charge role of all Emir’s

Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan

Abu Dhabi

Dubai Sharjah

Ajman

Umm Al Qaiwain

Ras Al Khaimah

Fujairah

Brief description on Seven Emirates

• Abu Dhabi, by far the largest emirate ,Pearling and fishing were the main sources of income for the people.

• Dubai, the second largest of the seven emirates, Pearling and fishing were the main sources of income for the people.

• Sharjah's famous for salt mines constituted an important part of its export business, along with pearls. It is the cultural and educational centre of the UAE.

• Ajman is the smallest emirate, Fishing and date-trees provided the local population with their primary means of sustenance .

• Umm Al Qaiwain It is the second smallest emirate, Fishing is the primary means of income. Date farming also plays a significant role in the economy.

• Ras Al Khaimah has a unique abundance of flora, so it is no surprise that Agriculture is important to the local economy. The emirate also benefits from its Stone quarries, and fishing, which is plentiful in the rich waters of the Gulf.

• Fujairah the only emirate without a coastline on the Arabian Gulf ,economy is based on fishing and agriculture.

Economy of Gulf Region

• Saudi Arabia :Petroleum sector accounts for roughly

75% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of

export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from

theprivate sector

• Bahrain : Petroleum production is the most important

resource. It is 60% of the exports, 60% of the

government revenues and 30% of the countries GDP.

• Kuwait : It owns about 10 percent of the worlds proven

oil reserves. Its crude oil reserves of about 95% of

export revenues, and 80-90% of government income.

• Oman has a pretty low GPD per capita of about 8,300,

which is slightly lower than the world’s average

• U.A.E has been largely funded by oil revenues, the GDP

of UAE economy is the fastest growing

Population:768,000

Capital:Doha

Language:Arabic, English

Religion: Muslim

Currency: Qatari rial

Life Expectancy:72

GDP :U.S. $20,100

Literacy Percent: 83

LOCATION

• Qatar is neighbored by four

countries

• To the north Bahrain

• To the west Saudi Arabia

• To the south the U.A.E

• To the east the closest country to it

is Iran.

Geographic Features

• Qatar has a limited space and is a small

country.

• It does not have any rivers, lakes or ponds

or huge mountains.

• The highest point in Qatar is jebel

Dukhan( the mountain of Dukhan ), it is

about 90 meters tall ,area contains Qatar's

largest onshore oil fields.

Climatic Conditions

• Qatar does not have a big range of weathers and climates.

• Qatar has a desert climate and it rarely changes it’s pattern of

temperature and wind.

• In the winters of Qatar are mostly December, January, and until the

middle of February; this time for Qatar is very peaceful and it will usually

rain a bit during this period of time,

• The summers in Qatar are extremely humid and hot.

• The summer time is usually June, July and August.

Government

• Qatar is a constitutional monarchy.

• Qatar president ( emir ) is sheikh Hamad bin khalifa Al Thani.

• The law in Qatar is based on Islamic and civil law codes.

• Advisory council ( majlis Al Shura ) is appointed by the emir to help the emir in his job.

• The prime minister of the country is Hamad bin Jassin Bin Jabor Al Thani.

Sheikh Hamad bin khalifa AlThani

Hamad bin Jassin Bin Jabor Al Thani.

International & Regional Relations

InternationalInternational

• United Nations(U.N)United Nations(U.N)• WTOWTO• OPECOPEC• IMFIMF

Regional

• GCCGCC•OAPECOAPEC•Arab League(AL)Arab League(AL)

ECONOMY

• Overall Balance of payments=$10,900 millionOverall Balance of payments=$10,900 million

• Export goods

• Petroleum products(80%),fertilizers and steel

• Export partners

• Japan(52%),Singapore(9%),South Korea(8%),U.S.A and

UAE.

• Import goods

• Machinery & transport equipment, food and chemicals

• Import partners

• U.K(10%),Japan(8%),Germany,Italy and U.S.A(6%)

• Labour Market• 90% of the workforce are expatriates• Many locals work at the bureaucracy • Unemployment may become a problem as the population increases

very fast • Efforts to improve the local human capital

• State Budget/Public ExpendituresState Budget/Public Expenditures• Government revenues are largely dependent on oil• Large external debts due to large lending's from Japanese banks• Serious efforts to control the public expenditures

• Foreign InvestmentForeign Investment• The government encourages foreign investment in joint ventures with

Qatari partners• Many regulations and legal limits for foreign investors

• Sectors of foreign InvestmentSectors of foreign Investment• Electricity • water sectors • oil and natural gas development.

• PrivatisationPrivatisation• The laws about foreign investment are a drawback • The establishment of the Stock exchange is expected to facilitate

privatisation

• The Doha Stock-Exchange Doha Securities Market (DSM)

• Began operation in the first quarter of 1997

• Trading is confined only to Qatari's

• The stock-exchange is autonomous, but

• Directly overseen by the Finance, Economic and Trade Ministry

• Medium Run Prospects

• Rapid population growth-low level of human capital

• Development of non-oil sectors

• Control Public expenditures

• Instability in the region

• Long run prospects

• Petroleum reserves are declining fast

• There is a strong need to diversify the structure of economy

• Research for gas substitutes

Structure of Economy

• The economy of Qatar has two sectorsThe economy of Qatar has two sectors• The oil sector• The non-oil sector

• Agriculture• Manufacturing Industries• Transportation• Communication• Finance & real estate services

etc

Share of the oil sector in GDP

0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%90%

100%

Non oil:

Oil

Banks in QatarDomestic Banks Foreign Banks

Name No of Branches

Name No of Branches

Nationality

QatarNational Bank 30 Arab Bank Limited 3 Jordanian

Doha Bank 16 Mashreq Bank Plc 1 UAE

Commercial Bank of Qatar

13 Standard Chartered Bank

1 British

Al-AhliBankof Qatar 10 HSBC Bank Middle East

3 British

Qatar International Islamic Bank

7 P.N.B. Paribas 1 French

Qatar Islamic Bank 12 Saderat Iran Bank 1 Iranian

GrindlaysQatar Bank 1 United Bank Limited 1 Pakistani

Qatar Industrial Development Bank

1

Al Khaliji 1

SAFETY AND SECURITY

• Incidents of violence are rare in Qatar

• The crime rate in Qatar is generally low , incidents of violence are rare but frequently as Doha ’s population and economic pressures

• The Qatari Police can be contacted for emergency assistance by dialing 999 from any telephone in Qatar .

• Criminal offenses are punished according to Qatari laws, some cases are based on Islamic law and sometimes more severe than in the United States for similar offenses. 

• Penalties for

• use or trafficking in illegal drugs

• Homosexual activity

• using or disseminating child pornography

in Qatar are considered severe

Qatar Newspapers and News Sites • Al Jazeera

English language site of Qatar based pan-Arabian TV broadcaster. • Foreign Information Agency (FIA)

Multilanguage news portal.

• Gulf TimesFirst English newspaper in Qatar.

• Qatar FalconBusiness oriented news site.

• Qatar Ministry Of Foreign AffairsFind general country and tourism information as well as info on visa regulations.

• Qatar News AgencyDaily Qatar and Middle East news from official news service.

• Qatar Tourism AuthorityProvides news and information about visiting Qatar including activities, accommodation, travel, investor relations, guide to Doha and other cities, more.

• Peninsula, TheQatar's leading English daily newspaper.

1st January 2008• At the end of the 28th Gulf summit in Doha, • The wealthy Six Gulf states have taken a step closer together economically

with the formation of a common market as Gulf Common Market. • Aim Gulf Common Market : To build on local strengths where all Gulf nationals will be considered equal citizens and will enjoy the same rights

in the fields :• Travel• Employment • Education • Economic• Financial & investment opportunities.

• Main challenges for the Gulf Common Market • Monetary policies in the GCC states• Inflation rates • Laws and Regulations related to investment .

• problems and obstacles : Some member states have signed Bilateral Economic Agreements with non-GCC countries.

• Real implementation of the GCC common market : Requires months and that this period was needed to have the local rules and Regulations amended to match the requirements of the Common Market.

• Procespects of GCC Common Market

• Would grant the countries strong competitive tools to face the Global

Economic challenges.

• The common market is the beginning of a new phase for the activation of

GCC Economic Integration, will make them one big economy which can

withstand competition in world markets.

• Concerns of GCC Common Market

• Different Economic Models of the six countries to secure a meaningful

common market looks difficult.

• Different Legislative arrangements in the six Gulf countries, such as

• Ownership

• Investment legislation.