Qatar

Article summary

Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the country's inhabitants. Most of the land area is made up of flat, low-lying desert. Qatar has been ruled as a hereditary monarchy by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed an agreement with Britain in 1868, which officially recognised its separate status. Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in 1916 and gained independence in 1971. The current emir is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who, like previous emirs, holds nearly all executive, legislative, and judicial authority in an autocratic manner under the Constitution of Qatar. He appoints the prime minister and cabinet. The Shura Council (also known as the "Consultative Assembly") has a limited ability to block legislation and dismiss ministers, but is fully appointed by the emir, who also has the last say on these decisions.…

Key claims

1. date of establishment: 2005 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
2. date of establishment: 2009 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
3. date of foundation: 1973 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
4. members: 1766, members — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
5. members: 45 members — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
6. population: 2.8M — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
7. population: 10,000 inhabitants — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
8. publication date: 2012 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
2. The record states that the date of establishment is "2005". What evidence would count against this claim?
3. The record states that the date of establishment is "2009". What evidence would count against this claim?
4. The record states that the date of foundation is "1973". What evidence would count against this claim?
5. The record states that the members is "1766, members". What evidence would count against this claim?
6. The record states that the members is "45 members". What evidence would count against this claim?
7. The record states that the population is "2.8M". What evidence would count against this claim?
8. The record states that the population is "10,000 inhabitants". What evidence would count against this claim?
9. The record states that the publication date is "2012". What evidence would count against this claim?
10. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
11. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1378787147