One of the great attractions is its absolute remoteness. You may see local Teke tribe members who make up most of the 350 people in nearby Darvaza village (Derweze in Turkmen), and even the odd yurt – but that’s it. There are no roads and guided paths, no fences to protect at its edges, no souvenir shops and cafes – just desert and fire. The best time to visit is at night, when the flames spewing from thousands of individual gas leaks light the night sky for miles around in a spectacular and unique fire show. (Forbes, Feb 2018)

 

Morning Glory clouds form in a very unique way and they are the considered well and truly the rarest cloud of the ‘Arcus Cloud’ family. Its a very intricate process that seems to only really occur across the Tropics of Queensland on a more regular basis than other areas. 

Cenotes are connected to subterranean bodies of water, and often have vast underwater cave systems.

The Underwater River exists when limestone bedrock collapses and sinks, forming a pit. . Acting as a reservoir, this pit then fills with a mixture of fresh groundwater and saltwater. Eventually, organic matter ends up in the trench, and when it decomposes, it produces a halocline (a cloud of hydrogen sulphide) that separates the freshwater at the top from the saltwater below.

 

Land boundaries: 60 kilometers (37 miles) total ...

Lowest point on land: Sea level

Official name: State of Qatar

Coastline: 563 kilometers (350 miles)

Highest point on mainland: Mount Catherine (2,629 meters/8,625 feet)

Lowest point on land: Qattara Depression (133 meters/439 feet below sea level)

Hemispheres: Northern and Eastern

Time zone: 2 P.M. = noon GMT

Longest distances: 1,572 kilometers (997 miles) from southeast to northwest; 1,196 kilometers (743 miles) from northeast to southwest

Land boundaries: 2,689 kilometers (1,667 miles) total boundary length; Israel 266 kilometers (165 miles includes Gaza Strip, 11 kilometers/7 miles); Libya 1,150 kilometers (713 miles); Sudan 1,273 kilometers (789 miles)

Coastline: 2,450 kilometers (1,522 miles)

Territorial sea limits: 22 kilometers (12 nautical miles)

Deposits of barite, copper, asbestos, silver, lead, iron ore, potash, zinc, talc and feldspar were exploited in 2010. Domestic requirements were met by importing refined petroleum products in 2010.

Eritrea's GDP, estimated at $4.037 billion in 2011, is 8.7 percent above the GDP in 2010. The growth was due to increased agricultural output and the expansion of the mining industry along with increasing gold prices.

The State of Qatar is an absolute hereditary monarchy ruled by the Al Thani family. The Emir of Qatar is a monarch and serves as head of state and head of government. The House of Thani established their dynasty in the late 19th century and resumed power after Qatar gained independence from Britain in 1971. The western Asian country is supposed to exist as a constitutional monarchy under the constitution adopted in 2004. However, the ruling family allows no opposition from political factions and bans the existence of political parties.

 

The council of ministers serves as the executive body of the government Qatar. An advisory council in making policy decisions assists the emir, an all-powerful leader who answers to no one. The emir, however, should uphold the Islamic Sharia law. Also in the executive are the prime minister, the prime minister's deputy and cabinet ministers who are selected and dismissed by the emir.

 

The consultative assembly holds the legislative power of Qatar. The assembly consists of 30 elected members and 15 appointees of the emir. The unicameral assembly has three primary roles according to the constitution. These roles include approving the national budget, passing legislation proposed by the executive, and monitoring the activities of the cabinet members. For laws to pass in the assembly, they require a two-third majority vote. Members of the assembly who are appointed by the monarch serve for unlimited terms while the elected members serve for four-year renewable terms.

Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, current Emir of Qatar