Mindy Rohrberg, age 15, of Laconia, N.H., for her question:

WHEN WAS QATAR ESTABLISHED?

Qatar is an independent state that occupies the Qatar Peninsula, jutting out into the Persian Gulf from the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula. Although Qatar has been settled since the Stone Age, a wide variety of rulers had controlled the country until it became a British protectorate in 1916.

Qatar was proclaimed independent when the British moved out of the gulf area in 1971. At that time it also joined the United Nations.

It gets very hot in Qatar. The land is stony and barren. The humidity is very high during summer even though the annual rainfall is less than five inches.

Petroleum is the chief source of income. It accounts for about 95 percent of the country's yearly exports.

Government revenue from oil concessions is being used to build roads, hospitals and desalinization plants. The country has an arrangement that provides free medical care and education for all. Population is about 300,000 which includes a large number of migrant laborers from neighboring states. Arabic is the official language although English is spoken by many in government and commerce.