Qatar is a country located in the Middle East, on the west coast of the Persian Gulf. It is a high-income economy, backed by the worlds third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves. Qatar is a constitutional emirate and an absolute Islamic state, ruled as a hereditary monarchy by the House of Thani since Sheikh Jassim bin Mohammed Al Thani founded the country in the mid-19th century. The country has a population of 2,444,174 people, with the majority being Arab, Pakistani, and Indian. Qatar is famous for its falconry, camel racing, and its influential pan-Arab and international TV broadcaster Al-Jazeera, which is owned by the government. The official language is Arabic, but English is commonly used as a second language.