qa-domain Domain

The domain extension .qa is the country-specific top-level domain of the Arab Emirate Qatar, which is located at the east coast of the Arabian Peninsula at the Persian Gulf. Qatar is considered the richest country in the world in terms of gross domestic product adjusted for purchasing power. The infrastructure in this country is very well developed. Nevertheless, only a few of the 2.7 million inhabitants have direct and unrestricted access to the World Wide Web, partly due to the state religion Islam and the Sharia, which also plays a role in legislation.

Allocation guidelines of the domain extension

The .qa domain was launched on June 12, 1996 and was initially administered by Qatar Telecom. Since 2010, the state information and communication authority (ictQATAR for short) has been responsible for the registration of domains with the ending .qa. The allocation guidelines were liberalized in 2011. Since then, every private person and every company, regardless of a residence, a head office or a branch office in Qatar can register a domain with the ending .qa. However, trade with .qa domains is restricted. A sale of a registered domain address is therefore not permitted.

Use and meaning

The Emirate of Qatar is an economic and financial centre on the Arabian Peninsula. Natural resources such as natural gas and oil alone ensure high economic revenues. The construction industry is also booming in the desert emirate. Most companies have been nationalized. But there is also something like free market economy. The emirate is also trying to achieve a bit of self-sufficiency in food. However, despite ambitious government projects, agriculture in Qatar can only grow 0.3 percent of the national territory. Only that much percent can be used as farmland. However, this area has to be artificially irrigated at great expense. Nevertheless, an impressive annual harvest of tomatoes, pumpkins, cereals and dates as well as vegetables and citrus fruits can be harvested. In addition, there is the fishing industry. Since most companies are nationalised, the use of the .qa domain extension is limited to a minimum. There are only a few companies in the emirate that have their own website. For this reason, the importance of the .qa domain ending is quite low, except for companies that attach importance to show that they are present in the emirate of Qatar.