From mega-projects to successful coffee shops, Qatar has the power to attract and amaze everyone. The country is known for upkeeping its cultural and tradition while working at par with international standards. No wonder they are able to achieve some of the most challenging feats in this world.
Qatar has set and broken a number of Guinness world records. We have gathered for you, some of the most fascinating ones to explore:
The country with the lowest taxes
There are two sovereign countries with the lowest personal income tax rates: Bahrain and Qatar. In both countries, the tax rate is Nil, no matter how much income one earns.
Highest GDP per capita (PPP adjusted)
Qatar has the highest GDP per capita (PPP adjusted), with a GDP per capita of $129,700. This is more than double the second-highest country on the list, Luxembourg, which has a GDP per capita of $61,200. Qatar’s high ranking is due to its large reserves of oil and gas, which have helped to make it one of the richest countries in the world.
Tallest indoor drop tower ride
The tallest indoor drop tower ride is 56.409 m (185 ft 0.8 in) tall, achieved by Doha Oasis Quest (Qatar) in Doha, Qatar, on 18 October 2021.
This record is measured by the vertical distance which the gondola can travel during the ride, it can carry 12 people and reach speeds up to 55.56 km/h (35 mph).
Tallest indoor rollercoaster
The tallest indoor roller coaster is 56.736 meters and was achieved by Doha Oasis Quest (Qatar), in Doha, Qatar, on 18 October 2021.
Premier Rides (USA) is the manufacturer of Quest, which is located inside the Doha Oasis project in Musheireb. The 27,500 sq m entertainment centre has more than 30 rides and attractions, including the tallest indoor roller coaster – the EpiQ Coaster – and the tallest indoor drop – the Magma Blast.
Fastest 300 km by speed boat
The fastest 300 km by speed boat is 1 hour 55 minutes and 14 seconds and was achieved by Sheikh Hassan bin Jabor al-Thani and Abdullah al-Sulaiti (both Qatar) on 10 February 2010. The route was from Abu Dhabi to Doha, Qatar. The boat used was a twin gas turbine engine Nor-Tech speed boat named Qatar Challenger. The engines on the boat are also used on Cobra helicopters.
Largest external 360° screen
The largest external 360 screen measured 11,345 m² (112,116 ft² 81 in²), and was achieved by Sports City Advertising (Qatar), in Doha, Qatar on 31 May 2022.
Sports City Advertising attempted this record to showcase the Torch Building that has the screen all around it. The Torch, an architectural masterpiece, also known as the Aspire Tower, has a total height of 298 m (980 ft), located in Doha.
Longest continuous cycle path
The longest continuous cycling path is 32.869 km (20.4 miles) and was achieved by Public Works Authority – ASHGHAL (Qatar), in Doha, Qatar on 11 February 2020.
The path is 7 metres wide, features 29 tunnels and 5 bridges and is designed to allow speeds up to 50 km per hour.
Crossing of Qatar by wheelchair
The fastest crossing of Qatar by wheelchair is 1 day 17 hours and 55 minutes and was achieved by Ahmed Al-Shahrani (Qatar), in Abu Samra, Qatar, on 3 April 2021.
Ahmed Al-Shahrani achieved this record title to honor and encourage the inclusion and participation of people with disability in sports.
Largest Drinking Water Storage Tank
The largest drinking water storage tank measures 436,633.45 m³ (96,045,931 Imperial Gallons, 115,346,354 US Gallons) and was achieved by Qatar Electricity and Water Corporation – Kahramaa (Qatar), in Doha, Qatar on 25 January 2020.
The tank was built using innovative engineering and construction techniques. It is a great achievement for Qatar and has set a new world record.
Tallest freestanding 3D printed tower
The tallest freestanding 3D printed concrete tower is 12.1 metres, achieved by Doha Expo 2023 & Ministry of Municipality Qatar (both Qatar) for Qatar pavilion, at Floriade Expo 2022 Almere, Netherlands, on 12 May 2022.
Longest selfie stick
The longest selfie stick measures 18 m (59.05 ft) and was achieved by Sky Climbers (Qatar) in Doha, Qatar, on 19 September 2017.
The event celebrated the Sky Climbers 2nd graduation ceremony.
Most nationalities yoga
One Hundred and Fourteen nationalities attended a yoga lesson to set a record. This was achieved by Indian Sports Centre under the aegis of Embassy of India (Qatar), in Doha, Qatar, on 25 March 2022. The yoga lesson was taken by Nisha Agrawal for 40 minutes with all participant simultaneously following the different yoga postures as instructed
Most nationalities trees planting
The most nationalities of people planting trees simultaneously is 66 and was achieved by The Supervisory Committee of Beautification of Roads & Public Places, in Doha, Qatar on 9 October 2021.
Most of 66 nationalities present were diplomats and completed the planting process simultaneously.
Largest natural gas field
The South Pars/North Field gas field, discovered in 1971, covers an underground area of 9,700 km2, straddling the Iran-Qatar border. Its total reserves of natural gas are estimated to be around 51 trillion cubic metres, along with the equivalent of 360 billion barrels of oil.
Deepest artificial port basin created on land
The deepest artificial port basin created on land was achieved by Ministry of Transport and Communications (MOTC) at Um Al Houl, Qatar on 9 September 2019.
The project started in 2011 and at the height of development used a 16,000 people workforce. Over 6,900 tons of explosives were used for excavation.
Largest bulletin board (pinboard)
The largest bulletin board measures 105.72 m² (1,137.9 ft²) and was achieved by Family Consulting Centre (Wifaq) and Qatar Social Work with the help of AMAN, Dreama and Katara (All Qatar), in Doha, Qatar, on 20th November 2019.
The board weighs 1052 kg and was built to celebrate International Children’s Day 2019, where thousands of children can participate in the event.
Longest national flag (official aspect ratio)
Qatar’s flag is the only national flag having a width more than twice its height, based on its official height-to-width ratio of 11:28. The maroon flag with a broad white nine-pointed serrated stripe on the hoist side was adopted on 9 July 1971, just before Qatar gained independence from Britain on 3 September 1971.Advertisements
The most common aspect ratios in official flags are 2:3 and 1:2.
Largest flag draped
The largest flag draped measured 101,978 m² (1,097,682 ft²) and was achieved by Moquim Al Hajiri (Qatar) of Brooq Magazine (Qatar), in Doha, Qatar, on 16 December 2013. The dimensions of the flag are: 509.97 x 199.97 m (1,673 ft 1.5 in x 656 ft 0.83 in).
Largest squash racket
The largest squash racket is 6.80 m (22 ft 3.72 in) long and 2.15 m 15 (7 ft 0.65 in) wide and was created by The Qatar Squash Federation (Qatar) in Doha, Qatar, on 7 December 2012. The squash racket was made for the opening ceremony of the World Professional Squash Association tournament. The squash racket weighed 71.2 kg (156 lb 15 oz).
Largest chandelier
The largest chandelier named “Reflective Flow” weighs 18, 000 kg (39, 683 lb) and consists of 165, 000 LED units. The chandelier was measured in the Ali Bin Khalifa Al Hitmi & Co building where it is installed in Doha, Qatar, on 23 June 2010.
The chandelier was designed by Beau McClellan (Scotland) for Mr Al Hitmi of Ali bin khalifa Al Hitmi & Co property development firm (Qatar). The chandelier took two years to complete from start to finish and named the Reflective Flow.
It measures 5.8 m (19 ft) in height at the tallest point of the body, 12.5 m (41 ft) in linear width, and 38.5 m (126 ft 4 in) in linear length
Youngest person to publish a book series (female)
The youngest person to publish a book series (female) is Laiba Abdul Basit (India), who was 10 years and 164 days old when her second book published on 29 August 2021.
Laiba published a 3-book series called ‘Order of the Galaxy’.
Fastest time to climb The Torch Doha unassisted (solo)
The fastest time to climb The Torch Doha unassisted (solo) is 1 hr 33 min 47 sec and was achieved by Alain Robert (France) in Doha, Qatar, on 12 April 2012.
Underwater swimming (scuba) – distance in 24 hours
Paul Cryne (GB) and Samir Sawan al Awami (Qatar) swam 78.92 km (49.04 miles) in a 24 hour period from Doha, Qatar to Umm Said and back on 21-22 February 1985 using SCUBA equipment.
Largest classified advertising newspaper
The largest classified advertising newspaper measures 4.2 m (13 ft 9 in) in length and 3.2 m (10 ft 5 in) in width and was achieved by The Weekly in Doha, Qatar, on 1 August 2013. The newspaper had 24 pages made of paper pasted on stiff cardboard. It was created over a period of two weeks by 8 individuals.
Largest plastic bottle word
On 15 October 2022 Qatar was awarded another Guinness World Records certificate after forming the word “QATAR” from 14,183 recycled plastic water bottles to set a new world record, breaking the previous 5,387 record set in 2021.
The event was organized by the Seashore Recycling and Sustainability Center, a division of Seashore Group, as part of Qatar 2022 Sustainability Week. It was attended by several officials and members of the public.
The previous record was held by the Al-Ettifaq Club of Saudi Arabia, which they set on June 7, 2021, after creating the word “Salam” in Arabic from plastic water bottles.
Largest football (soccer ball)
The largest football (soccer ball) measures 12.188 m (39 ft 11.8 in) in diameter and was made by Doha Bank (Qatar) in Doha, Qatar on 12 February 2013. The largest football (soccer ball) has a circumference of 38.30 m (125 ft 8 in) and weighs approximately 960kg. It was displayed in the Lulu Hypermarket car park in Doha.
Most push ups (using back of hands) in one minute
The record for most push-ups (using back of hands) in 1 minute is 132 and was achieved by Abdul Latif Mahmoud Saadiq (Qatar) in Doha, Qatar, on 20 November 2009. In his first attempt, Saadiq failed to go beyond 118 attempts but egged on by his coach Salim Lazuruq, the athlete returned and created the new mark.
Most expansive painting
The Paul Cézanne painting The Card Players was sold to the royal family of Qatar, for $250 million (£158,339,000), in 2011. This painting if one of five in a series by famed French post-Impressionist, Paul Cézanne painted in the early 1890s. The other four are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Musée d’Orsay, the Courtauld, and the Barnes Foundation.
Asphalt Concrete Road With No Joint
Asphalt concrete is a type of pavement that is made without joints. This makes it possible to have a continuous pavement that can pave an area of square meters. Qatar has set yet another Guinness World Record by paving 42km in 242 hours non-stop, which is equivalent to 10 days.
Update: In 2022, India has broken Qatar’s Guinness World Record; 75-km long highway ready in 105 hrs. The National Highway Authority India created a new Guinness World Record by laying 75 km of bituminous concrete in a single lane on NH53 in 105 hours and 33 minutes.
Hope you enjoyed reading this article on Guinness world records by Qatar. Which one impressed you the most. Let us know in the comments.
source: Guinness World Records official site
