Mandatory Credit: Photo by Amos Chapple / Rex Features (2225235b) Life In Qatar Qatar is the world's richest nation and host to the 2022 Soccer World Cup. The city was once a barren desert outpost, blighted by malnutrition and disease. In the early 20th century the economy was propped up by pearl diving and fishing. However, the impoverished emirate faced economic catastrophe when Japan developed pearl cultivation in the 1930s. Its fortunes turned in 1935 with the arrival of oil prospectors and the founding of a national petroleum company. Qatar was found to have black oil and with it came a rapid economic boom. Development arrived late - Qatar's first school was opened in 1952 - but when it came it came fast. In 2010 Qatar was the surprise winner to host the Soccer World Cup, which has injected further urgency into the country's modernisation. Despite this frantic modernisation the meeting of cultures in Qatar is often still an awkward one. Along with Saudi Arabia, Qatar adheres to the highly conservative Wahhabist brand of Islam. Official attitudes allow for some compromise, especially in bars where alcohol can be purchased, but sexuality remains a difficult subject and homosexuality is still illegal in the country. At a 2010 press conference Fifa president Sepp Blatter jokingly advised gay soccer fans to "refrain from any sexual activities" during the 2022 world cup. MUST CREDIT PHOTOS BY: Amos Chapple / Rex Features For more information visit http://www.rexfeatures.com/stacklink/KQNIPNLGX