Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani facts for kids

Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad Al Thani (born 17 September 1932 – died 23 October 2016) was the Emir of Qatar. He led Qatar from 1972 until 1995. His son, Hamad bin Khalifa, became the new leader in 1995. Sheikh Khalifa passed away when his grandson, Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, was the Emir.

Early Life

Sheikh Khalifa was born in Doha, Qatar, in 1932. His father was Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. His grandfather was Abdullah bin Jassim Al Thani.

Becoming the Emir

In 1957, Khalifa started his public service as the Minister of Education. Later, he became the Deputy Emir. He was chosen as the next in line to lead on 24 October 1960. During the 1960s, he also worked as the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance.

On 22 February 1972, Sheikh Khalifa became the Emir of Qatar. He took power from his cousin, Emir Ahmad bin Ali Al Thani. This change was peaceful and did not involve any fighting. Many people in Qatar saw it as a natural change in leadership.

Changes in Government

As Emir, Sheikh Khalifa quickly started to reorganize the government. He made sure that members of the ruling family did not have too many special financial benefits. He also appointed a foreign minister. This person helped Qatar connect with other countries. He also chose an adviser to help him with daily government tasks.

On 19 April 1972, he updated the country's main rules, called the Constitution. He also made the government's main group, the Cabinet, larger by adding more ministers. Qatar also started to have official relationships with many other countries.

Sheikh Khalifa changed how power was shared in the government. He made the Emir's role much stronger. He reduced the traditional powers that the person next in line to be Emir usually had.

The Cabinet was changed two times during his time as Emir. In 1989, most of the old ministers were replaced. The Cabinet then had 15 ministers. In 1992, it was changed again and grew to 17 members.

Qatar's Economy

Qatar's money from oil grew a lot during his rule. This happened because of new agreements with foreign oil companies. These agreements allowed companies to share oil production with Qatar. For example, agreements were signed with Standard Oil Company of Ohio in 1985 and Amoco in 1986. Another agreement was made with the French company Elf Aquitaine in 1989.

In 1991, Qatar started producing natural gas from the North Field. This is the world's largest single field of natural gas. It holds a huge amount of gas. While Qatar kept looking for more oil, it also built new industries. This helped Qatar rely less on just oil for its money.

Later Life and Passing

In June 1995, while Sheikh Khalifa was in Geneva, Switzerland, his son Hamad bin Khalifa became the new leader of Qatar. This change was also peaceful.

After this, Khalifa lived in France for some years. He returned to Qatar in 2004. He passed away on 23 October 2016, at the age of 84.

Family

Sheikh Khalifa had five sons and twelve daughters from four wives.

• Sheikha Amna bint Hassan bin Abdullah Al Thani
  • Sheikh Abdelaziz bin Khalifa, who was a minister
  • Sheikha Maryem Bint Khalifa
  • Sheikha Noora bint Khalifa
  • Sheikha Hissa bint Khalifa
  • Sheikha Jafla bint Khalifa
  • Sheikha Moza bint Khalifa
• Sheikha Aisha bint Hamad Al Attiyah
  • Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa, who was Emir of Qatar from 1995 to 2013.
• Sheikha Rudha bint Jassim bin Jabr Al Thani
  • Sheikha Aisha Bint Khalifa
  • Sheikha Sheikha bint Khalifa
  • Sheikh Abdullah Bin Khalifa
  • Sheikha Amna Bint Khalifa
  • Sheikh Mohammed bin Khalifa
  • Sheikha Lolwa Bint Khalifa
  • Sheikha Amal Bint Khalifa
  • Sheikha Al Anoud bint Khalifa
• Sheikha Moza bint Ali bin Saud Al Thani
  • Sheikh Jassim bin Khalifa
  • Sheikha Nouf bint Khalifa

See also

In Spanish: Jalifa bin Hamad Al Thani para niños