Qatar is a
peninsula in the east of
Arabia
The Arabian Peninsula, (; ar, شِبْهُ الْجَزِيرَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّة, , "Arabian Peninsula" or , , "Island of the Arabs") or Arabia, is a peninsula of Western Asia, situated northeast of Africa on the Arabian Plat ...
, bordering the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
and
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
, in a strategic location near major
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
deposits. The
State of Qatar
Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it sh ...
occupies on a peninsula that extends approximately to north into the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Peninsula.
Varying in width between , the land is mainly flat (the highest point is ) and rocky.
Notable features include coastal salt pans, elevated limestone formations (the Dukhan anticline) along the west coast under which lies the
Dukhan oil field, and massive sand dunes surrounding
Khawr al Udayd
Khawr al Udayd, ( ar, خور العديد; also spelled Khor al Adaid and Khor al-‘Udeid) is a settlement and inlet of the Persian Gulf located in Al Wakrah Municipality in southeast Qatar, on the border with Saudi Arabia. It is known to loca ...
, an inlet of the Persian Gulf in the southeast known to local English speakers as the Inland Sea.
General topography
The peninsula of Qatar is low-lying. Its shape is the surface expression of the Qatar Arch, one of the largest structural characteristics of the
Arabian Plate
The Arabian Plate is a minor tectonic plate in the Northern and Eastern Hemispheres.
It is one of the three continental plates (along with the African and the Indian Plates) that have been moving northward in geological history and colliding ...
. It is enveloped by loose sand and pebbles broken off the outcropping
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
. Smooth plains are found in the east, where the surface is covered by fine-grained dust. The south and south-west portion of the peninsula mainly comprises sand dunes and salt flats.
Hill ranges (called 'jebels') can be found in western Qatar near the
Dukhan
Dukhan ( ar, دخان) is a city in the western municipality of Al-Shahaniya in the State of Qatar. It is approximately west of the capital, Doha. Dukhan is administrated by Qatar's state oil agency QatarEnergy and is the site of the first oi ...
area and at
Jebel Fuwayrit on the northeast coast.
Jebel Nakhsh is a notable
mountain ridge south of Dukhan and contains substantial deposits of
gypsum
Gypsum is a soft sulfate mineral composed of calcium sulfate dihydrate, with the chemical formula . It is widely mined and is used as a fertilizer and as the main constituent in many forms of plaster, blackboard or sidewalk chalk, and drywal ...
.
The coastline, which is roughly 700km²,
is
emergent and gently slopes toward the sea. Many flat, low-lying offshore islands are located near the coast and are accompanied by
coral reefs
A coral reef is an underwater ecosystem characterized by reef-building corals. Reefs are formed of colonies of coral polyps held together by calcium carbonate. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, whose polyps cluster in groups.
Co ...
.
As a result of salt water coming into contact with the low-lying land, many
salt flats Salt flats, Salt flat, Salt Flats, or Salt Flat may refer to: Geology
*Salt pan (geology), a flat expanse of ground covered with salt and other minerals
*Dry lake, an ephemeral lakebed that consists of fine-grained sediments infused with alkali salt ...
(known locally as
sabkha
A sabkha ( ar, سبخة) is a coastal, supratidal mudflat or sandflat in which evaporite-saline minerals accumulate as the result of semiarid to arid climate. Sabkhas are gradational between land and intertidal zone within restricted coastal p ...
s) have formed near the coast.
The coastline from
Mesaieed
Mesaieed ( ar, مسيعيد, also transliterated as ''Musay'id'' and ''Umm Sa'id'') is an industrial city in Al Wakrah Municipality in the State of Qatar, approximately south of Doha. It was one of the most important cities in Qatar during the ...
to
Khawr al Udayd
Khawr al Udayd, ( ar, خور العديد; also spelled Khor al Adaid and Khor al-‘Udeid) is a settlement and inlet of the Persian Gulf located in Al Wakrah Municipality in southeast Qatar, on the border with Saudi Arabia. It is known to loca ...
is particularly rich in sabkhas. Inland sabkhas can be found in western in Qatar near Dukhan and
Sawda Natheel
Sawda Natheel ( ar, سودا نثيل, Sawdā’ Nathīl) is an area in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al Rayyan. It used to be part of the Jariyan al Batnah municipality before the municipality was incorporated into Al Rayyan.
It is a ...
.
A
sabkha
A sabkha ( ar, سبخة) is a coastal, supratidal mudflat or sandflat in which evaporite-saline minerals accumulate as the result of semiarid to arid climate. Sabkhas are gradational between land and intertidal zone within restricted coastal p ...
(salt-flat) ecosystem known as the
Dukhan Sabkha
Dukhan Sabkha, located in the northern section of the Dukhan region in western Qatar, is the largest inland sabkha (salt-flat) ecosystem found in the Persian Gulf. The sabkha runs for approximately 20 km, occupies an area of 73 km², has a width o ...
is found in the northern section of the Dukhan region in western Qatar. This sabkha, considered the largest inland sabkha in the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
, runs for approximately 20 km, occupies an area of 73 km², has a width of 2 to 4 km and a depth of between 6 and 7 meters. It also accommodates the lowest point of Qatar, at six meters below sea level.
Studies suggest that the sabkha is fed by seawater from the
Bay of Zekreet
The Bay of Zekreet ( ar, دَوْحَة زِكْرِيت, Dawḩat az Zikrīt) is a half-moon shaped bay on the Zekreet Peninsula in western Qatar. The Zekreet Peninsula is a rocky, sandy desert, with numerous rock formations and gypsum plateau ...
, north by approximately 3 km.
Climate
The long summer (June through September) is characterized by intense heat and alternating dryness and humidity, with temperatures exceeding .
Temperatures are moderate from November to March,
ranging from as high as in April to as low as in January. Rainfall averages per year, confined to the winter months, and falling in brief storms which are occasionally heavy enough to flood the small ravines and the usually dry wadis.
Sudden, violent dust storms occasionally descend on the peninsula, blotting out the sun, causing wind damage, and temporarily disrupting transport and other services.
The scarcity of rainfall and the limited underground water, most of which has such a high mineral content that it is unsuitable for drinking or irrigation, severely restricted the population and the extent of agricultural and industrial development the country could support until desalination projects began.
Although water continues to be provided from underground sources, most is obtained by desalination of seawater.
Wildlife
Flora
Although most of the country consists of
sand
Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...
deserts, a small part of the country houses different
vegetation
Vegetation is an assemblage of plant species and the ground cover they provide. It is a general term, without specific reference to particular taxa, life forms, structure, spatial extent, or any other specific botanical or geographic characte ...
zones, where trees, reeds and shrubs like
tamarind
Tamarind (''Tamarindus indica'') is a leguminous tree bearing edible fruit that is probably indigenous to tropical Africa. The genus ''Tamarindus'' is monotypic, meaning that it contains only this species. It belongs to the family Fabaceae ...
,
phragmites
''Phragmites'' () is a genus of four species of large perennial reed grasses found in wetlands throughout temperate and tropical regions of the world.
Taxonomy
The World Checklist of Selected Plant Families, maintained by Kew Garden in L ...
, and
mace can grow. These regions are mostly to the east, near the coast. The inherent limiting factor for vegetation growth is water availability. Certain geographical features partially alleviate this
water scarcity
Water scarcity (closely related to water stress or water crisis) is the lack of fresh water resources to meet the standard water demand. There are two types of water scarcity: physical or economic water scarcity. Physical water scarcity is whe ...
, such as
rawdas, which are large depressions found on the soil surface and which help recharge the aquifers.
As these sites constitute the most easily obtainable sources of shallow groundwater, they are also among the areas most abundant in wild vegetation.
In the south, where groundwater is exceedingly scarce, vegetation can found growing in
wadi
Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water ...
s (dry river valleys) fed by run-off from nearby hills and in rawdas.
Fauna
![A mountain goat at Haloul Island](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/A_mountain_goat_at_Haloul_Island.jpg)
There are 21 species of mammals that have been recorded in Qatar. Larger terrestrial mammals such as the
Arabian oryx
The Arabian oryx (''Oryx leucoryx'') or white oryx is a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder bump, long, straight horns, and a tufted tail. It is a bovid, and the smallest member of the genus ''Oryx'', native to desert and steppe areas o ...
and
Arabian gazelle
The Arabian gazelle ''(Gazella arabica)'' is a species of gazelle from the Arabian Peninsula.
Taxonomy
Until recently, it was only known from a single lectotype specimen mistakenly thought to have been collected on the Farasan Islands in the R ...
are protected animals and are held in nature reserves. The Arabian gazelle is the only native gazelle species to Qatar and is locally referred to as 'rheem'.
Qatar's territorial waters in the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
are rich in marine life.
Sea turtle
Sea turtles (superfamily Chelonioidea), sometimes called marine turtles, are reptiles of the order Testudines and of the suborder Cryptodira. The seven existing species of sea turtles are the flatback, green, hawksbill, leatherback, loggerhe ...
s nest en masse on the coastline from
Fuwayrit
Fuwayrit ( ar, فويرط; also spelled as Fuwairat) is a coastal village in Qatar, located in the municipality of Ash Shamal approximately 90 km north of the capital Doha. It is an important site for Qatar's oil industry. Archaeological evi ...
to
Ras Laffan
Ras Laffan Industrial City ( ar, راس لفان, Ra’s Lafān) is an industrial hub located north of Doha, Qatar. It is administrated by QatarEnergy.
Ras Laffan Industrial City is Qatar's main site for production of liquefied natural gas and ...
. The Ministry of Environment (MME) carries out routine patrols of nesting areas to ensure their conservation.
Dugong
The dugong (; ''Dugong dugon'') is a marine mammal. It is one of four living species of the order Sirenia, which also includes three species of manatees. It is the only living representative of the once-diverse family Dugongidae; its closest m ...
s are known to congregate off the country's coasts. In the course of a study being carried out in 1986 and 1999 on the
Persian Gulf
The Persian Gulf ( fa, خلیج فارس, translit=xalij-e fârs, lit=Gulf of Fars, ), sometimes called the ( ar, اَلْخَلِيْجُ ٱلْعَرَبِيُّ, Al-Khalīj al-ˁArabī), is a mediterranean sea in Western Asia. The bod ...
, the largest-ever group sightings were made of more than 600 individuals to the west of Qatar.
Area and land boundaries
Qatar has one land border. The country borders
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the fifth-largest country in Asia, the second-largest in the A ...
to the south. The boundary with Saudi Arabia was settled in 1965 but never demarcated.
Qatar's northwest coast is fewer than from the main islands of Bahrain,
while the small Hawar Islands of Bahrain are only 1.4 km (0.8 mi) off that coast. The peninsula's northernmost point is
Ras Rakan
Ras Rakan ( ar, رأس راكان) is the northernmost point in the Qatari Peninsula, located in Al Shamal. It is the north-western point of an islet called Jazirat Ras Rakan, but as the channel between this islet and the mainland is not passable ...
.
Maritime claims
''contiguous zone:''
''
exclusive economic zone:''
as determined by bilateral agreements, or the median line
''territorial sea:''
Islands
Of the islands belonging to Qatar,
Halul is the most important.
Lying about east of
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...
, it serves as a storage area and loading terminal for oil from the surrounding offshore fields.
Hawar and the adjacent islands immediately off the west coast are the subject of a territorial dispute between Qatar and
Bahrain
Bahrain ( ; ; ar, البحرين, al-Bahrayn, locally ), officially the Kingdom of Bahrain, ' is an island country in Western Asia. It is situated on the Persian Gulf, and comprises a small archipelago made up of 50 natural islands and an ...
.
Resources and land use
Based on estimates in 2011 estimates, 5.6% of the land is agricultural. Arable land comprises 1.1%, permanent crops 0.2% and permanent pasture 4.6%. 94.4% of the land was used for other uses.
[ ] In 2003, of land was irrigated.
Geology and mineral deposits
![Hillock at northern end of Al Khor Island](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0a/Hillock_at_northern_end_of_Al_Khor_Island.jpg)
Most of Qatar's surface lies on
Cenozoic strata. These strata have an abundance of mineral resources, most of which have not yet been exploited, such as
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and
clay
Clay is a type of fine-grained natural soil material containing clay minerals (hydrous aluminium phyllosilicates, e.g. kaolin, Al2 Si2 O5( OH)4).
Clays develop plasticity when wet, due to a molecular film of water surrounding the clay par ...
. The Upper Dammam Formation in the
Middle Eocene
The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', "da ...
period is the most predominant surface layer. It is constituted by
limestone
Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...
and
Dolomite Dolomite may refer to:
*Dolomite (mineral), a carbonate mineral
*Dolomite (rock), also known as dolostone, a sedimentary carbonate rock
*Dolomite, Alabama, United States, an unincorporated community
*Dolomite, California, United States, an unincor ...
. The northern zone of Qatar, which comprises the most significant source of fresh groundwater in the peninsula, primarily draws its water from the Umm Err Radhuma Formation and Rus Formation dating to the
Paleocene
The Paleocene, ( ) or Palaeocene, is a geological epoch that lasted from about 66 to 56 million years ago (mya). It is the first epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name is a combination of the Ancient Greek ''pal ...
and
Lower Eocene
In the geologic timescale the Ypresian is the oldest age or lowest stratigraphic stage of the Eocene. It spans the time between , is preceded by the Thanetian Age (part of the Paleocene) and is followed by the Eocene Lutetian Age. The Ypresian ...
periods, respectively. The
Mesozoic
The Mesozoic Era ( ), also called the Age of Reptiles, the Age of Conifers, and colloquially as the Age of the Dinosaurs is the second-to-last era of Earth's geological history, lasting from about , comprising the Triassic, Jurassic and Cretace ...
strata are the most important layers as they contain
petroleum
Petroleum, also known as crude oil, or simply oil, is a naturally occurring yellowish-black liquid mixture of mainly hydrocarbons, and is found in geological formations. The name ''petroleum'' covers both naturally occurring unprocessed crud ...
. The first substantial deposit of crude oil was discovered in 1940 in the
Jurassic
The Jurassic ( ) is a geologic period and stratigraphic system that spanned from the end of the Triassic Period million years ago (Mya) to the beginning of the Cretaceous Period, approximately Mya. The Jurassic constitutes the middle period of ...
period Arab Formation.
Political and human geography
The capital,
Doha
Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the count ...
, is located on the central east coast on a sweeping (if shallow) harbor.
Other ports include
Umm Said
Mesaieed ( ar, مسيعيد, also transliterated as ''Musay'id'' and ''Umm Sa'id'') is an industrial city in Al Wakrah Municipality in the State of Qatar, approximately south of Doha. It was one of the most important cities in Qatar during the ...
,
Al Khawr, and
Al Wakrah. Only Doha and Umm Said are capable of handling commercial shipping, although a large port and a terminal for loading natural gas are planned at
Ras Laffan Industrial City
Ras Laffan Industrial City ( ar, راس لفان, Ra’s Lafān) is an industrial hub located north of Doha, Qatar. It is administrated by QatarEnergy.
Ras Laffan Industrial City is Qatar's main site for production of liquefied natural gas and ...
, north of Al Khawr.
Coral reefs and shallow coastal waters make navigation difficult in areas where channels have not been dredged.
Doha is the capital of the country and the major administrative, commercial, and population center.
In 1993 it was linked to other towns and development sites by a system of about of paved roads.
Doha's international airport has an approximately main runway, capable of receiving all kinds of aircraft.
Historically, settlement distribution in Qatar has mainly been dictated by the presence of obtainable fresh groundwater.
Rawdas, which are depressions with shallow groundwater, have typically been the most popular sites of settlement throughout the peninsula.
In Qatar's south, where groundwater is exceedingly difficult to obtain, settlement formation was mostly limited to
wadi
Wadi ( ar, وَادِي, wādī), alternatively ''wād'' ( ar, وَاد), North African Arabic Oued, is the Arabic term traditionally referring to a valley. In some instances, it may refer to a wet (ephemeral) riverbed that contains water ...
s (dry river valleys) fed by run-off from nearby hills and rawdas.
Environmental agreements
Qatar is currently party to the following international environmental agreements:
*
Biodiversity
Biodiversity or biological diversity is the variety and variability of life on Earth. Biodiversity is a measure of variation at the genetic (''genetic variability''), species (''species diversity''), and ecosystem (''ecosystem diversity'') l ...
*
Climate Change
In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to ...
*
Desertification
*
Hazardous Wastes
Hazardous waste is waste that has substantial or potential threats to public health or the environment. Hazardous waste is a type of dangerous goods. They usually have one or more of the following hazardous traits: ignitability, reactivity, cor ...
*
Law of the Sea
*
Ozone Layer Protection
The Montreal Protocol is an international treaty designed to protect the ozone layer by phasing out the production of numerous substances that are responsible for ozone depletion. It was agreed on 16 September 1987, and entered into force o ...
References
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{Asia topic, Climate of