Geography

Qatar is a peninsula, 11,437 sq.kms in area, that projects from the Arabian mainland. It is approximately 160 kms in length and 80 kms in width at its widest point. Overall, the country is very flat, rising to only 110 m at its highest point ,and the land mass largely consists of scrubby desert terrain, covered in sand and loose gravel. The country is largely formed of limestone deposits and clays, laid down in various geologically defined eras. A broad North-South arch dominates the structure of the land, with the Dukhan anticline to the west, while the coastal areas are mostly characterised by salt flats, with an area of high sand dunes in the south-east. Lying in the path of strong prevailing south-easterly winds, the peninsula owes many of its features to wind erosion, in addition to significant fluctuations in the level of the sea-bed. The latter is responsible for the fact that Qatar is now separated from Bahrain and from the small islands that surround the peninsula, all of which, at one time, formed a complete land mass.

There are several small islands dotted around the coastline of Qatar. The most significant of these are Halul, located 90 kms off the east coast and used as an oil processing, storage and export terminal, and the Hawar Islands to the west, which are currently the subject of an ownership dispute between Qatar and Bahrain. The resolution of this conflict is in the hands of the International Court of Justice.

By far the majority of the country is surrounded by the waters of the Arabian Gulf - the coastline of Qatar extends for some 560 kms, while the only land border of 60 kms separates the country from Saudi Arabia. There are several shallow natural harbours, Doha, Wakrah and Messaieed being the most notable of these desert at Khor Al-Adaid (Indland Sea) Qatar enjoys (although that is hardly the appropriate word) a typical desert climate, with mild winters subject to very limited, though erratic, rainfall, often in the form of violent storms.