Geography of Qatar


Qatar is a peninsula in the east of Arabia, bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia in a strategic location near major petroleum and natural gas deposits. The State of Qatar occupies on a peninsula that extends about north into the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Peninsula.
Varying in width between, the land is mainly flat and rocky. Notable features include coastal salt pans, elevated limestone formations along the west coast under which lies the Dukhan oil field, and massive sand dunes surrounding Khor Al Adaid, an inlet of the Persian Gulf in the southeast known to local English speakers as the Inland Sea.

Area and boundaries

Qatar has one land border. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the south. The boundary with Saudi Arabia was settled in 1965 but never demarcated. This terrestrial sector extends from the head of the Gulf of Salwah at Abu Samra to Khor Al Adaid, spanning a linear distance of approximately.
Qatar presents as a peninsula encompassed by the tepid waters of the Persian Gulf on its eastern and northern flanks. The western margin is delineated by the Gulf of Salwah, a concave formation which effectively severs Qatar's terrestrial connection with the Al-Ahsa coast and Bahrain.
Qatar's northwest coast is fewer than from the main islands of Bahrain, while the small Hawar Islands of Bahrain are only off the coast. The largest islet of the Hawar Islands is located off Qatari mainland. The peninsula's northernmost point is Ras Rakan.

Maritime claims

Qatar's maritime boundaries include a contiguous zone of, an exclusive economic zone of as determined by bilateral agreements, and of territorial sea. Maritime boundaries were ratified in April 1992 with Decree No. 40. The exclusive economic zone was declared in 1974.
Situated on the western shore of the Persian Gulf, the Qatari promontory extends longitudinally into the waters, affording it a strategic position for the interception of rain-bearing winds and the regulation of maritime currents in the south-western basin of the Persian Gulf. The extended coastline facilitates the exploitation of pearl banks and piscatorial resources while also providing access to subaqueous petroleum deposits. Aside from hosting large numbers of pearl beds yielding high quality pearls, Qatari waters also host 48% of the coral reefs in the Persian Gulf.
The Qatari coast is further distinguished by its manifold indentations, comprising both convex protrusions of land into the sea, such as Ras Laffan, and concave incursions of water into the terrestrial mass. Moreover, the littoral serves as a natural harbour and transit point for numerous vessels plying the waters of the Persian Gulf.

Islands

Of the islands belonging to Qatar, Halul is the most important. Lying about east of Doha, 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.

Climate

The long summer 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.
MonthJanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDecYear
Average sea temperature °C 21.0
19.4
20.9
23.3
27.8
30.5
32.4
33.6
32.8
30.8
27.5
23.5
26.9
Source:-------------

Topography and natural regions

The peninsula of Qatar is low-lying. Its shape is the surface expression of the anticlinal Qatar Arch, formed during the Precambrian Amar Collision about. It is enveloped by loose sand and pebbles broken off the outcropping limestone. Smooth plains covered by fine-grained dust are found in the east, while the south and south-west portions of the peninsula mainly comprise sand dunes and salt flats, particularly near Mesaieed and Khor Al Adaid. Sakbahs can also be found in western Qatar, near Dukhan and Sawda Natheel. Hill ranges can be found in western Qatar near Dukhan and at Jebel Fuwayrit on the northeast coast. For purposes of categorization, the country is divided into five principal regions: coastal plain, interior plain, central belt, Dukhan region, and southern desert.

Coastal plain

The littoral of Qatar, extending some from Abu Samra to Khor Al Adaid via Ar Ru'ays, is emergent and characterized by recent geological formations. The western coast from Abu Samra to Ras Dukhan is relatively straight, while northward to Ar Ru'ays is indented with circular and oblong water incursions. The eastern coast is broader, with elevations increasing eastward from Dohah Al Husain. Many flat, low-lying offshore islands are located near the coast and are accompanied by coral reefs. As a result of salt water coming into contact with the low-lying land, many salt flats have formed near the coast.

Interior plain

Commencing at the inland margins of the coastal strip, this region is demarcated in the north by the Al Mafjar-Abu Dhalouf line. It broadens considerably southward, with its northern sector spanning between Al-ʽAdhbah and Ar Rakiyat, while its southern base between Umm Al Qahab and Al Suwaihliya measures. The surface is studded with eleven closed basins. The northern sector is relatively flat, while the central sector, between Fuwayrit and Rawdat Al Faras, exhibits more complex topography with elevations ranging from to.

Central belt

This zone aligns with Qatar's primary north-south oriented dome. It is distinguished by its topographical diversity, with elevations ranging from to above sea level. The surface is uneven, with circular or rectangular hills along the western borders reaching heights of to. Fourteen closed basins are scattered throughout, smaller in the east within the Rus Formation and larger in the west within the Dammam Formation. The highest points are found in the hills southeast of Al Jemailiya and to the west of the Al Jemailiya-Ash-Shahaniyah road.

Dukhan region

Occupying the greater part of Qatar's western flank, this area extends from Ras Abrouq in the north to An Nakhsh in the south. It is characterized by complex structural units, with elevations reaching at Khashm An-Nakhsh and depressions as low as below sea level in the Dukhan Sabkha. This sabkha, the largest inland salt flat in the Persian Gulf, runs for approximately, occupies an area of, and accommodates the lowest point of Qatar at below sea level. Jebel Nakhsh, a notable mountain ridge south of Dukhan, contains substantial deposits of gypsum.

Southern desert

This region occupies 34.7% of Qatar's total area, south of Doha's latitude. It bears topographical similitude to the desert areas of Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, with undulating sand dunes interspersed with rocky hamada surfaces. It is divided into four sub-regions:
  1. Al Urayq: A triangular area in the extreme west, with its apex at Abu Samra. Its northern side aligns with the southern extremity of the Doha-Abu Samra road, and its southern side follows the border line from Abu Samra towards the southeast.
  2. Miocene-Tiwar: Characterized by isolated hills amidst a rocky plain. The hills reach a maximum of and include Qatar's highest point, Qurayn Abu al Bawl. This sub-region is concentrated in the southwestern part of the Qatar Peninsula, including areas like Mukaynis, Al Kharrara, and Wadi Jallal.
  3. Rocky surfaces: Consisting of expanses of exposed bedrock, often weathered into flat, stony plains known as desert pavements. The surface may be covered by a mosaic of closely packed pebbles and rock fragments, or in some places by a thin layer of indurated mineral deposits forming a hard crust. This sub-region is divided into two units: one shaped like a trapezoid bounded by the water pipeline passing through Abu Nakhla to Mesaieed, and another extending from Umm Jawlaq southeastward through Al Khubayb, Al Fulayhah, and Umm Al Hayran to Khor Al Adaid.
  4. Sand dunes: Occupying 1.6% of Qatar's area, with dunes reaching heights of to. Interspersed among the dunes are numerous closed basins with floors varying in elevation from to metres above sea level, resulting in an undulating topography. The northern boundary of this sub-region aligns with the latitude of Umm Owaina.

    Landforms

Sabkhas

The peninsula is notable for its sabkhas, or salt flats, of which the two distinct varieties are coastal and inland. The coastal sabkhas, more prevalent on the eastern seaboard, encompass an area of approximately. These coastal formations rarely exceed an elevation of to metres above sea level, with some portions lying below the waterline. Consequently, during exceptionally high tides, often exacerbated by strong easterly winds, seawater may inundate these low-lying areas.
Inland sabkhas, while less common, are of significant geological interest. A prominent example, Dukhan Sabkha, lies 3 kilometres east of Jebel Dukhan and south of the Bay of Zekreet. This depression, covering, is largely situated below sea level and contains the lowest point in Qatar at below the sea's surface. It stretches 24 kilometres from north to south and from east to west. A second notable inland sabkha complex straddles the borders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. This formation comprises three discrete areas: Sawda Natheel to the south, Jawa Salama to the west, and Al Khufus to the east. These sabkhas, mostly subsea in elevation, collectively span an area of.