A visit to Qatar means finding that centre point between contrasts few other landscapes can match. With our country’s compact size and unique geography, you’ll find desert dunes in reach of crystal-clear waters, and ultra-modern cities like our capital Doha surrounded with ancient villages and cultural wonders.
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Qatar peaks out from the continent to create what many call the pearl of the Arabian Peninsula. Our country’s compact land mass extends north into the Persian Gulf in Western Asia. In the south, Qatar shares a border with Saudi Arabia, and the rest borders only restful waters.
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Climate of Qatar
Qatar’s desert climate offers year-round sunshine, with balmy summers and pleasant, refreshing winter temperatures.
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A compact peninsula
Qatar is only 11,437 km2 in size, making it easy to explore all its many treasures.
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Wave to our neighbours
We share a single 87 km land border in the Middle East with Saudi Arabia, and only a narrow gulf separates us from Bahrain.
Discover Qatar’s rolling desert dunes
Qatar’s striking crescent-shaped dunes move with the sands of time as Al Shamal winds blow across the sloped plains. Ancient hills and mountains surround these plains painted with black and brown tones. The highest peak can be found at Qurain Abu al-Bawl in the south of Qatar, just 103 m above Qatar’s lowest point at 0 m sea level.
BLUE WATERS LIE BEYOND THE DESERT
Qatar’s coastline stretches 563 km with beaches of white sand and serene sea water that ranges from turquoise to deep blue. All along the coast, there are little spots of paradise on ten islands, some of which offer great sights and resorts.
Come and have a closer look at Qatar’s landscapes
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Qatar is blessed with natural resources
Our beautiful country is not just blessed with landscapes fit for geography textbooks, but also with plenty of natural resources – particularly as one of the world’s biggest providers of natural gas.
Qatar holds between 10% and 14% of the world’s known natural gas reserves, and our offshore North Field is one of the world’s largest gas fields. Before the shift towards natural gas, Qatar’s economy was more dependent on the export of oil found along the western coast at Dukhān and offshore from the eastern coast.
The discovery of oil in Qatar in 1939 set about rapid changes and modernisation. It created vast opportunities and Qatar’s population boomed as a result. Today, Qatar is known more for its natural gas than for its oil, but still holds 25 244 000 000 barrels of proven oil reserves, ranking 13th in the world.
Did you know? Qatar has no rivers and only gets about 10 cm of rain on average every year. To make sure there is enough drinking water, Qatar makes use of desalination plants to make seawater drinkable.
Demographics and the many faces of Qatar
Qatar declared its independence on 1 September 1971, having been under British rule since 1916. In the decades after the discovery of oil, the Arab state’s population expanded from less than 25,000 to over 100,000 people. Today, the country is more diverse than ever with a large expat population joining our Qatari nationals.
Things to know before travelling
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Visas
Want to travel visa-free? Check if you qualify here.
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Getting here
Planning your trip to Qatar? Check how to get here.
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Travel tips
Make the most of your visit with our handy travel guide.
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Getting around
From a dhow boat to our world-class metro, here’s how to easily explore Qatar.
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