Qatar:
Geography

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Background	Ruled by the al-Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues. During the late 1980s and early 1990s, the Qatari economy was crippled by a continuous siphoning off of petroleum revenues by the amir, who had ruled the country since 1972. His son, the current Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa al-Thani, overthrew him in a bloodless coup in 1995. In 2001, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. Oil and natural gas revenues enable Qatar to have one of the highest per capita incomes in the world.

Location	Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates	25 30 N, 51 15 E
Map references	Middle East
Area	total: 11,437 sq km land: 11,437 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries	total: 60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km
Coastline	563 km
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: as determined by bilateral agreements or the median line
Climate	arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain	mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Qurayn Abu al Bawl 103 m
Natural resources	petroleum, natural gas, fish
Land use	arable land: 1.64% permanent crops: 0.27% other: 98.09% (2005)
Irrigated land	130 sq km (2002)
Natural hazards	haze, dust storms, sandstorms common
Environment - current issues	limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note	strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits