Map of Qatar
Qatar is a country in Asia with its capital at Doha, home to about 2.97 million people across 11,437 km². The interactive map below plots 1 cities and towns and 6 ports recorded for Qatar in YearMaps.
- Population
- 2.97 million
- Area
- 11,437 km²
- Capital
- Doha
- Continent
- Asia
Interactive Map of Qatar
Centred on Doha at 25.2866° N, 51.5330° E. Use the layer panel to switch on rivers, dams, ports, peaks and historical borders.
About Qatar
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the country's inhabitants. Most of the land area is made up of flat, low-lying desert.
Qatar has been ruled as a hereditary monarchy by the House of Thani since Mohammed bin Thani signed an agreement with Britain in 1868, which officially recognised its separate status. Following Ottoman rule, Qatar became a British protectorate in 1916 and gained independence in 1971. The current emir is Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, who, like previous emirs, holds nearly all executive, legislative, and judicial authority in an autocratic manner under the Constitution of Qatar. He appoints the prime minister and cabinet. The Shura Council (also known as the "Consultative Assembly") has a limited ability to block legislation and dismiss ministers, but is fully appointed by the emir, who also has the last say on these decisions. While Qatar held a partial Shura Council election in 2021, with two-thirds of seats elected, in 2024 it moved to abolish those elections altogether, and reverted to a fully appointed Council.
On 21 June 2026, the population of Qatar was 3,180,059, although 3.02 million are foreign expatriates and migrant workers. Its official religion is Islam. The country has the fourth-highest GDP (PPP) per capita in the world and the eleventh-highest GNI per capita (Atlas method). It ranks 42nd in the Human Development Index, the third-highest HDI in the Arab world. It is a high-income economy, backed by the world's third-largest natural gas reserves and oil reserves. Qatar is one of the world's largest exporters of liquefied natural gas and the world's largest emitter of carbon dioxide per capita.
In the 21st century, Qatar emerged as both a non-NATO ally of the United States and a middle power in the Arab world. Its economy has grown rapidly due to its resource-wealth, and its geopolitical power has risen through its media group, Al Jazeera Media Network, and reported financial support for rebel groups during the Arab Spring. Qatar also forms part of the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Summary adapted from Wikipedia: Qatar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Geography and Climate of Qatar
Ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, Qatar within the last 60 years transformed itself from a poor British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into an independent state with significant hydrocarbon revenues. Former Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, who overthrew his father in a bloodless coup in 1995, ushered in wide-sweeping political and media reforms, unprecedented economic investment, and a growing Qatari regional leadership role, in part through the creation of the pan-Arab satellite news network Al-Jazeera and Qatar's mediation of some regional conflicts. In the 2000s, Qatar resolved its longstanding border disputes with both Bahrain and Saudi Arabia, and by 2007, Doha had attained the highest per capita income in the world. Qatar did not experience domestic unrest or violence like that seen in other Near Eastern and North African countries in 2011, due in part to its immense wealth and patronage network. In mid-2013, HAMAD peacefully abdicated, transferring power to his son, the current Amir TAMIM bin Hamad. TAMIM is popular with the Qatari public for his role in shepherding the country through an economic embargo from some other regional countries, for his efforts to improve the country's healthcare and education systems, and for his expansion of the country's infrastructure in anticipation of hosting international sporting events. Qatar became the first country in the Arab world to host the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2022. Following the outbreak of regional unrest in 2011, Doha prided itself on its support for many popular revolutions, particularly in Libya and Syria. This stance was to the detriment of Qatar’s relations with Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which temporarily recalled their respective ambassadors from Doha in 2014. TAMIM later oversaw a warming of Qatar’s relations with Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE in November 2014 following Kuwaiti mediation and signing of the Riyadh Agreement. This reconciliation, however, was short-lived. In 2017, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE (the "Quartet") cut diplomatic and economic ties with Qatar in response to alleged violations of the agreement, among other complaints. They restored ties in 2021 after signing a declaration at the Gulf Cooperation Council Summit in Al Ula, Saudi Arabia. In 2022, the United States designated Qatar as a major non-NATO ally.
- Location
- Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia.
- Climate
- Arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers.
- Terrain
- Mostly flat and barren desert.
- Highest point
- Tuwayyir al Hamir 103 m.
- Lowest point
- Persian Gulf 0 m.
- Coastline
- 563 km.
- Land borders
- Total: 87 km; border countries: Saudi Arabia 87 km.
- Natural resources
- Petroleum, fish, natural gas.
- Land use
- Agricultural land: 6.4% (2023 est.); arable land: 1.8% (2023 est.); permanent crops: 0.3% (2023 est.); permanent pasture: 4.4% (2023 est.); forest: 0.1% (2023 est.); other: 93.4% (2023 est.)
- Natural hazards
- Haze, dust storms, sandstorms common.
- Geographic note
- The peninsula occupies a strategic location in the central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits.
- Languages
- Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language.
- Religions
- Muslim 65.2%, Christian 13.7%, Hindu 15.9%, Buddhist 3.8%, folk religion <0.1%, Jewish <0.1%, other <1%, unaffiliated <1% (2020 est.)
- Ethnic groups
- Non-Qatari 88.4%, Qatari 11.6% (2015 est.)
- Economy
- High-income, oil-and-gas-based Middle Eastern economy; implementing “National Vision 2030” government strategy for economic development, diversification, and favorable business conditions to boost investment and employment; expansion of LNG sector expected to boost growth; Islamic finance leader.
From the CIA World Factbook (public domain), archived edition of 2026-01-22. The Factbook is no longer updated, so figures reflect that edition.
Qatar in Numbers
- Population
- 2.97 million
- GDP
- US$215.6 billion
- GDP per person
- US$72,525
- Life expectancy
- 82.5 years
- Population growth
- 3.92% a year
- Population density
- 249 per km²
- Urban population
- 99.4%
- Surface area
- 11,637 km²
- Forest cover
- 0.1%
- Arable land
- 1.8%
- Access to electricity
- 100.0%
- Internet users
- 98.1%
Indicators from World Bank Open Data (CC BY 4.0). The year under each figure is its reference year.
Qatar in Depth
History
Human habitation in Qatar dates back to 50,000 years ago. Settlements and tools dating back to the Stone Age have been unearthed in the peninsula. Mesopotamian artefacts originating from the Ubaid period (c. 6500–3800 BC) have been discovered in abandoned coastal settlements. Al Da'asa, a settlement located on the western coast of Qatar, is the most important Ubaid site in the country and is believed to have accommodated a small seasonal encampment. Some historians have theorised that the Sumerians may have originated from this region.
Kassite Babylonian material dating back to the second millennium BC found on the Al Khor Islands attests to trade relations between the inhabitants of Qatar and the Kassites in modern-day Bahrain.
Geography
The Qatari peninsula protrudes 160 kilometres (100 mi) into the Persian Gulf, north of Saudi Arabia. It lies between latitudes 24° and 27° N, and longitudes 50° and 52° E. Most of the country consists of a low, barren plain, covered with sand. To the southeast lies the Khor al Adaid ("Inland Sea"), an area of rolling sand dunes surrounding an inlet of the Persian Gulf.
The highest point is Qurayn Abu al Bawl at 103 metres (338 ft) in the Jebel Dukhan to the west, a range of low limestone outcroppings running north–south from Zekreet through Umm Bab to the southern border. The Jebel Dukhan area also contains Qatar's main onshore oil deposits, while the natural gas fields lie offshore, to the northwest of the peninsula.
Economy
Before the discovery of oil, the economy focused on fishing and pearl hunting. A report prepared by local governors of the Ottoman Empire in 1892 states that income from pearl hunting in 1892 is 2,450,000 kran. After the introduction of the Japanese cultured pearl onto the world market in the 1920s and 1930s, Qatar's pearling industry crashed. Oil was discovered in Qatar in 1940, in Dukhan Field. The discovery transformed the state's economy. Now, the country has a high standard of living for its legal citizens. With no income tax, Qatar has one of the lowest tax rates in the world. The unemployment rate in June 2013 was 0.1%. Corporate law mandates that Qatari nationals must hold 51% of any venture in the emirate. Trade and industry is overseen by the Ministry of Business and Trade.
Demographics
The number of people in Qatar fluctuates considerably depending on the season, since the country relies heavily on migrant labour. In 2020, the population was over 2.8M, with foreigners making up a vast majority. Only around 340,000 (12%) were Qatari citizens, while the remaining 2.5M were expatriates.
According to a report from 2017, the combined number of South Asians (from the countries of the Indian subcontinent including Sri Lanka) represented over 1.5M people (60%).
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Qatar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Qatar: Key Facts
| Currency | Qatari riyal |
|---|---|
| Official language | Arabic |
| Head of state | Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani |
| Head of government | Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani |
| Form of government | constitutional monarchy |
| Calling code | +974 |
| Internet domain | .qa |
| Highest point | Qurayn Abu al Bawl |
| Lowest point | Persian Gulf |
| Established | 1870 |
Facts from Wikidata Q846 (CC0).
History of Qatar: Empires and States
The atlas records 19 polities whose mapped territory included part of Qatar, from Parthian Empire in 126 BCE to 2024 CE. They are listed in the order they first appear.
| Polity | Period here | Extent |
|---|---|---|
| Parthian Empire | 126 BCE – 237 CE | Nearly all |
| The Sasanian Empire | 238–632 CE | Nearly all |
| Rashidun Caliphate | 633–665 CE | Nearly all |
| The Umayyad Caliphate | 666–750 CE | Nearly all |
| The Abbasid Caliphate | 751–898 CE | Nearly all |
| Qarmatians | 899–979 CE | Nearly all |
| Uyunid Emirate | 1072–1235 CE | Nearly all |
| Hamdanid Emirates | 1236–1259 CE | Nearly all |
| Bahrani Dynasty | 1260–1520 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of Portugal | 1521–1581 CE | Nearly all |
| The Portuguese Empire | 1521–1581 CE | Nearly all |
| The Ottoman Empire | 1552–1912 CE | Nearly all |
| Emirate of Diriyah | 1791–1819 CE | Nearly all |
| Qatar Dynasty | 1820–1852 CE | Nearly all |
| Emirate of Nejd | 1853–1872 CE | Nearly all |
| Sultanate of Muscat and Oman | 1916–1935 CE | Nearly all |
| The British Empire | 1936–1997 CE | Nearly all |
| Kingdom of Great Britain | 1936–2023 CE | Nearly all |
| State of Qatar | 1973–2024 CE | Nearly all |
Historical Maps of Qatar
Qatar on the world map in each year one of these states held it:
Derived by testing mapped cities against dated territorial polygons. Dates are when the polygons cover this place, not the polity's whole lifespan, and polities absent from the source dataset are not listed.
Visiting Qatar
Qatar (Arabic: قطر; pronounced kut-ar or cutter) is a rich Arab state occupying a small peninsula extending into the Persian Gulf to the north of Saudi Arabia. Many come to the Middle East seeking the mystic, traditional life of the Bedouins, wandering the desert with their life's belongings on a camel's back. Although tradition is still an important part of the Qatari ethos, the country has well and truly moved into the twenty-first century with the piercing glass skyscrapers of Doha, a booming trade sector and a new-found place in international diplomacy. Qatar offers a unique blend of cultural authenticity and modern luxury, making it a major tourism hub in the region.
Travel notes adapted from Wikivoyage: Qatar (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Largest Cities in Qatar
1 city recorded. Ranked by metropolitan population. A port city's harbour is written up on the page of its sea.
| # | Name | Population | Region | Role |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doha | 1.45 million | Ad Dawhah | National capital |
Ports in Qatar
6 ports recorded. Ranked by approach channel depth, the figure that limits which ships can call. Harbours link to their write-up on the page of the sea or coast they lie on.
| # | Name | Channel Depth | Class | Sea | Max Vessel |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doha | 34.7 m | Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 2 | Umm Said | 31.1 m | Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 3 | Ras Laffan | 27.4 m | Minor | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 4 | al Rayyan Terminal | 5.5 m | Very Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
| 5 | Jazirat Halul | 5.5 m | Very Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | large vessels |
| 6 | al Shaheen Terminal | — | Very Small | Persian Gulf & Gulf of Oman | medium vessels |
UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Qatar
1 World Heritage Site recorded. Listed by year of inscription, earliest first. Sites shared with another country appear under each.
| # | Name | Inscribed | Type | Criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zubarah | 2013 | Cultural | (iii) (iv) (v) |
Mountain Ranges, Deserts and Landforms of Qatar
1 landform recorded. Ranked by mapped area. Covers mountain ranges, deserts, plateaus, named glaciers, plains, basins, peninsulas and capes. One that crosses a border is listed under every country it lies in, with the area of the whole feature.
| # | Name | Area | Type | Region |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arabian Peninsula | 297,867 km² | Pen/cape | Asia |
Arabian Peninsula
Pen/cape · 297,867 km²
Arabian Peninsula is a pen/cape in Asia, covering an estimated 297,867 km². It extends across Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain and Jordan.
The Arabian Peninsula, or simply Arabia, is a peninsula in West Asia. It accounts for the majority of the land situated on the Arabian plate. With an area of 3,237,500 km2 (1.25 million mi2), it is the world's largest peninsula—roughly comparable in size to India. Nine countries are located on the Arabian Peninsula: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Yemen, as well as the southern halves of Iraq and Jordan.
Geographically, the Arabian Peninsula is bounded by Mesopotamia and the Levant to the north and northwest and surrounded by the Indian Ocean: the Persian Gulf, the Strait of Hormuz, and the Gulf of Oman to the east and northeast; the Arabian Sea to the southeast; and the Gulf of Aden to the south, the Strait of Mandeb to the southwest, and the Red Sea to the west. Prior to the 7th century AD, Greco-Roman conceptions of "Arabia" were broader than the modern peninsula and extended into the Southern Levant, including the Sinai, the Negev, and regions of modern Jordan, as reflected in the Roman province of Arabia Petraea, whose capital was Petra.
Adapted from Wikipedia: Arabian Peninsula (CC BY-SA 4.0).
- Feature class
- Pen/cape
- Mapped extent
- 297,867 km²
- Size rank
- #33 of 231 landforms
- Region
- Asia
- Countries
- Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan
- Coordinates
- 15.0070°, 48.2200°
- Ranges:
- Hadhramaut (Asia), Ogo Mountains (Africa)
- Settlements:
- Doha (1,194 km)
More about Arabian Peninsula
Geography
The Arabian Peninsula is located in the continent of Asia and is bounded by (clockwise) the Persian Gulf to the north-east, the Strait of Hormuz and the Gulf of Oman to the east, the Arabian Sea to the south-east, the Gulf of Aden and the Guardafui Channel to the south, and the Bab-el-Mandeb strait to the south-west and the Red Sea to the south-west and west.
The northern portion of the peninsula transitions into the Syrian Desert with no clear borderline, although the northern boundary of the peninsula is generally considered to be the northern borders of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, as well as the southern regions of Iraq and Jordan.
History
Prehistoric Arabia is the period of the Arabian Peninsula before any written records are known, going back to when humans first began to settle in the region, until around 1000 BC, when systematic written documentation begins to appear in the archaeological record. Stone tools from the Middle Paleolithic era along with fossils of other animals discovered at Ti's al Ghadah, in north-western Saudi Arabia, might imply that hominins migrated through a "Green Arabia" between 300,000 and 500,000 years ago.
Two-hundred-thousand-year-old stone tools were discovered at Shuaib Al-Adgham in the eastern Al-Qassim Province, which would indicate that many prehistoric sites, located along a network of rivers, had once existed in the area.
Sections adapted from Wikipedia: Arabian Peninsula (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Arabian Peninsula: Key Facts
| Area | 3,200,000 km² |
|---|---|
| Highest point | Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb |
| On | Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea |
Facts from Wikidata Q31945 (CC0).
Countries Bordering Qatar
Land and maritime neighbours.
More Maps in Asia
Qatar: Quick Answers
- What is the capital of Qatar?
- The capital of Qatar is Doha.
- What is the population of Qatar?
- Qatar has a population of about 2.97 million, the #139 largest of 225 countries in YearMaps. Source: World Bank, 2025.
- How big is Qatar?
- Qatar covers 11,437 km², ranking #166 by area, with about 260 people per square kilometre.
- Which continent is Qatar in?
- Qatar is in Asia.
- Which countries border Qatar?
- Qatar shares a land or maritime border with Iran, Saudi Arabia.
- What is the largest city in Qatar?
- Doha is the largest city in Qatar, with a metropolitan population of about 1.45 million.