Editing Geography of Qatar (section)

==Area and boundaries==
Qatar has one [[Qatar–Saudi Arabia border|land border]]. The country borders [[Saudi Arabia]] to the south. The boundary with Saudi Arabia was settled in 1965 but never demarcated.<ref name="countrystudies" /> This terrestrial sector extends from the head of the [[Gulf of Salwah]] at [[Abu Samra]] to [[Khor Al Adaid]],<ref name="qencyclopedia">{{cite web|url=https://www.encyclopedia.qa/ar/%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%B1/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AC%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A7-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE%D9%8A%D8%A9/%D8%B7%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%BA%D8%B1%D8%A7%D9%81%D9%8A%D8%A9-%D8%B4%D8%A8%D9%87-%D8%AC%D8%B2%D9%8A%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D9%82%D8%B7%D8%B1|title=طبوغرافية شبه جزيرة قطر|publisher=Qatar Historical Encyclopedia|language=Arabic|date=28 April 2024|accessdate=20 July 2024}}</ref> spanning a linear distance of approximately {{convert|87|km}}.<ref>{{citation |url= https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/saudi-arabia/|title=CIA World Factbook – Saudi Arabia|access-date=20 July 2024}}</ref>

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 Oasis|Al-Ahsa]] coast and [[Bahrain]].<ref name="qencyclopedia"/>

Qatar's northwest coast is fewer than {{convert|30|km|abbr=on}} from the main islands of Bahrain,<ref name="countrystudies" /> while the small [[Hawar Islands]] of Bahrain are only {{convert|1.9|km}} off the coast.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Al Sharif|first1=Farah|url=https://dohanews.co/qatar-bahrain-territorial-dispute-erupts-online-as-ownership-claims-resurface-on-twitter/|title=Qatar-Bahrain territorial dispute erupts online as ownership claims resurface on Twitter|publisher=Doha News|date=1 August 2021|accessdate=20 July 2024}}</ref> The largest islet of the Hawar Islands is located {{convert|5|km}} off Qatari mainland.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Wiegand|first1=Krista E.|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/41342770|title=Bahrain, Qatar, and the Hawar Islands: Resolution of a Gulf Territorial Dispute|publisher=Middle East Institute|journal=Middle East Journal|volume=66|issue=1|year=2012}}</ref> The peninsula's northernmost point is [[Ras Rakan]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Bird|first=Eric|title=Encyclopedia of the World's Coastal Landforms|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Mfo5TPb7SDsC&pg=PA1038|publisher=Springer|year=2010|page=1038|isbn=978-1-4020-8638-0}}</ref>

===Maritime claims===
Qatar's maritime boundaries include a contiguous zone of {{convert|24|nmi|km mi|abbr=on|1|lk=in}}, an [[exclusive economic zone]] of {{convert|31,590|km2|mi2|0|abbr=on}} as determined by bilateral agreements, and {{convert|12|nmi|km mi|1|abbr=on}} of territorial sea. Maritime boundaries were ratified in April 1992 with Decree No. 40.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bugajski|first1=Dariusz R.|url=https://journals.pan.pl/Content/93397/mainfile.pdf|title=The Persian Gulf in the Light of the Law of the Sea|journal=Prawo Morskie|issue=XXXII|page=32|year=2016|issn=0860-7338}}</ref> The exclusive economic zone was declared in 1974.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Bugajski|first1=Dariusz R.|url=https://journals.pan.pl/Content/93397/mainfile.pdf|title=The Persian Gulf in the Light of the Law of the Sea|journal=Prawo Morskie|issue=XXXII|page=26|year=2016|issn=0860-7338}}</ref>

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 reservoir|petroleum deposits]].<ref name="qencyclopedia"/> Aside from hosting large numbers of pearl beds yielding high quality pearls,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://sharinghistory.museumwnf.org/hb_result.php?country=qt&page=1|title=The pearling industry in Qatar|publisher=Museum With No Frontiers|accessdate=20 July 2024}}</ref> Qatari waters also host 48% of the [[coral reef]]s in the Persian Gulf.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/article/17/10/2022/qatar-home-to-48-of-coral-reefs-in-arabian-gulf|title=Qatar home to 48% of coral reefs in Arabian Gulf|publisher=The Peninsula Qatar|date=17 October 2022|accessdate=21 May 2024}}</ref>

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.<ref name="qencyclopedia"/>

===Islands===
{{see also|List of islands of Qatar}}
Of the islands belonging to Qatar, [[Halul Island|Halul]] is the most important.<ref name="countrystudies" /> Lying about {{convert|90|km|abbr=on}} east of [[Doha]], it serves as a storage area and loading terminal for oil from the surrounding offshore fields.<ref name="countrystudies" /> [[Hawar Islands|Hawar and the adjacent islands]] immediately off the west coast are the subject of a territorial dispute between Qatar and [[Bahrain]].<ref name="countrystudies"/>