Editing Geography of Qatar (section)

==Political and human geography==
[[Image:Qatar sandstorm.JPG|thumb|right|240px|A massive sandstorm sweeping over the Persian Gulf state of Qatar as it races southward toward southeastern Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates on February 15, 2004]]
The capital, [[Doha]], is located on the central east coast on a sweeping (if shallow) harbor.<ref name="countrystudies" /> Other ports include [[Umm Said]], [[Al Khor|Al Khawr]], and [[Al Wakrah]]. Only Doha and Umm Said are capable of handling commercial shipping, although a large port and a terminal for loading natural gas are planned at [[Ras Laffan Industrial City]], north of Al Khawr.<ref name="countrystudies" /> Coral reefs and shallow coastal waters make navigation difficult in areas where channels have not been dredged.<ref name="countrystudies"/>

Doha is the capital of the country and the major administrative, commercial, and population center.<ref name="countrystudies" /> In 1993 it was linked to other towns and development sites by a system of about {{convert|1,000|km|abbr=on}} of paved roads.<ref name="countrystudies" /> [[Doha International Airport|Doha's international airport]] has an approximately {{convert|4,500|m|abbr=on|adj=on}} main runway, capable of receiving all kinds of aircraft.<ref name="countrystudies"/>

Historically, settlement distribution in Qatar has mainly been dictated by the presence of obtainable fresh groundwater.<ref name="macumber223"/> [[Depression (geology)|Rawda]]s, which are depressions with shallow groundwater, have typically been the most popular sites of settlement throughout the peninsula.<ref name="macumber226"/> In Qatar's south, where groundwater is exceedingly difficult to obtain, settlement formation was mostly limited to [[wadi]]s (dry river valleys) fed by run-off from nearby hills and rawdas.<ref name="macumber223"/>