Editing Geography of Qatar (section)

==Topography and natural regions==
[[Image:Qatar Topography.png|thumb|Topography of Qatar]]
The peninsula of Qatar is low-lying. Its shape is the surface expression of the [[Anticline|anticlinal]] Qatar Arch,<ref>{{cite journal|url=http://www.qscience.com/doi/pdf/10.5339/qfarf.2012.EEP4|title=What's up with Qatar? How eustasy and neotectonics influenced the late Pleistocene and Holocene sea-level history of Qatar|publisher=ExxonMobil Research Qatar |author=Jeremy Jameson |author2=Christian Strohmenger |journal=Qatar Foundation Annual Research Forum Proceedings|year=2012|issue=2012|pages=EEP4|doi=10.5339/qfarf.2012.EEP4|access-date=17 July 2015}}</ref> formed during the [[Precambrian]] Amar Collision about {{Ma|640|620}}.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Hosani |first=Khalid Al |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7KZ4ecpMp_sC&pg=PA296 |title=Lithosphere Dynamics and Sedimentary Basins: The Arabian Plate and Analogues |last2=Roure |first2=Francois |last3=ELLISON |first3=Richard |last4=LOKIER |first4=Stephen |date=2012-09-14 |publisher=Springer Science & Business Media |isbn=978-3-642-29278-1 |language=en}}</ref> It is enveloped by loose sand and pebbles broken off the outcropping [[limestone]]. Smooth plains covered by fine-grained dust are found in the east, while the south and south-west portions of the peninsula mainly comprise [[Dune|sand dune]]s and [[Salt pan (geology)|salt flat]]s (locally known as [[sabkha]]s), particularly near [[Mesaieed]] and [[Khor Al Adaid]].<ref name="nayeem1">{{cite book|last=Abdul Nayeem|first=Muhammad|title=Qatar Prehistory and Protohistory from the Most Ancient Times (Ca. 1,000,000 to End of B.C. Era)|publisher=Hyderabad Publishers|page=2|year=1998|isbn=978-81-85492-04-9}}</ref> Sakbahs can also be found in western Qatar, near [[Dukhan]] and [[Sawda Natheel]].<ref name="abulali"/> Hill ranges (jebels) can be found in western Qatar near Dukhan and at [[Fuwayrit#Jebel Fuwayrit|Jebel Fuwayrit]] on the northeast coast.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mme.gov.qa/cui/view.dox?id=954&contentID=1409&siteID=2|title=About Qatar|publisher=Ministry of Municipality and Environment|access-date=23 February 2019|archive-date=14 February 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190214002733/http://www.mme.gov.qa/cui/view.dox?id=954&contentID=1409&siteID=2|url-status=dead}}</ref> For purposes of categorization, the country is divided into five principal regions: coastal plain, interior plain, central belt, Dukhan region, and southern desert.<ref name="qencyclopedia"/>

===Coastal plain===
The littoral of Qatar, extending some {{convert|650|km}} from [[Abu Samra]] to [[Khor Al Adaid]] via [[Ar Ru'ays]], is [[Emergent coastline|emergent]] and characterized by recent geological formations. The western coast from Abu Samra to Ras Dukhan is relatively straight, while northward to Ar Ru'ays is indented with circular and oblong water incursions. The eastern coast is broader, with elevations increasing eastward from Dohah Al Husain.<ref name="qencyclopedia"/> Many flat, low-lying offshore islands are located near the coast and are accompanied by [[coral reefs]]. As a result of salt water coming into contact with the low-lying land, many [[Salt pan (geology)|salt flats]] (known locally as [[sabkha]]s) have formed near the coast.<ref name="nayeem1"/>

===Interior plain===
[[File:Qatar, Simaisma (12), desert.jpg|thumb|Desert of [[Simaisma]], located in the southern section of the interior plain region]]
Commencing at the inland margins of the coastal strip, this region is demarcated in the north by the [[Al Mafjar]]-[[Abu Dhalouf]] line. It broadens considerably southward, with its northern sector spanning {{convert|18.5|km}} between [[Al-ʽAdhbah]] and [[Ar Rakiyat]], while its southern base between [[Umm Al Qahab]] and [[Al Suwaihliya]] measures {{convert|46.5|km}}. The surface is studded with eleven [[Endorheic basin|closed basin]]s. The northern sector is relatively flat, while the central sector, between [[Fuwayrit]] and [[Rawdat Al Faras]], exhibits more complex topography with elevations ranging from {{convert|11|m}} to {{convert|21|m}}.<ref name="qencyclopedia"/>

===Central belt=== 
This zone aligns with Qatar's primary north-south oriented dome. It is distinguished by its topographical diversity, with elevations ranging from {{convert|31|m}} to {{convert|49|m}} above sea level. The surface is uneven, with circular or rectangular hills along the western borders reaching heights of {{convert|41|m}} to {{convert|49|m}}. Fourteen closed basins are scattered throughout, smaller in the east within the Rus Formation and larger in the west within the Dammam Formation. The highest points are found in the hills southeast of [[Al Jemailiya]] and to the west of the Al Jemailiya-Ash-Shahaniyah road.<ref name="qencyclopedia"/>

===Dukhan region=== 
[[File:Rawdat Jarrah separating Dukhan Sabkha from Bay of Zekreet.jpg|thumb|Landscape near the [[Dukhan Sabkha]]]]
Occupying the greater part of Qatar's western flank, this area extends {{convert|87|km}} from [[Ras Abrouq]] in the north to An Nakhsh in the south. It is characterized by complex structural units, with elevations reaching {{convert|92|m}} at Khashm An-Nakhsh and depressions as low as {{convert|-5|m}} below sea level in the [[Dukhan Sabkha]].<ref name="qencyclopedia"/> This sabkha, the largest inland salt flat in the [[Persian Gulf]], runs for approximately {{convert|20|km}}, occupies an area of {{convert|73|km2|abbr=on}},<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/full/10.1098/rsta.2010.0101|title=Raman spectroscopy of the Dukhan sabkha: identification of geological and biogeological molecules in an extreme environment|author1=Howell G. M. Edwards |author2=Fadhil Sadooni |author3=Petr Vítek |author4=Jan Jehlička |journal=Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences|volume=368|publisher=Royal Society Publishing|date=13 July 2010|issue=1922|pages=3099–3107|doi=10.1098/rsta.2010.0101|pmid=20529947|bibcode=2010RSPTA.368.3099E |s2cid=7262453|access-date=23 February 2019|doi-access=free|hdl=10576/47356|hdl-access=free}}</ref> and accommodates the lowest point of Qatar at {{convert|-6|m}} below sea level.<ref name="abulali">{{cite journal|url=https://eurekamag.com/pdf/012/012125301.pdf|title=Geologic Evolution of the Dukhan salt flats in Western Qatar Peninsula, Arabian Gulf|last1=Sadiq|first1=Abdulali M.|journal=Qatar University Science Journal|issue=23|pages=41–58|year=2003|access-date=23 February 2019}}</ref> [[Jebel Nakhsh]], a notable [[Ridge|mountain ridge]] south of Dukhan, contains substantial deposits of [[gypsum]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.academia.edu/19304718|title=A Historical Account of the Stratigraphy of Qatar, Middle-East (1816 to 2015) |website=Academia |author=Jacques Leblanc|page=73|date=December 2015|access-date=23 February 2019}}</ref>

===Southern desert=== 
[[File:Dunes at Khawr al Udayd in 2004.jpg|thumb|Sand dunes at [[Khor Al Adaid]]]]
This region occupies 34.7% of Qatar's total area, south of Doha's latitude. It bears topographical similitude to the desert areas of [[Abu Dhabi]], [[Saudi Arabia]], and [[Bahrain]], with undulating sand dunes interspersed with rocky [[hamada]] surfaces.<ref name="qencyclopedia"/> It is divided into four sub-regions:
#Al Urayq: A triangular area in the extreme west, with its apex at Abu Samra. Its northern side aligns with the southern extremity of the Doha-Abu Samra road, and its southern side follows the border line from Abu Samra towards the southeast.<ref name="qencyclopedia"/>
#Miocene-Tiwar: Characterized by isolated hills amidst a rocky plain. The hills reach a maximum of {{convert|103|m}} and include Qatar's highest point, [[Qurayn Abu al Bawl]]. This sub-region is concentrated in the southwestern part of the Qatar Peninsula, including areas like [[Mukaynis]], [[Al Kharrara]], and [[Wadi Jallal]].<ref name="qencyclopedia"/>
#Rocky surfaces: Consisting of expanses of exposed bedrock, often weathered into flat, stony plains known as desert pavements. The surface may be covered by a mosaic of closely packed pebbles and rock fragments, or in some places by a thin layer of indurated mineral deposits forming a hard crust. This sub-region is divided into two units: one shaped like a trapezoid bounded by the water pipeline passing through [[Abu Nakhla]] to Mesaieed, and another extending from Umm Jawlaq southeastward through Al Khubayb, Al Fulayhah, and Umm Al Hayran to Khor Al Adaid.<ref name="qencyclopedia"/>
#Sand dunes: Occupying 1.6% of Qatar's area, with dunes reaching heights of {{convert|38|m}} to {{convert|67|m}}. Interspersed among the dunes are numerous closed basins with floors varying in elevation from {{convert|19|m}} to {{convert|34|m}} metres above sea level, resulting in an undulating topography. The northern boundary of this sub-region aligns with the latitude of Umm Owaina.<ref name="qencyclopedia"/>