Qatar also known as the State of Qatar or locally Dawlat Qaṭar, is an Arab emirate, in the Middle East, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the much larger Arabian Peninsula. It shares its southern border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. Doha is the capital of Qatar. Islam is the predominant religion. Muslims constitute 80% of the country's population.

Qatar is ruled by the Al Thani family since the mid-1800s, currently under the wise and able leadership of  His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Emir, and is Heired by His Highness Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the Heir Apparent. Qatar transformed itself from a British protectorate noted mainly for pearling into a modern, developed and independent state with significant oil and natural gas revenues.

It is a peninsula of some 5,000 square miles. Most of the country has a landscape of sand dunes in the south and flat, rocky desert with scattered cultivation in the north. The climate is mild and pleasant in winter with occasional rainfall, while the summers are relatively hot and generally humid.