Filed under Asia and more precisely Western Asia, Qatar is a sovereign state. The long form of the name is State of Qatar. The capital is Doha.
Some 2.9 million people call it home, placing it 140th of 250 by population — between Lithuania above it and Jamaica below. Among the 17 entries in Western Asia it ranks 14th by area and 16th by population.
Its territory runs to 11,586 km², which ranks it 166th of the 250 countries and territories in this dataset — just behind the Falkland Islands and just ahead of Jamaica. For scale, it is a little larger than Jamaica.
Where Qatar is and what surrounds it
Plotted on a globe it falls at 25.5° north, 51.3° east, which puts it in the northern hemisphere, roughly 2,839 km from the equator, in what geographers would call subtropical latitudes.
Follow that same latitude east or west and you reach Western Sahara, Bangladesh and Bhutan — places that share its distance from the equator but little else.
It borders 1 neighbour: Saudi Arabia.
With both a coast and land borders, it has the trade options a landlocked country does not.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors
People, population and language
Spread across 11,586 km², that works out at about 247 people per square kilometre, which makes it densely populated. Half the entries in this dataset fall below roughly 90 per square kilometre.
People from Qatar are called Qataris.
Arabic is the only official language. Arabic is one of the widely shared official languages here, listed by 24 other entries including Algeria, Bahrain, Chad and the Comoros.
Inside Asia it places 44th of 50 by population, and it accounts for under 1% of everyone living in Western Asia.
Currency, domain and dialling code
It uses the Qatari riyal (ر.ق, QAR). That currency appears nowhere else on this list.
Doha is the seat of government and the answer most quizzes are looking for.
The top-level domain is .qa. Calls from overseas start with +974. Its ISO codes are qa and QAT, which is what most databases and flag files use.
It holds a seat at the United Nations, one of 193 entries here that do. The other 57 entries are territories, dependencies or observers, which is why totals on this site run to 250 rather than the familiar 195.
Neighbouring countries
Qatar shares borders with 1 country:
Fun facts about Qatar
- In land area it is a little larger than Jamaica.
- It lies about 2,839 km from the equator, in subtropical latitudes.
- Western Sahara and Bangladesh sit at almost the same latitude, on the far side of the globe.
- It is 140th of 250 by population, with about 2.9 million residents.
- The Qatari riyal is used here and nowhere else on this list.
- People from Qatar are known as Qataris.
Qatar — frequently asked questions
- What is the capital of Qatar?
- The capital of Qatar is Doha.
- What currency does Qatar use?
- Qatar uses the Qatari riyal, written ر.ق (currency code QAR). No other entry in this dataset uses it.
- Where is Qatar located?
- Qatar is in Western Asia, part of Asia. Its reference coordinates are 25.5° north and 51.3° east, roughly 2,839 km from the equator in subtropical latitudes.
- What is the population of Qatar?
- Qatar has a population of about 2.9 million, which makes it the 140th most populous of the 250 countries and territories listed on this site. Lithuania sits just above it and Jamaica just below.
- Is Qatar a country?
- Yes. Qatar is a sovereign state and one of the 193 UN members listed on this site.
- Which countries border Qatar?
- Qatar borders 1 country: Saudi Arabia.
- What language is spoken in Qatar?
- The official language of Qatar is Arabic. It is also official in 24 other entries on this list.
- How big is Qatar?
- Qatar covers 11,586 km², ranking 166th of 250 by land area. That makes it a little larger than Jamaica.
