Qatar is a peninsula in the east of Arabia, bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia, in a strategic location near major petroleum and natural gas deposits. The State of Qatar occupies 11,571 km2 (4,468 sq mi) on a peninsula that extends approximately to 160 km (99 mi) north into the Persian Gulf from the Arabian Peninsula.
The education system in Qatar is jointly directed and controlled by the Supreme Education Council (SEC) and the Ministry of Education and Higher Education (MOEHE) at all levels. The SEC is responsible for overseeing independent schools, whereas the MOE is responsible for providing support to private schools. Formal schooling officially began in 1956. Primary schooling is obligatory for every child and is free in public schools.
Dukhan Field is a large petroleum-producing field extending over an area of approximately 80 km in Dukhan, Qatar. The first well was drilled in 1939/1940 and the first export of petroleum from Dukhan went out in 1949. The field produces up to 335,000 barrels (53,300 m3) of crude oil per day.
Al Rayyan is the third-largest municipality in the state of Qatar. Its primary settlement is the city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and is a part of the Doha Metropolitan Area. The vast expanse of mostly undeveloped lands in the south-west also falls under the municipality's administration.
Mesaieed is an industrial city in Al Wakrah Municipality located 36 kilometres (22 mi) south of the Qatari capital Doha. It was one of the most important cities in Qatar during the 20th century, having gained recognition as a prime industrial zone and tanking center for petroleum received from Dukhan.
Al Shahaniya is a municipality (3299 km2) in Qatar, with its municipal seat being a city of the same name (39 km2). Formerly in the municipality of Al Rayyan, but now an independent municipality, the municipal seat was delimited in 1988 by Law No. 22. In 2014, the cabinet ratified a draft amending provisions to the 1988 law that formalized Al Shahaniya as Qatar's eighth municipality.
Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares its sole land border with Saudi Arabia to the south, with the rest of its territory surrounded by the Persian Gulf. The Gulf of Bahrain, an inlet of the Persian Gulf, separates Qatar from nearby Bahrain. The capital is Doha, home to over 80% of the country's inhabitants. Most of the land area is made up of flat, low-lying desert.
Umm Bab is a settlement in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al-Shahaniya. It used to be part of the Al Rayyan municipality and prior to that part of Al Jemailiya municipality before the latter was incorporated into Al Rayyan. Umm Bab is well known locally for Al Khraij Beach, which is also known as 'Palm Tree Beach' owing to a small cluster of palm trees situated off the shoreline.
Doha is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the country's population. It is also Qatar's fastest growing city, with over 80% of the nation's population living in Doha or its surrounding suburbs, known collectively as the Doha Metropolitan Area.
Dukhan is a city in the western municipality of Al-Shahaniya in Qatar. It is approximately 80 kilometres (50 mi) west of the capital, Doha. Dukhan is administered by Qatar's state oil agency QatarEnergy and is the site of the first oil discovery in Qatar. It was previously a part of Al Rayyan municipality.
Rawdat Rashed is a village in Qatar, located in the municipality of Al-Shahaniya. It was demarcated in 1988. It used to be part of the Jariyan Al Batnah municipality before the municipality was incorporated into Al Rayyan. In 2014, the village was incorporated into the newly created Al-Shahaniya Municipality.
Al Wukair is a town in Qatar, located in Al Wakrah Municipality. It is 19 minutes away from Doha and is located near the city of Al Wakrah. It was previously a prominent fishing and pearling village. It was demarcated in 1988. The gated compounds of Ezdan Village house a substantial part of the town's population.
Al Jemailiya is a town in the municipality of Al-Shahaniya, Qatar. It used to be the seat of Al Jemailiya Municipality before it was incorporated into Al Rayyan Municipality in 2004. In 2014, the town was incorporated into the newly created Al-Shahaniya Municipality. The town lies roughly 30 km north-west of the Al-Shahaniya Exit of Dukhan Highway. It has been designated a District Centre for Al-Shahaniya Municipality, meaning that it is being developed to serve the needs of nearby communities, such as Al Suwaihliya.
Ras Abrouq is the northernmost extension of the Zekreet Peninsula, a stretch of land to the north of Dukhan in Qatar. It has a beach of the same name and various archaeological sites. Since the 21st century it has functioned as a tourist site.
Zekreet is a village in north-western Qatar near Dukhan and about 80 km (50 mi) north-west west of Doha. Originally a sparsely populated area, Zekreet was built up in the 1940s after oil operations commenced in Qatar. This included the construction of a harbor for oil equipment and some small houses which eventually developed into a village. There are several visitor attractions and old ruins at the site, one of the most notable being Zekreet Fort, which is housed to the immediate north of the village.
Al-Shahaniya City is a city in Qatar, located in the similarly named municipality of Al-Shahaniya.
Al Zeghain is a village in Qatar located in the municipality of Al-Shahaniya. It is south of the city of Dukhan. A spring called Ain Al Zeghain is near the village.
Al Majd Road is the longest highway in Qatar, running at a length of 195 kilometres (121 mi) from south-to-north. It begins in Mesaieed in Al Wakrah Municipality and extends north towards Ras Laffan on the coast in Al Khor Municipality.
The Bay of Zekreet is a half-moon shaped bay on the Zekreet Peninsula in western Qatar. The Zekreet Peninsula is a rocky, sandy desert, with numerous rock formations and gypsum plateaux. The bay is situated to the north of the industrial city of Dukhan and to the southwest of the village of Zekreet. It is located to the north of the Dukhan Sabkha, and is separated by a straight depression known as Rawdat Jarrah. Geologists have theorized that this depression was an extension of the Bay of Zekreet prior to the drop in sea levels c. 3,000 years ago.
Dukhan Sabkha, located in the northern section of the Dukhan region in western Qatar, is the largest inland sabkha (salt-flat) ecosystem found in the Persian Gulf. The sabkha runs for approximately 20 kilometres (12 mi), occupies an area of 73 km2, has a width of 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) to 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) and a depth of between −6 metres (−20 ft) and −7 metres (−23 ft) below sea level. Consequently, the sabkha holds the distinction of accommodating the lowest point of Qatar. It is situated roughly 10 km east of the city of Dukhan and 2 km from Dukhan Highway. The Dukhan Field is to its immediate west.
