[1] Notable features include coastal salt pans, elevated limestone formations (the Dukhan anticline) along the west coast under which lies the Dukhan oil field, and massive sand dunes surrounding Khor Al Adaid, an inlet of the Persian Gulf in the southeast known to local English speakers as the Inland Sea.

[1] This terrestrial sector extends from the head of the Gulf of Salwah at Abu Samra to Khor Al Adaid,[2] spanning a linear distance of approximately 87 kilometres (54 mi).

The western margin is delineated by the Gulf of Salwah, a concave formation which effectively severs Qatar's terrestrial connection with the Al-Ahsa coast and Bahrain.

The extended coastline facilitates the exploitation of pearl banks and piscatorial resources while also providing access to subaqueous petroleum deposits.

[10] The Qatari coast is further distinguished by its manifold indentations, comprising both convex protrusions of land into the sea, such as Ras Laffan, and concave incursions of water into the terrestrial mass.

Moreover, the littoral serves as a natural harbour and transit point for numerous vessels plying the waters of the Persian Gulf.

[1] Lying about 90 km (56 mi) east of Doha, it serves as a storage area and loading terminal for oil from the surrounding offshore fields.

[11] Rainfall averages 100 mm (3.9 in) per year, confined to the winter months, and falling in brief storms which are occasionally heavy enough to flood the small ravines and the usually dry wadis.

[1] Sudden, violent dust storms occasionally descend on the peninsula, blotting out the sun, causing wind damage, and temporarily disrupting transport and other services.

[1] The scarcity of rainfall and the limited underground water, most of which has such a high mineral content that it is unsuitable for drinking or irrigation, severely restricted the population and the extent of agricultural and industrial development the country could support until desalination projects began.

Its shape is the surface expression of the anticlinal Qatar Arch,[16] formed during the Precambrian Amar Collision about 640 to 620 million years ago.

Smooth plains covered by fine-grained dust are found in the east, while the south and south-west portions of the peninsula mainly comprise sand dunes and salt flats (locally known as sabkhas), particularly near Mesaieed and Khor Al Adaid.

[2] The littoral of Qatar, extending some 650 kilometres (400 mi) from Abu Samra to Khor Al Adaid via Ar Ru'ays, is 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.

[2] Occupying the greater part of Qatar's western flank, this area extends 87 kilometres (54 mi) from Ras Abrouq in the north to An Nakhsh in the south.

It bears topographical similitude to the desert areas of Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain, with undulating sand dunes interspersed with rocky hamada surfaces.

[23] A second notable inland sabkha complex straddles the borders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

This formation comprises three discrete areas: Sawda Natheel to the south, Jawa Salama to the west, and Al Khufus to the east.

Certain geographical features partially alleviate this water scarcity, such as rawdas, which are large depressions found on the soil surface and which help recharge the aquifers.

[28] In the south, where groundwater is exceedingly scarce, vegetation can found growing in wadis (dry river valleys) fed by run-off from nearby hills and in rawdas.

[41] Severe conditions, such as extremely high temperatures and lack of water and fertile soil, hinder increased agricultural production.

[42] The limited groundwater that permits agriculture in some areas is being depleted so rapidly that saltwater is encroaching and making the soil inhospitable to all but the most salt-resistant crops.

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.

[28] In Qatar's south, where groundwater is exceedingly difficult to obtain, settlement formation was mostly limited to wadis (dry river valleys) fed by run-off from nearby hills and rawdas.