8 facts you need to know about Qatar’s landscape

Think you know Qatar?

You probably know of Qatar’s wealth and riches, its plans to host the FIFA World Cup 2022 and even its population size. But there is plenty to know about this land itself.

We’ve gathered some of the many interesting facts about Qatar’s landscapes to help you impress your family and friends and the next socially-distanced gathering.

Qatar has no forests

While Qatar is rich with beautiful beaches and bountiful dunes, the Gulf state is not known for its natural greenery.

Situated in the Arabian peninsula, the small state of Qatar has a predominant desert landscape and does not host a single forest. This makes it one of just four nations worldwide to hold that fact.

Second flattest on earth

Qatar is home to plenty of high-rise buildings and skyscrapers that pose no competition to the natural landscape. Behind the Maldives, the Gulf state is known as the flattest country in the world with an average elevation of just 91.9 feet.

Third largest natural gas reserves

Gas-rich Qatar is rich for a reason. The Gulf state is home to the third largest natural gas reserves in the world, coming close after Russia and neighbouring Iran.

This abundance of resources allows Doha to establish strong trade relations with several countries around the world – chief of which are India, China, Japan, South Korea, the USA and the UAE.

By 2030, Qatar hopes to rank number one for natural gas and has pumped billions into expanding its LNG project.

Home to the world’s longest drilled oil well

On that note, did you know that there is a Guinness world record for the longest drilled oil well? Well there is, and Qatar holds the record.

Dubbed BD-04-A, the oil well is 40,320 ft MDRT in length and was drilled by Maersk Oil Qatar and Qatar Petroleum back in 2008 at the Al-Shaheen offshore oil field off the coast of Qatar.

Longest cycle path in the world

That’s not the only record held by Qatar. The new Olympic Cycling Track, 33km in length, is the longest in the world. The Guinness World Record breaking path runs from Doha all the way to Al Wakrah, providing enthusiastic cyclists with plenty of room to pump those wheels.

Almost all Qataris live in cities

According to Visit Qatar, the country has the world’s most urbanised population, with 99.2% of all Qataris living in a city. This comes as no surprise considering the majority of the land is covered in lush sand dunes that live under the scorching desert sun.

Sea meets the desert

Speaking of desert, Qatar is one of few places on earth to showcase the majestic scenes of the sea meeting the sand dunes. This wonder can be seen in the southern region of Khor Al-Udeid, but requires a bumpy 40 minute car ride into the desert to reach.

Known – appropriately – as the Inland Sea, the area is one of the most sought after hotspots for tourists travelling to Qatar.

Dozens of native wildlife

If you wander out into the deserts of Qatar, you may spot dozens of species that are native to the country – 21 types to be exact.

Arabian oryxes, desert hares, golden jackals, camels, long-eared bats, honey badgers, sand foxes, and gazelles are just some that can be spotted around the Gulf state.

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