|
|
Article: Sand, stone and sea snakes: Qatar's elemental landscape has a subtle beauty unique to the peninsula, as well as a thriving ecological programme that owes much of its success to industry.(21st-Century Countries--Qatar)
- Article from:
- Geographical
- Article date:
- March 1, 2004
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2004 Circle Publishing Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
The desert peninsula of Qatar extends almost 180 kilometres north from the coast of Saudi Arabia into the temperate waters of the Arabian Gulf. At 11,437 square kilometres, this promontory is only slightly smaller than the Falkland Islands. On modern maps, it resembles the flame of a torch--of, perhaps more appropriately, an oil flare--with its ragged coastal bays and spits curling and flickering against the Gulf's blue waters.
Qatar's landscape is arid, saline and rock strewn. There is little change in elevation--the highest point a mere 103 metres above sea level. With no rivers and almost no rainfall, the country has been subject only to the forces of wind and ...