Qatar is one of the smaller Arab Gulf states in terms of population (estimated at the end of 2007 at 1.5 million) and geographical area (11,437 square kilometres). It is a peninsula situated midway along the western coast of the Arabian Gulf, with a 550-kilometers long coastline that bounds the country to the west, north and east There are several islands that also form part of the territory of Qatar, the most important of which from energy infrastructure perspective is the island of Halul, that accommodates significant petroleum storage and pumping facilities of the State.

The landscape of Qatar is generally flat and arid desert terrain. The desert areas are predominantly low lying with the exception of scattered hill formations in the northwest and rolling sand dunes in the southeast areas.