What body of water borders Qatar to the north?

The body of water that borders Qatar to the north is the Persian Gulf. Qatar is a peninsula projecting northeast from the Arabian Peninsula, with the Persian Gulf surrounding it on three sides; its only land border is with Saudi Arabia to the south.

The Persian Gulf is a shallow marginal sea of the Indian Ocean, lying between the Arabian Peninsula and Iran. Qatar’s position on its western side has shaped the country’s history, from pearl diving and maritime trade to its modern natural-gas and energy economy. The country’s extensive coastline also includes bays, inlets, islands, and important ports.

A common mix-up is the Arabian Sea, which lies farther southeast and connects to the Persian Gulf through the Gulf of Oman. The Red Sea is west of the Arabian Peninsula, while the Mediterranean Sea is much farther northwest. In Qatar and several neighboring Arab states, the same waterway is often called the Arabian Gulf, but “Persian Gulf” is the standard English geographic name used in major reference works.