What is the only country whose name starts with the letter “Q”? The answer is Qatar. In standard English lists of sovereign states, Qatar is the sole country whose commonly used English name begins with Q. It is a peninsula nation projecting northward from the eastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula into the Persian Gulf.
Qatar’s modern capital is Doha, and its official name is the State of Qatar. The country’s population and economy grew rapidly after the discovery and development of petroleum, followed by enormous natural-gas resources. Qatar is home to the North Field, one of the world’s largest natural-gas fields, shared geologically with Iran’s South Pars field.
The letter Q can create tempting but invalid alternatives. Qinghai is a province of China, Quebec is a province of Canada, and Quito is Ecuador’s capital city—not independent countries. The answer also depends on using English country names; labels in other languages or historical names could produce different alphabetical results.