Qatar is a flat, sandy peninsula that projects out into the Persian Gulf from the eastern side of Saudi Arabia. For much of the twentieth century, it was a poor country, eking out a living from fishing and pearl diving. That started to change when modest oil production began in the late 1960s. But the rapid development of the North Field, offshore of Qatar, would transform its economic position and its global importance. The North Field is considered the world’s largest gas field.
