Qatar is a language.
Qatar ( [ ˈkætɑːr ] , [ kəˈtɑːr ] قطر [ ˈqɑtˤɑr ] Local vernacular pronunciation : [ ˈɡɪtˤɑr ] ) , officially the State of Qatar , is a sovereign country located in Western Asia , occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula . A strait in the Persian Gulf separates Qatar from the nearby island country of Bahrain , as well as sharing maritime borders with the United Arab Emirates and Iran . Qatar is a hereditary monarchy and its head of state is Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani . Qatar will host the 2022 FIFA World Cup , becoming the first Arab country to do so .