Qatar (Arabic: قطر The pronunciation of Qatar in English varies; see list of words of disputed pronunciation for details. In terms of English phonemics, the vowels sound halfway between short u/ʌ/ and broad a/ɑ/. The q and the t have no direct counterparts, but are closest to the unaspirated allophones of English k and t. However, since these allophones can not occur in these positions in English, in this context they will sound more like English g and d. So the closest pronunciation, according to English phonemics, to the original Arabic is /ˈɡɑd.ɚ/ or /ˈɡʌd.ɚ/. Note that English phonemics necessitate the weakening of the unstressed vowel to /ə/.), officially the State of Qatar (Arabic: دولة قطر, Dawlat Qatar), is an emirate in the Middle East or Western Asia, occupying the small Qatar Peninsula on the northeasterly coast of the larger Arabian Peninsula. It is bordered by Saudi Arabia to the south; otherwise the Persian Gulf surrounds the state.