Al Shamal () is a municipality in the state of Qatar. Its seat is called Madinat ash Shamal and it is considered to be one of the major cities in Qatar, although the population is barely over 8,000. The seat's name translates to "city of the north". Ras Rakan, the Qatar Peninsula's northernmost point, is included in the municipality, and as such is surrounded by the Persian Gulf in all directions except for the south. It borders the municipality of Al Khor. The municipality is divided into three primary zones. History Al Shamal Municipality was established in July, 1972 alongside Qatar's four other initial municipalities. Accommodating less than 9,000 inhabitants, Al Shamal is the least populous municipality in the country. As it comprises the northernmost portion of the country, its historic importance is attributed to its more moderate weather and close proximity to Bahrain. The traditional mainstay of its inhabitants was fishing and pearling. As early as the 16th century, Al Huwailah, located on the east coast of Al Shamal, served as Qatar's chief town. It was eventually overtaken by Al Zubarah, a town located in the western section of the municipality, which grew to be the largest and most important settlement in Qatar during the 18th century. A survey conducted by the British Hydrographic Office in 1890 reflects on the subsequent abandonment of Al Zubarah as well providing details of the surrounding area's geography: A unique system of partnership between coastal and inland villages was historically prevalent. Groundwater would be very difficult to obtain from settlements located directly on the coast due to the intrusion of seawater. Thus, coastal villages would trade prized marine resources such as fish in exchange for resources obtainable only from inland areas such as freshwater and crops. Examples of these historical partnerships include the Fuwayrit–Zarqa partnership and the Al Ghariyah–Al `Adhbah partnership. Another way settlements obtained freshwater was by excavating rawdas to create small reservoirs that would fill during rainy season. Proceeding the discovery of oil, most of Al Shamal's population migrated to the capital Doha. In the mid-20th century, the region once again experienced significant population outflow due to upper aquifer salinization resulting from the overuse of diesel-powered water pumps. Nonetheless, once Qatar had begun reaping profits from its oil extraction activities, many northern settlements became repopulated as it had become feasible to transport water over longer distances. Geography Accounting for roughly 7%