Al Shamal (Arabic: ٱلشَّمَال, romanized: Ash Shamāl) 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.