Sawda Natheel ( ar, سودا نثيل, Sawdā’ Nathīl) is an area in

Qatar Qatar (, ; ar, قطر, Qaṭar ; local vernacular pronunciation: ), officially the State of Qatar,) is a country in Western Asia. It occupies the Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it ...

, located in the

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

Al Rayyan Al Rayyan (; also spelled as ''Ar Rayyan'') is the third-largest municipality in the state of Qatar. Its primary settlement is the city of the same name, which occupies the entire eastern section and largely surrounds Metropolitan Doha and funct ...

. It used to be part of the Jariyan al Batnah municipality before the municipality was incorporated into Al Rayyan. It is a highly undeveloped area, consisting mainly of open desert. Of the 566.7 square km area of its zone, only 3 square km of land is under use. Farmland occupies 2 square km and cultural establishments account for the remaining 1 square km. The district itself only accounts for 49.6 km² of the zone. Noteworthy features in the area are a border post separating the southern part of the municipality from

Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabia, officially the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA), is a country in Western Asia. It covers the bulk of the Arabian Peninsula, and has a land area of about , making it the List of Asian countries by area, fifth-largest country in Asia ...

, a well which the area was named after, and several farms.

Etymology

The area derived its name from the local well, which in turn had been named after dark precipitates found in its water. Sawda translates to 'black', while Natheel is an Arabic term used to denote soil deposits found in water obtained from a well. It is also known as 'Markaz

enter of Enter or ENTER may refer to: * Enter key, on computer keyboards * Enter, Netherlands, a village * ''Enter'' (magazine), an American technology magazine for children 1983–1985 * ''Enter'' (Finnish magazine), a Finnish computer magazine * Enter ...

Sawda Natheel'.

Geography

Qatar's capital,

Doha Doha ( ar, الدوحة, ad-Dawḥa or ''ad-Dōḥa'') is the capital city and main financial hub of Qatar. Located on the Persian Gulf coast in the east of the country, north of Al Wakrah and south of Al Khor, it is home to most of the c ...

, is located at a distance of 115 km to the north-east. Other distances include Abu Samra – 76 km away, Umm Salal Ali – 142 km away,

Al Khor Al Khor ( ar, الخور; also spelled ''Al Khawr''), officially Al Khor and Al Thakhira, is a municipality in coastal northeastern Qatar. Al Khor City, the municipal seat, is located in the northeast coast of Qatar, around from the capital, ...

– 172 km away, Madinat ash Shamal – 222 km away,

Al Wakrah Al Wakrah ( ar, الوكرة, al-Wakra) is the capital city of the Al Wakrah Municipality in Qatar. Al Wakrah's eastern edge is the shores of the Persian Gulf and Qatar's capital Doha is situated to the city's immediate north. Governed by Sheikh ...

– 130 km away, and Dukhan – 145 km away.

Border crossing

In the past, Sawda Natheel accommodated a border crossing into the UAE. This crossing was a vital economic boon for Qatar as it provided a direct pathway for bilateral trade between the two countries. Nonetheless in the early 21st century, after renegotiation between the Saudis and Emiratis over their respective boundaries, the UAE ceded its side of the border to Saudi Arabia. This border crossing was not repurposed for Saudi Arabia-bound traffic due to a similar and more developed border crossing already existing in the nearby district of Abu Samra.

Demographics

As of the 2010 census, the area comprised 8 housing units and 9 establishments. There were 15 people living in the area, of which 100% were male and 0% were female. Out of the 15 inhabitants, 14 were 20 years of age or older and 1 was under the age of 20. The

literacy rate Literacy in its broadest sense describes "particular ways of thinking about and doing reading and writing" with the purpose of understanding or expressing thoughts or ideas in written form in some specific context of use. In other words, hum ...

stood at 73.4%. Employed persons made up 100% of the total population. Females accounted for 0% of the working population, while males accounted for 100% of the working population.

References

Populated places in Al Rayyan {{Qatar-geo-stub