Geography

Israel is a small country with a diverse geography.  There are desert conditions in the south and snow capped mountains in the north.

Israel is divided into four physiographic regions: 

1) Mediterranean coastal plain - Runs along the western border of Israel and is fertile and humid

2) Central Hills - East of the coastal plain and is hilly and mountainous

3)  Jordan Rift Valley - East of the central highlands and is dominated by the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee , and the Dead Sea

4)  Negev Desert - There are different soil types within the desert ranging from fairly fertile to impervious soil.  The Negev has the craterlike makhteshim cirques.

Israel most famous river is the Jordan River which runs from Syria into the Sea of Galilee (an important freshwater source also known as Lake Tiberias and Lake Kinneret).  South of the Kinneret is the high salt content Dead Sea which is the lowest water surface on Earth.  



The climate in Israel is Mediterranean climate with long, hot, rainless summers and relatively short, cool, rainy winters.  Summers are very humid along the Mediterranean coast but dry in the central highlands, the Rift Valley, and the Negev Desert.  

Israel has limited natural resources. These include copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese and small amounts of natural gas.


Back to Israel

Back to Learning Center