Editing Geography of Israel (section)

==Physiographic regions==
{{Israel Geographical Map}}
Israel is divided into four physiographic regions: the [[Israeli Coastal Plain|Mediterranean coastal plain]], the Central Hills, the [[Jordan Rift Valley]] and the [[Negev|Negev Desert]].<ref name="cia" />

===Coastal plain===
{{main|Israeli coastal plain}}
The Israeli Coastal Plain stretches from the Lebanese border in the north to [[Gaza City|Gaza]] in the south, interrupted only by Cape Carmel at [[Haifa Bay]].<ref name="topog">{{cite web | url=http://countrystudies.us/israel/35.htm | title=Israel Topography | publisher=U.S. Library of Congress | access-date=8 April 2008}}</ref> It is about {{convert|40|km|mi|0|sp=us}} wide at Gaza and narrows toward the north to about {{convert|5|km|mi|1|sp=us}} at the Lebanese border.<ref name="topog" /> The region is [[fertility (soil)|fertile]] and [[humidity|humid]] (historically [[malaria]]l) and is known for its [[citrus]] [[orchard]]s and [[wine|viticulture]].<ref name="topog" /> The plain is traversed by several short streams. From north to south these are: Kishon, Hadera, Alexander, Poleg, and Yarkon. All of these streams were badly polluted, but in the last ten years much work has been done to clean them up.{{dubious|Starting to count – when?|date=January 2017}} Today the Kishon, Alexander and Yarkon again flow year round, and also have parks along their banks.<ref name="restoration of rivers">{{cite web |url= http://www.sviva.gov.il/bin/en.jsp?enPage=e_BlankPage&enDisplay=view&enDispWhat=Zone&enDispWho=Examples_River&enZone=River_Restoration& |title=River Restoration |work=Israel Ministry of the Environment |access-date=29 July 2011}}</ref>

Geographically, the region is divided into five sub-regions. The northernmost section lays between the Lebanese border, the [[Western Galilee]] to the east, and the sea. It stretches from [[Rosh HaNikra (kibbutz)|Rosh HaNikra]] in the north and down to [[Haifa]], Israel's third-largest city. It is a fertile region, and off the coast there are many small islands.<ref name="go">{{cite web |url= http://www.goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist+Information/Discover+Israel/Geographic+Regions/The+coastal+plain.htm |title= The coastal plain |access-date= 26 January 2008 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110906215023/http://goisrael.com/Tourism_Eng/Tourist+Information/Discover+Israel/Geographic+Regions/The+coastal+plain.htm |archive-date= 6 September 2011 |url-status= dead }}</ref> Along the [[Mount Carmel]] range is Hof HaCarmel, or the Carmel Coastal Plain. It stretches from the point where Mount Carmel almost touches the sea, at Haifa, and down to [[Nahal Taninim]], a stream that marks the southern limit of the Carmel range. The [[Sharon Plain]] is the next section, running from Nahal Taninim (south of [[Zikhron Ya'akov]]) to [[Tel Aviv]]'s [[Yarkon River]]. This area is Israel's most densely populated. South of this, running to Nahal Shikma, is the Central Coastal Plain, also known as the Western [[Negev]]. The last segment is the Southern Coastal Plain, which extends south around the [[Gaza Strip]]. It is divided into two – in the north, the [[HaBesor Stream|Besor]] region, a [[savanna]]-type area with a relatively large number of communities, and south of it the Agur-[[Halutza]] region, which is very sparsely populated.<ref name="go" />

===Central hills===
[[File:JerusalemMountains.jpg|thumb|[[Judaean Mountains]]]]
Inland (east) of the coastal plain lies the central [[Highland (geography)|highland]] region.<ref name="topog" /> In the north of this region lie the mountains and hills of [[Galilee|Upper Galilee and Lower Galilee]], which are generally {{convert|500|to|700|m|ft|0|sp=us}} in height, although they reach a maximum height of {{convert|1208|m|ft|0|sp=us}} at [[Mount Meron]].<ref name="topog" /> South of the Galilee, in the West Bank, are the [[Samaria]]n Hills with numerous small, fertile valleys rarely reaching the height of {{convert|800|m|ft|0|sp=us}}.<ref name="topog" /> South of Jerusalem, also mainly within the West Bank, are the Judean Hills, including [[Mount Hebron]].<ref name="topog" /> The central highlands average {{convert|610|m|ft|0|sp=us}} in height and reach their highest elevation at [[Har Meron]], at {{convert|1208|m|ft|0|sp=us}}, in Galilee near [[Safed]].<ref name="topog" /> Several valleys cut across the highlands roughly from east to west; the largest is the [[Jezreel Valley]] (also known as the [[Plain of Esdraelon]]), which stretches {{convert|48|km|mi|0|sp=us}} from [[Haifa]] southeast to the valley of the [[Jordan River]], and is {{convert|19|km|mi|0|sp=us}} across at its widest point.<ref name="topog" />

===Jordan Rift Valley===
{{main|Jordan Rift Valley}}
[[File:Yarden 0182.JPG|thumb|Jordan Rift Valley]]
East of the central highlands lies the [[Jordan Rift Valley]], which is a small part of the {{convert|6500|km|mi|0|sp=us}}-long [[Syrian-East African Rift]].<ref name="topog" /> In Israel the Rift Valley is dominated by the Jordan River, the Sea of Galilee (an important freshwater source also known as Lake Tiberias and Lake Kinneret), and the [[Dead Sea]].<ref name="topog" /> The [[Jordan River|Jordan]], Israel's largest river ({{convert|322|km|mi|0|sp=us}}), originates in the [[Dan River (Israel)|Dan]], [[Baniyas]], and [[Hasbani]] rivers near [[Hermon|Mount Hermon]] in the [[Anti-Lebanon|Anti-Lebanon Mountains]] and flows south through the drained [[Hulah Valley|Hula Basin]] into the [[freshwater]] Lake Tiberias. Lake Tiberias is {{convert|165|km2|sqmi|0|sp=us}} in size and, depending on the season and rainfall, is at about {{convert|213|m|ft|0|sp=us}} below sea level.<ref name="topog" /> With a water capacity estimated at {{convert|3|km3|cumi|2|sp=us}}, it serves as the principal reservoir of the [[National Water Carrier]] (also known as the Kinneret-Negev Conduit).<ref name="topog" /> The Jordan River continues its course from the southern end of Lake Tiberias (forming the boundary between the West Bank and Jordan) to its terminus in the highly saline [[Dead Sea]].<ref name="topog" /> The Dead Sea is {{convert|1020|km2|sqmi|0|sp=us}} in size and, at {{convert|420|m|ft|0|sp=us}} below sea level, is the lowest surface point on the earth.<ref name="topog" /> South of the Dead Sea, the Rift Valley continues in the [[Arabah]] (Hebrew "Arava", Arabic "Wadi 'Arabah"), which has no permanent water flow, for {{convert|170|km|mi|0|sp=us}} to the [[Gulf of Eilat]].<ref name="topog" />

===Negev Desert===
{{main|Negev}}
[[File:Israel-2013-Aerial 00-Negev-Makhtesh Ramon.jpg|thumb|[[Makhtesh Ramon]]]]
The [[Negev]] Desert comprises approximately {{convert|12000|km2|sqmi|0|sp=us}}, more than half of Israel's total land area.<ref name="topog" /> Geographically it is an extension of the [[Sinai Peninsula|Sinai Desert]], forming a rough triangle with its base in the north near [[Beersheba]], the Dead Sea, and the southern Judean Mountains, and it has its apex in the southern tip of the country at [[Eilat]].<ref name="topog" /> Topographically, it parallels the other regions of the country, with lowlands in the west, hills in the central portion, and the Arava valley as its eastern border.<ref name="topog" />

Unique to the Negev region are the craterlike [[makhtesh]]im cirques; [[Makhtesh Ramon]], [[Makhtesh Gadol]] and [[Makhtesh Katan]].<ref>{{cite web | url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/1486/ | title=Makhteshim Country | publisher=UNESCO | access-date=8 April 2008}}</ref> The Negev is also sub-divided into five different ecological regions: northern, western and central Negev, the high plateau and the Arabah Valley.<ref name="negev">{{cite web | url=http://www.negev.org/About/negev_desert.htm | title=Israel's Negev Desert | access-date=8 April 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080222220736/http://www.negev.org/About/negev_desert.htm <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 22 February 2008}}</ref> The northern Negev receives {{convert|300|mm|in|1|sp=us}} of rain annually and has fairly fertile soils.<ref name="negev" /> The western Negev receives {{convert|250|mm|in|1|sp=us}} of rain per year, with light and partially sandy soils.<ref name="negev" /> The central Negev has an annual precipitation of {{convert|200|mm|in|1|sp=us}} and is characterized by impervious soil, allowing minimum penetration of water with greater soil erosion and water runoff.<ref name="negev" /> This can result in rare flash floods during heavy rains as water runs across the surface of the impervious desert soil.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geckogo.com/Guide/Israel/Natural-Environment/Climate/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090901093540/http://www.geckogo.com/Guide/Israel/Natural-Environment/Climate/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=2009-09-01 |title=Israel Natural Environment |publisher=Geckogo.com }}</ref> The high plateau area of Ramat HaNegev stands between {{convert|370|and|520|m|ft|0|sp=us}} above sea level with extreme temperatures in summer and winter.<ref name="negev" /> The area gets {{convert|100|mm|in|1|sp=us}} of rain each year, with inferior and partially salty soils.<ref name="negev" /> The Arabah Valley along the Jordanian border stretches {{convert|180|km|mi|0|sp=us}} from Eilat in the south to the tip of the Dead Sea in the north and is very arid with barely {{convert|50|mm|in|2|sp=us}} of rain annually.<ref name="negev" />