Editing Samaria (section)

==Flora and fauna==
The geographical region lies on the [[Irano-Turanian Region|Irano-Turanian]] border, and its slopes support vegetation grown in that broad region. Typical for this region are ''maquis'', the dense scrub vegetation consisting of hardy evergreen shrubs and small trees, characteristic of coastal regions in the Mediterranean and which, in this area, are found on the cliffs' step-crevices.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Davis|first=P.H.|author-link=Peter Hadland Davis |title=Cliff Vegetation in the Eastern Mediterranean|journal=Journal of Ecology|volume=39 |issue=1 |page=73|publisher=British Ecological Society |jstor=2256628|date=1951 |doi=10.2307/2256628}}</ref> The kermes oak (''[[Quercus coccifera]]'') is common. 

In contrast to the [[Galilee]] and the [[Judaean Mountains|Judean Mountains]], there are very few remnants of natural vegetation in the Samaria Mountains. Large areas in the south and west of Samaria and in the valleys have been cultivated for many generations as agricultural land and are planted mainly with [[olive]], [[fig]], [[almond]] and [[pomegranate]] trees; the areas in the valleys are used for arable land or vegetable crops.<ref name="publisher1980">{{cite book |author-last1=Pollack|author-first1=Gad|author-last2=Cohen |author-first2=Ya'el |editor1=Shorer, Ya'akov|editor2=Grossman, David |contribution=The Vegetation (הצומח) |title=Israel Guide - The Northern Valleys, Mount Carmel and Samaria (A useful encyclopedia for the knowledge of the country)|volume=8 |publisher=Keter Publishing House |location=Jerusalem|year=1980|page=231 |language=he|oclc=745203905 }}</ref> Only on the edges of the fields and in places that have been regenerated and where damaging the plant-life is prohibited by law have remnants of natural vegetation been preserved.<ref name="publisher1980"/>

The wildlife of Samaria, as in other regions of the country, consists of populations that invaded the general area at different times and adapted to the conditions prevailing in the area.<ref name="Arbel1980">{{cite book |author-last=Arbel|author-first=Avraham|editor1=Shorer, Ya'akov|editor2=Grossman, David |contribution=The Wildlife (החי) |title=Israel Guide - The Northern Valleys, Mount Carmel and Samaria (A useful encyclopedia for the knowledge of the country)|volume=8 |publisher=Keter Publishing House |location=Jerusalem|year=1980|page=235 |language=he|oclc=745203905 }}</ref> Hunting (with the introduction of modern firearms in the 20th-century) and extensive farming have been the principal causes for a decline in the area's natural wildlife.<ref name="Arbel1980"/> The animals that dominate the general area have their origins in the [[Mediterranean basin]] and in [[Europe]], such as the [[Honey badger|badger]], the [[wild boar]], the [[red fox]], the [[hedgehog]], the [[Apodemus|field mouse]], and the [[Mole (animal)|mole]] (among mammals).<ref name="Arbel1980"/>