Editing Geography of Israel (section)

===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" />