Geography |
The State of Israel, located on the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea, is bounded on the north by Lebanon, on the north-east by Syria, on the east by Jordan, and on the south-west by Egypt. It extends south to the Gulf of Aqaba on the Red Sea. Israel extends 420 km north to south, varies from 16 to 115 km east to west and has an area of 21 950 km2.
A narrow Coastal Plain about 1 to 30 km wide extends along the Mediterranean Sea. The plain includes many of Israel's major cities and much of its agricultural land. Inland, a series of mountain ranges and highlands run from the north to the edge of the Negev Desert in the south, including the highest point in Israel, Mount Meron (1 208 m).
The Rift Valley along the eastern border of the country is an extension of the Great Rift Valley in Africa. The land drops sharply to a generally flat valley bottom. Much of the region lies below sea level and at its lowest point along the shore of the Dead Sea is 399 m below sea level, the lowest area on earth. The River Jordan flows from the north down the valley, through the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) and empties into the saline Dead Sea.
The Negev Desert, an extremely arid area of flatlands and mountains, lies in the south.
Israel has a typical Mediterranean climate with cool, rainy winters and warm, dry summers, although it varies somewhat depending on the altitude and proximity to the sea. August is the hottest month. Although temperatures may reach 37° C in the hills, they may soar to as high as 49° C near the Dead Sea. July temperatures average 23° C in Jerusalem and 27° C in Tel Aviv while in January, the coldest month, temperatures average 9° C in Jerusalem and 14° C in Tel Aviv. A hot desert wind called the khamsin sometimes blows from the east in the spring and fall.
Most of the rain falls between November and March, much of it in December. Rainfall declines from north to south and from west to east. The upper Galilee receives about 1 000 mm while the Judean Hills receive about 700 mm and the Negev only about 100 mm. Elat, at the top of the Gulf of Aqaba, only receives about 25 mm. There can be infrequent snowfalls at higher elevations.
The designations employed and the presentation of material in this publication do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations concerning the legal status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries.