About the Negev

The Negev is a vast desert region that makes up roughly 60% of Israel’s land mass, but contains only a small fraction of Israel’s population. It is a popular area for tourism because it so different from the countryside that say Europeans and even Israelis are accustomed to.

 

The Negev is in the shape of a triangle. Its northern boundary is loosely defined by a line from the Gaza Strip through Be’ersheba to the southern end of the Dead Sea. From there, it tapers southward to the port city of Eilat on the Red Sea. Be’ersheba is its largest city and is its administrative and economic center.

 

The Negev has a geographically diverse landscape and can be divided geographically into three subregions:

 

• The Northern Negev. This consists of gently rolling plains. It is the most densely populated part of the Negev. It is semi-arid, with an annual rainfall of around 200–300 mm of rain. This amount of rain is inadequate for growing wheat for example, but can support herding. The southern areas usually receive less than 50 mm per year. It has loess soils, which have the potential to be fertile if provided with adequate water.

 

• The Central Negev. This is marked by rugged highlands. One also finds Makhteshim, which are unique erosion craters found almost exclusively in Israel and the Sinai, and were formed by millions of years of erosion acting on folded rock layers. There are almost no permanent rivers in the Negev. Rather, water flows seasonally through wadis after rainfall, and these play a crucial role in shaping the landscape and sustaining the limited plant and animal life. The rainfall is highly irregular and often comes in short, intense bursts that lead to flash floods in dry riverbeds known as wadis.

 

• The Southern Negev (Arava Valley). This is a long, flat depression that is part of the Great Rift Valley. This part of the Negev is extremely arid and has only sparse vegetation. The soil is not suitable for agriculture other than the growing of dates. Nevertheless, there are agricultural settlements in this area.