Negev

Negev or Negeb, desert region, southern Israel, comprising the southern half of the country and covering an area of approximately 12,800 sq km (approximately 4,900 sq mi). Geographically the triangle-shaped Negev is divided into four regions: a coastal plain in the northwest, a central plateau, a mountainous area in the south central portion, and a valley in the east. The northern boundary of the desert is sometimes put at latitude 30° 25’ north. The average annual rainfall is less than 254 mm (less than 10 in), and although the soil in the north is fertile loess, irrigation is necessary for agriculture. In 1964, a conduit extending from the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) began pumping water into the northwestern region of the Negev. The main crops of the area are barley, wheat, and citrus fruit. In addition, deposits of phosphates, copper, clay, bromine, and natural gas are exploited. The main cities in the region are Beersheba, in the north, and the port of Elat on the Gulf of Aqaba. Other planned communities of the Negev include Yeroham (founded 1951), Dimona (1955), and ‘Arad (1961).

During the pre-Christian era the Negev was inhabited successively by various Semitic tribes. After the Arab conquest of the region in the 7th century ad, the Negev became isolated. Modern development of the desert began with the establishment of several kibbutzim (collective settlements) in the mid-1940s and accelerated after the creation of the state of Israel in 1948.