Esdraelon, Plain of

Esdraelon, Plain of, also Plain of Jezreel, fertile plain, northern Israel, between the Sea of Galilee (Lake Tiberias) and the River Jordan on the east and the Mediterranean Sea on the west. The triangular-shaped plain is marked roughly by Mount Tabor on the north-east, Mount Gilboa on the south, and Mount Carmel on the north-west. It is approximately 58 km (36 mi) long and has an average width of 24 km (15 mi). The Kishon (Qishon) River, a small and intermittently dry stream, is the principal watercourse. The plain has fertile soils and is one of Israel's most productive agricultural regions; crops include wheat, cotton, corn, tobacco, millet, and a variety of vegetables. Because of its strategic location, the Plain of Esdraelon has been a major battleground since ancient times. Notable among these conflicts was a defeat of the Canaanites by the Israelites in the 14th century bc (see Judges).