Negev

Negev or Negeb, desert region of Israel, comprising the southern half of the country and covering an area of approximately 12,950 sq km (5,000 sq mi). The Negev is triangular in shape with the base in the north, roughly at latitude 30° 25’ north, and the apex in the south at the port of Elat on the Gulf of Aqaba. It is divided into four regions: a coastal plain in the north-west, a central plateau, a mountainous area in the south central portion, and a valley in the east. Average annual rainfall in the Negev is less than 254 mm (10 in). The north has fertile loess soils, but irrigation is necessary for agriculture. Since 1964, water from Lake Tiberias (the biblical Sea of Galilee), in northern Israel, has been pumped through a pipe to feed irrigated systems in the north-western Negev. The main crops produced are barley, wheat, and citrus fruits. The Negev also has phosphate, copper, clay, bromine, and natural gas deposits which are exploited. The main cities of the Negev are Beersheba, in the north, and Elat on the Gulf of Aqaba. There are also a number of planned settlements, including 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.