Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Mar Saba Monastery amid the desolation of the Judean desert. This Greek Orthodox monastery was
built in the fi fth century. (Getty Images / Image Bank.)
Strip. It receives roughly 8 to 16 inches (20 to 41 centimeters) of rain a year, compared to less
than 7.5 inches (19 centimeters) for the desert. That rainfall, along with the northern Negev's
fertile loess soil, permits commercial agriculture.
The subtropical desert climatic zone in Israel's southern Negev, about half the country's
land, and in the eastern Judean Desert is characterized by high temperatures and low rainfall.
Sandstorms, fl ash fl oods, and scorching heat waves can occur in the summer, and frigid tem-
peratures can occur in winter.
Although this area is low in population, a number of creative solutions have been developed
to make it arable or economically productive in other ways. These include special greenhouses,
indoor fi sh farming, advanced irrigation systems, and new hybrids of food crops and fl owers
that can survive the climate.
WATER
Israel faces a tough environment with too much desert and insuffi cient rainfall or water. It
has used technology to help save water and use marginal resources effectively. Now, however,
water pollution has become a threat, especially to the underground aquifers where water natu-
rally accumulates.
The Bible speaks about years of plenty and years of famine in the Land of Israel— a rec-
ord of irregular rainfall. Even today, years of plentiful rain are followed by years of drought.
