TheIsraeli coastal plain (Hebrew:מישור החוף,romanized: Mishor HaḤof,lit. 'coastal plain') is theIsraeli segment of theLevantinecoastal plain of theMediterranean Sea, extending 187 kilometres (116 mi) north to south. It is a geographicalregion definedmorphologically by the sea, in terms of topography and soil, and also in its climate, flora and fauna. It is narrow in the north and broadens considerably towards the south, and is continuous, except the short section whereMount Carmel reaches almost all the way to the sea. The Coastal Plain is bordered to the east by – north to south – the topographically higher regions of theGalilee, the low and flatJezreel Valley, the Carmel range, the mountains ofSamaria, the hill country ofJudea known as theShephelah, and theNegev Mountains in the south. To the north it is separated from the coastal plain ofLebanon by the cliffs ofRosh HaNikra, which jut out into the sea from the Galilee mountains, but to the south it continues into theEgyptianSinai Peninsula.
The plain can be conventionally divided into a number of areas: the Northern Coastal Plain borders theGalilee in its northern part, and the Jezreel Valley in its southern part betweenAkko andHaifa, where it is also called thePlain of Zebulon; Hof HaCarmel, or the Carmel Coastal Plain, runs along the Mount Carmel range; theSharon Plain continues down to northernTel Aviv; the Central Coastal Plain stretches from Tel Aviv to the northern limit of theGaza Strip, with theNahal Shikma [he] stream as its limit[1] – there Israel's access to the Mediterranean ends and the Israeli Southern Coastal Plain, also known as the WesternNegev, actually consists of thehinterland of the Strip. For almost its entire length, the plain hassandybeaches, and aMediterranean climate, except at its southern end where the climate issemi-arid.
The area was historically fertile in Biblical times, some of it being continually farmed ever since, although much turned over time into swampland, having to be converted back byZionist pioneers.[1] Today, the area is the center of the country's citrus farms, and contains some of the country's most successful agricultural settlements. The plain has soils made of two sorts of thick river deposits; one dark and heavy – ideal for growing field crops, and the other thin and sandy – ideal for growing citrus fruits.[1]
Despite its length, the plain is only crossed by two significant rivers; theYarkon, which is 27 kilometres (17 mi) long flowing from thePetah Tikva area into the Mediterranean, and theKishon which is 43 kilometres (27 mi) long, flowing into theGulf of Haifa.[1]
About 57% of Israel's population lives in the coastal plain, much of them in theTel Aviv (Gush Dan) andHaifa metropolitan areas.[1][2][3] It is the most predominantlyJewish geographical region of Israel and accordingly the most predominantly Jewish region in the world, as Jews make up over 96% of the population in this region compared to 75% in theNegev, 70% in the Israeli portion of theJudean Mountains, and only 50% in theGalilee, and theGolan Heights.[citation needed]
About 4,320,000 people live on the Israeli Coastal Plain (57% of the total Israeli population of 7,600,000).[citation needed][dubious –discuss] 4,200,000 million of them areJews (97.2%), and 120,000 areIsraeli Arabs. This accounts for approximately one-third of the world Jewish population, and almost three-quarters ofIsraeli Jews.[citation needed]
The Israeli Coastal Plain has been populated for thousands of years, with thePre-Pottery Neolithic B (PPNB) village ofAtlit-Yam dating back some 9000 years.[4] The PPNB village was swallowed by the sea due to a rise in sea level caused by the melting glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age.[4] Recent research has concluded that 5,500 years ago, during theBronze Age, the Coastal Plain was a populated commercial and settlement center, and it is thought that at this timeclimate change led to the flooding of the area and the creation of many swamps, forcing a shift in human settlement patterns.[5]
The coastal plain includes the following geographical regions (fromnorth tosouth):
The Northern Coastal Plain or Plain ofAsher stretches from Israel's third-largest city,Haifa, northwards toRosh HaNikra on theIsrael-Lebanon border. It separates theWestern Galilee and theJezreel Valley from the Mediterranean. Its southern segment borders the Jezreel Valley and is known as thePlain of Zebulun. It is a fertile region containing the city ofNahariya and manymoshavim andkibbutzim. There are many small islands and islets off the coast in this region.[6] Often regarded as a separate region is the Acre coastal plain, which is crowded with urban areas includingAcre and the northern suburbs ofHaifa, known as the Krayot, as well as more agricultural areas.[6]
The Hof HaCarmel (lit. "Carmel Coast") region is the Northern Coastal Plain section stretching along theMount Carmel range, fromHaifa (more exactly: Rosh HaCarmel, the Mount Carmelcape that reaches almost all the way to the sea[7]), down toNahal Taninim south ofZikhron Ya'akov. The soil of the Hof HaCarmel plain is rich and apart from the main city ofHaifa in the north, most settlement here is made up of farming communities.[6] TheHof HaCarmel Regional Council is anadministrative unit which largely, but not fully, corresponds to the Hof HaCarmel geographic region.
TheSharon plain is the next stage down the Coastal Plain, running from Nahal Taninim (Zikhron Ya'akov) toTel Aviv'sYarkon River. This area is Israel's most densely populated,[dubious –discuss] containing a number of large towns and cities includingNetanya andHerzliya as well as smaller communities inland.[6]
The Israel's Central Coastal Plain also known as Judean Coastal Plain, is running from northern Tel Aviv's Yarkon River to the northern tip of theGaza Strip marked byNahal Shikma [he], the Central Coastal Plain contains cities such asBat Yam,Rishon LeZion,Ashdod andAshkelon, as well as agricultural communities.[6]
The Southern Coastal Plain extends around theGaza Strip and is also known as the Negev Coastal Plain. The Israeli Coastal Plain includes a fraction of Negev Coastal Plain south of the Shikma Stream, while much of the Negev Coastal Plain is included within the Gaza Strip. Geographically, the Negev Coastal Plain is the southern extension of the Judean Coastal Plain (Central Israeli Coastal Plain), and in terms of geology, hydrology, fauna and flora.[citation needed][dubious –discuss]
The Israeli Southern Coastal Plain is divided into two subdivisions:
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