PALESTINE
Back to: States Location: Gaza bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt
and Israel |
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At this time, Palestine is made up of the West Bank, west of the
Jordan River; and the Gaza Strip on the Mediterranean Sea. The main
cities are Jerusalem, Hebron, Jericho, Nablus, and Gaza City. The
total Palestinian population of 7million are citizens of the West
Bank, Gaza, Israel, and many are refugees in Arab countries. 1) The Jordan Valley region: extends along the western bank at the Jordan River from the village of Bardal in the north to the northern tip of the Dead Sea in the south. It is approximately 70 Km long with a total area of about 400,000 dunums. Elevation ranges from 200 – 300 m below sea level to approximately 100 m above sea level in the north and 200 m in the south. The climate is semi-tropical characterized by hot summers and warm winters. Annual rainfall ranges from 20 mm in the northern parts of the valley to 100 mm in the south. The northern Jordan Valley does get
adequate rainfall as there are no hills blocking it from the sea
winds. The lower Jordan Valley has a different transitional climate,
between dry steppe and the extreme desert conditions of the Dead Sea
region. 2) Eastern Slopes region: extends along the eastern side of the West Bank, east of Jenin in the north to thr eastern hills of Hebron district in the south. The total area is approximately 1.5 million dunums. Elevation ranges from 800 m above sea level to approximately 150 m below sea level. The climate is semi-dry with low annual rainfall. This area is used mainly for grazing sheep and goats. Native plants include some trees and shrubs, among these are Ceratonia siliqua, pestacialentiscus and remnant of Pestacia (in the northern parts ) and Sarcopoterium spinosum, Thymus capitatus Artemisia herba alba, Ononis natrix,Ballota undulate, Hordeum bulbosum,Poa bulbosa . The climate of the West Bank,
especially in the south, is influenced by the nearby Negev and
Arabian deserts. Desert storms move through in the spring and early
summer carrying hot winds full of sand and dust (khamaseen). |
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A GAZA TIMELINE | |||
Before Christ | |||
2300 |
Pharaoh Pepi I invades Canaan five times |
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1800 |
The Hyksos invade Egypt form Syria |
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1500 | Pharaoh Thutmose III bases his invasions of Canaan and Babylon on Gaza | ||
1300 |
Babylonian and Hittite kingdoms battle pharaohs Seti I abd Ramses II for southern Palestine |
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1200 | The Sea Peoples establish Philistia | ||
1030 | Gaza, with Philistia, falls uncer the influence of the Israelite kingdom | ||
926 | Pharaoh Shisak raids Palestine through Gaza | ||
733 | Assyrian Tiglath Pileser III conquers Palestine | ||
640 | Pharaoh Psammetichus takes Palestine | ||
603 | Coastal cities fall to Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar | ||
525 | Gaza resists, the falls, to Persian king Cambyses | ||
332 | Alexander the Great besieges Gaza for two months, takes it and Hellenizes the city | ||
323-440 | Gaza changes hands six times between Ptolemies and Seleucids | ||
150 | Jonathan the Hasmonean besieges and takes the city | ||
96 | Janneus conquers Gaza, the last coastal city to resist him | ||
63 | Pompey takes Palestine for Rome after besieging Jerusalem | ||
After Christ | |||
402 | Gaza is the last coastal city to resist official conversion to Christianity | ||
618 | Persian Chosroes II takes Gaza | ||
629 | Heraclitus regains Gaza and Palestine for Byzantium | ||
634 | Muslims take Gaza from the Byzantines, move into Palestine, Syria and Egypt | ||
781 | Ahmad ibn Tulun conquers Syria and Palestine for Egypt | ||
878-1100 | Through Umayyad, Abbasid, Fatimid and early Seljuk periods, more than 20 armies pass through Gaza | ||
1100 | Crusaders take Gaza and re-Christianize the city | ||
1170 | Saladin takes Gaza's hinterland | ||
1187 | Saladin captures Palestine and marches into Gaza | ||
1191 | Richard the Lion-Hearted receives Gaza from Saladin | ||
1222 | Gaza reverts to Syria | ||
1244 | Allied Mamluks and Khwarezmians attack Gaza from north and south | ||
1250 | Gaza besieged by Syria in effort to take it from Egypt | ||
1251 | Egypt breaks Syrian siege and retakes Palestinian coast | ||
1260 | Mamluks repel Mongols and make Gaza the capital of the region stretching from Egypt to Syria | ||
1348 | Gaza stricken by plague | ||
1516 | Sultan Selim II takes Palestine for Ottomans | ||
1700's | Bedouin raids on the city become severe | ||
1763 | Gaza revolts unsuccessfully against Ottoman rule | ||
1766 | Ali Bey takes Gaza, along with much of Syria and Arabia, for Egypt | ||
1776 | Ottomans retake Egypt | ||
1799 | Napoleon enters Gaza unopposed | ||
1800 | Allied Turkish and British forces take Gaza from Napoleonic administration | ||
1831 | Muhammad Ali of Egypt briefly takes Gaza in war against Ottomans | ||
1917 | British besiege and capture Gaza form Ottomans | ||
1918 | League of Nations establishes British rule | ||
From Aramco World MagazineSeptember/October 1994 | |||
Palestine Wildlife Society (PWLS), founded in 1999 in Beit Sahour- Bethlehem District is one organization whose mission is the conservation and enhancement of plantlife , biodiversity and wildlife in Palestine. Palestinian economy has always
depended on agriculture. Of the total cultivated area, olives and
grapes predominate, and with almonds and fruit trees occupying 60%
of the area. Winter cereals, grain legumes are cultivated on 35% of
the area. Vegetables are the main crops in the remaining 5% of land,
and they are irrigated from artesian wells and the springs. this is a flat coastal plain with a
temperate climate, dry, hot summers and mild winters. Its resource
is natural gas. Fishing is a source of livelihood, but fishing boats
are often prevented by an Israeli naval blockade of coastal waters.
Several Arab-Israeli peace deals have been
signed: 1979 Camp David Accords between Egypt and Israel, under
which Egypt recognized the State of Israel and established
diplomatic relations in return for the Sinai Peninsula. The Oslo
Peace Accords in 1991 called for the withdrawal of Israeli forces
from Gaza and Jericho; the Palestinian Authority established itself
as a self-governing body in Gaza. The Oslo Accords were to lead to
demilitarized, self-governing Palestinian state, but left the
important issues like the status of Jerusalem, the status of
settlements, and the
right of return of the Palestinian refugees
unanswered. Nature reserves: Palestine’s Constitution,Universities, Tourism |
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