Jericho Governorate
Encyclopedia
The Jericho Governorate ( ) is one of 16 Governorates of the Palestinian National Authority (administrative districts) within the Palestinian territories
. It is located along the eastern areas of the West Bank, along the northern Dead Sea
and southern Jordan River valley bordering Jordan
. The Governorate spans west to the mountains east of Ramallah
and the eastern slopes of Jerusalem, including the northern reaches of the Judean desert
. The population of the Jericho Governorate is estimated to be 31,501, including approximately 6,000 Palestinian refugee
s in the Governorate's camps.
Agriculture
is important to the economy in the district, especially in the valley near Jericho
, its capital. Jericho is often considered the oldest continuous settlement in the world; its many historic and archaeological sites attract numerous tourists
to the area.
Elishia's Park (also called Elisee's Spring and Ein el-Sultan) is an oasis
in the Jericho District that is home to orchard
s, palm
groves, banana
plantations, and other flora
.
On November 7, 1927, a major earthquake epicenter
ed near Jericho, which lies on the Great Rift Valley
, killed 350 people and caused major damage in British Palestine.
Palestinian territories
The Palestinian territories comprise the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Since the Palestinian Declaration of Independence in 1988, the region is today recognized by three-quarters of the world's countries as the State of Palestine or simply Palestine, although this status is not recognized by the...
. It is located along the eastern areas of the West Bank, along the northern Dead Sea
Dead Sea
The Dead Sea , also called the Salt Sea, is a salt lake bordering Jordan to the east and Israel and the West Bank to the west. Its surface and shores are below sea level, the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface. The Dead Sea is deep, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world...
and southern Jordan River valley bordering Jordan
Jordan
Jordan , officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan , Al-Mamlaka al-Urduniyya al-Hashemiyya) is a kingdom on the East Bank of the River Jordan. The country borders Saudi Arabia to the east and south-east, Iraq to the north-east, Syria to the north and the West Bank and Israel to the west, sharing...
. The Governorate spans west to the mountains east of Ramallah
Ramallah
Ramallah is a Palestinian city in the central West Bank located 10 kilometers north of Jerusalem, adjacent to al-Bireh. It currently serves as the de facto administrative capital of the Palestinian National Authority...
and the eastern slopes of Jerusalem, including the northern reaches of the Judean desert
Judean desert
The Judaean Desert is a desert in Israel and the West Bank that lies east of Jerusalem and descends to the Dead Sea. It stretches from the northeastern Negev to the east of Beit El, and is marked by terraces with escarpments. It ends in a steep escarpment dropping to the Dead Sea and the Jordan...
. The population of the Jericho Governorate is estimated to be 31,501, including approximately 6,000 Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugee
Palestinian refugees or Palestine refugees are the people and their descendants, predominantly Palestinian Arabic-speakers, who fled or were expelled from their homes during and after the 1948 Palestine War, within that part of the British Mandate of Palestine, that after that war became the...
s in the Governorate's camps.
Agriculture
Agriculture
Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...
is important to the economy in the district, especially in the valley near Jericho
Jericho
Jericho ; is a city located near the Jordan River in the West Bank of the Palestinian territories. It is the capital of the Jericho Governorate and has a population of more than 20,000. Situated well below sea level on an east-west route north of the Dead Sea, Jericho is the lowest permanently...
, its capital. Jericho is often considered the oldest continuous settlement in the world; its many historic and archaeological sites attract numerous tourists
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
to the area.
Elishia's Park (also called Elisee's Spring and Ein el-Sultan) is an oasis
Oasis
In geography, an oasis or cienega is an isolated area of vegetation in a desert, typically surrounding a spring or similar water source...
in the Jericho District that is home to orchard
Orchard
An orchard is an intentional planting of trees or shrubs that is maintained for food production. Orchards comprise fruit or nut-producing trees which are grown for commercial production. Orchards are also sometimes a feature of large gardens, where they serve an aesthetic as well as a productive...
s, palm
Arecaceae
Arecaceae or Palmae , are a family of flowering plants, the only family in the monocot order Arecales. There are roughly 202 currently known genera with around 2600 species, most of which are restricted to tropical, subtropical, and warm temperate climates...
groves, banana
Banana
Banana is the common name for herbaceous plants of the genus Musa and for the fruit they produce. Bananas come in a variety of sizes and colors when ripe, including yellow, purple, and red....
plantations, and other flora
Flora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
.
On November 7, 1927, a major earthquake epicenter
Epicenter
The epicenter or epicentre is the point on the Earth's surface that is directly above the hypocenter or focus, the point where an earthquake or underground explosion originates...
ed near Jericho, which lies on the Great Rift Valley
Great Rift Valley
The Great Rift Valley is a name given in the late 19th century by British explorer John Walter Gregory to the continuous geographic trench, approximately in length, that runs from northern Syria in Southwest Asia to central Mozambique in South East Africa...
, killed 350 people and caused major damage in British Palestine.
Villages
- al-Fasa'il
- an-Nuway'imahAn-Nuway'imahal-Nuway'imah is a Palestinian village in the Jericho Governorate in the eastern West Bank, located five kilometers north of Jericho. It is situated in a low elevation below sea level in the central Jordan Valley. The village contains one primary and secondary school. In 1945, the village's...
- Ein ad-Duyuk at-TahtaEin ad-Duyuk at-TahtaEin ad-Duyuk at-Tahta is a Palestinian village in the Jericho Governorate in the eastern West Bank situated in the Jordan Valley, located two kilometers west of Jericho. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Ein ad-Duyuk at-Tahta had a population of over 967 inhabitants in...
- Ein ad-Duyuk at-FoqaEin ad-Duyuk at-FoqaEin ad-Duyuk at-Foqa is a Palestinian village in the Jericho Governorate in the eastern West Bank situated in the Jordan Valley, located 3 kilometers northwest of Jericho. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, Ein ad-Duyuk at-Foqa had a population of over 814 inhabitants in...
- az-ZubaidatAz-Zubaidataz-Zubaidat is a Palestinian village in the Jericho Governorate in the eastern West Bank situated in the Jordan Valley, located 27 kilometers north of Jericho. According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, az-Zubaidat had a population of over 1,340 inhabitants in mid-year 2006. In...