The Lower Galilee
Encyclopedia
The Lower Galilee , is a region within the North District
of Israel
. The Lower Galilee reaches from Jezreel Valley
in the south to the Upper Galilee
(Beit HaKerem Valley) in the north. Its eastern border is the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee
. Its western border is the Zvulun Valley and Acre
.
The Lower Galilee is the southern part of the Galilee
. It's called "Lower" since it is less mountainous than the Upper Galilee. the peaks of the Lower Galilee raise up to 500 meters above sea level. The tallest peaks are Mount Kamun (598 m) at the northern part of the Lower Galilee and Mount Tabor (588 m) in the southern part.
The Lower Galilee consists of low mountain ranges which extend from east to west with several valleys in between; south of the Beit HaKerem Valley is the Shagor mountain range, then the Sakhnin
valley, the Yodfat
range, the Tur'an
valley and range, the Beit Netofa Valley
, and the Ksulot range. In the western part of the Lower Galilee there are several low hills (200–300 meters) covered with Oak
tree forests, the central Lower Galilee region is more mountainous and the eastern Lower Galilee region turn into flat basalt
mountainside reaching heights of 300 meters above sea level
which extend from northeast to the southwest.
Although the landscape of the Lower Galilee is less dramatic than that of the Upper Galilee
, it is green
er, more peaceful and quiet. The Lower Galilee is more accessible to the majority of Israelis (less than a 2 hour drive from the Tel Aviv area
). Much of the produce farms of Israel originates in the Lower Galilee, especially in the Jezreel Valley
and the Beit She'an Valley.
of the Lower Galile mainly consists of the following:
was done in the Yavne'el Valley which supplied irrigation
water to Yavne'el
. In 1942 a water pipeline was constructed from the Sea of Galilee
to the village which as a result extended its amount of agricultural lands, which were based mainly on the new water sources, despite the relatively high cost of water at that time. During the first decade of the State of Israel the villages of the Lower Galilee were involved in a constant struggle with the government demanding that the government would solve their water problems. After several local Well drilling attempts made during those years failed water pipeline were laid from the Sea of Galilee
towared all villages in the Lower Galilee.
North District (Israel)
The Northern District is one of Israel's six administrative districts. The Northern District has a land area of 4,478 km², which increases to 4,638 km² when both land and water are included...
of Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
. The Lower Galilee reaches from Jezreel Valley
Jezreel Valley
-Etymology:The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley, though some scholars think that the name of the city originates from the name of the clan which founded it, and whose existence is mentioned in...
in the south to the Upper Galilee
Upper Galilee
The Upper Galilee is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period, originally referring to a mountainous area overlapping the present northern Israel and southern Lebanon, its borders being the Litani river in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Beit...
(Beit HaKerem Valley) in the north. Its eastern border is the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
. Its western border is the Zvulun Valley and Acre
Acre, Israel
Acre , is a city in the Western Galilee region of northern Israel at the northern extremity of Haifa Bay. Acre is one of the oldest continuously inhabited sites in the country....
.
The Lower Galilee is the southern part of the Galilee
Galilee
Galilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
. It's called "Lower" since it is less mountainous than the Upper Galilee. the peaks of the Lower Galilee raise up to 500 meters above sea level. The tallest peaks are Mount Kamun (598 m) at the northern part of the Lower Galilee and Mount Tabor (588 m) in the southern part.
Geography
The Lower Galilee consists of three different regions which differ in their geological structure:- The western Lower Galilee
- The central Lower Galilee
- The high regions of the eastern Lower Galilee
The Lower Galilee consists of low mountain ranges which extend from east to west with several valleys in between; south of the Beit HaKerem Valley is the Shagor mountain range, then the Sakhnin
Sakhnin
Sakhnin is a city in Israel's North District. It is located in the Lower Galilee, about east of Acre. Sakhnin was declared a city in 1995. Its population of 25,100 is Arab, mostly Muslim with a sizable Christian minority. It is located on the site of the ancient Jewish town Sikhnin, which...
valley, the Yodfat
Yodfat
Yodfat , is a moshav shitufi in the Lower Galilee, south of Carmiel, Israel. Part of the Misgav Regional Council and located in the vicinity of the Atzmon mountain ridge, north of the Beit Netofa Valley, Yodfat is named after the Second Temple-era town of the same name. It is situated north of the...
range, the Tur'an
Tur'an
Tur'an is an Israeli-Arab local council in the North District of Israel. It is located on Mount Tur'an near the main road from Haifa to Tiberias, and about north of Nazareth...
valley and range, the Beit Netofa Valley
Beit Netofa Valley
The Beit Netofa Valley is a valley in the Lower Galilee region of Israel, midway between Tiberias and Haifa. Covering 46 km2, it is the largest valley in the Galilee and one of the largest in the southern Levant...
, and the Ksulot range. In the western part of the Lower Galilee there are several low hills (200–300 meters) covered with Oak
Oak
An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...
tree forests, the central Lower Galilee region is more mountainous and the eastern Lower Galilee region turn into flat basalt
Basalt
Basalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
mountainside reaching heights of 300 meters above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
which extend from northeast to the southwest.
Although the landscape of the Lower Galilee is less dramatic than that of the Upper Galilee
Upper Galilee
The Upper Galilee is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period, originally referring to a mountainous area overlapping the present northern Israel and southern Lebanon, its borders being the Litani river in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Beit...
, it is green
Green
Green is a color, the perception of which is evoked by light having a spectrum dominated by energy with a wavelength of roughly 520–570 nanometres. In the subtractive color system, it is not a primary color, but is created out of a mixture of yellow and blue, or yellow and cyan; it is considered...
er, more peaceful and quiet. The Lower Galilee is more accessible to the majority of Israelis (less than a 2 hour drive from the Tel Aviv area
Gush Dan
The Tel Aviv Metropolitan Area , or Gush Dan , is a metropolitan area including areas from both the Tel Aviv and the Central Districts of Israel. The area is closely linked to the city of Tel Aviv through social, economic, and cultural ties. It is located along the Israeli Mediterranean coastline...
). Much of the produce farms of Israel originates in the Lower Galilee, especially in the Jezreel Valley
Jezreel Valley
-Etymology:The Jezreel Valley takes its name from the ancient city of Jezreel which was located on a low hill overlooking the southern edge of the valley, though some scholars think that the name of the city originates from the name of the clan which founded it, and whose existence is mentioned in...
and the Beit She'an Valley.
Type of soil
The soilSoil
Soil is a natural body consisting of layers of mineral constituents of variable thicknesses, which differ from the parent materials in their morphological, physical, chemical, and mineralogical characteristics...
of the Lower Galile mainly consists of the following:
- LimestoneLimestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
- the lands in the central Lower Galilee region consists mainly of limestoneLimestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
which was created due to accumulation of shells and skeletons of marine life on the seabedSeabedThe seabed is the bottom of the ocean.- Ocean structure :Most of the oceans have a common structure, created by common physical phenomena, mainly from tectonic movement, and sediment from various sources...
. - Brown Terra RossaTerra rosa (soil)Terra rossa is a type of red clay soil produced by the weathering of limestone. When limestone weathers, the clay contained in the rocks is left behind, along with any other non-soluble rock material. Under oxidizing conditions, when the soils are above the water table, iron oxide forms in the...
- the Lower Galilee region also have many areas which consists of this type of soil which has high amounts of minerals. The Terra Rossa is the basis for the development of forests in the Galilee due to the fact that it has a large amount of mineral needed for the trees to grow. - BasaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
- the lands in the western Lower Galilee region (the area near the Golan Heights) consists mainly of BasaltBasaltBasalt is a common extrusive volcanic rock. It is usually grey to black and fine-grained due to rapid cooling of lava at the surface of a planet. It may be porphyritic containing larger crystals in a fine matrix, or vesicular, or frothy scoria. Unweathered basalt is black or grey...
which is a type of rock that was created as a result of hot magmaMagmaMagma is a mixture of molten rock, volatiles and solids that is found beneath the surface of the Earth, and is expected to exist on other terrestrial planets. Besides molten rock, magma may also contain suspended crystals and dissolved gas and sometimes also gas bubbles. Magma often collects in...
from erupted volcanoes which later cooled in temperature and become rock hard and impenetrable. The Basalt rocks also consist of very fertileFertileThe term fertile describes a condition whereby organisms are able to produce physically healthy offspring.Fertile may also refer to:...
soil.
Water resources
Until 1932 the settlements in the eastern Lower Galilee was based solely on spring water which existed in proximity to the villages which were only enough for home use and therefore it was not possible to have irrigated agriculture in the Lower Galilee at the time. In 1932 the first Well drillingWell drilling
Well drilling is the process of drilling a hole in the ground for the extraction of a natural resource such as ground water, natural gas, or petroleum...
was done in the Yavne'el Valley which supplied irrigation
Irrigation
Irrigation may be defined as the science of artificial application of water to the land or soil. It is used to assist in the growing of agricultural crops, maintenance of landscapes, and revegetation of disturbed soils in dry areas and during periods of inadequate rainfall...
water to Yavne'el
Yavne'el
Yavne'el is a moshava and a local council in the North District of Israel. It is named after a village in the tribe Naphtali , which was probably located on the tel north of the moshava. Located south-west of Tiberias, it was declared a local council in 1951...
. In 1942 a water pipeline was constructed from the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
to the village which as a result extended its amount of agricultural lands, which were based mainly on the new water sources, despite the relatively high cost of water at that time. During the first decade of the State of Israel the villages of the Lower Galilee were involved in a constant struggle with the government demanding that the government would solve their water problems. After several local Well drilling attempts made during those years failed water pipeline were laid from the Sea of Galilee
Sea of Galilee
The Sea of Galilee, also Kinneret, Lake of Gennesaret, or Lake Tiberias , is the largest freshwater lake in Israel, and it is approximately in circumference, about long, and wide. The lake has a total area of , and a maximum depth of approximately 43 m...
towared all villages in the Lower Galilee.
See also
- GalileeGalileeGalilee , is a large region in northern Israel which overlaps with much of the administrative North District of the country. Traditionally divided into Upper Galilee , Lower Galilee , and Western Galilee , extending from Dan to the north, at the base of Mount Hermon, along Mount Lebanon to the...
- North District (Israel)North District (Israel)The Northern District is one of Israel's six administrative districts. The Northern District has a land area of 4,478 km², which increases to 4,638 km² when both land and water are included...
- Lower Galilee Regional CouncilLower Galilee Regional CouncilThe Lower Galilee Regional Council is a regional council in northern Israel that encompasses most of the settlements in the Lower Galilee. Over 9000 people live in the three kibbutzim, ten moshavim and two communal settlements located in its municipal territory.The council building is situated in...
- Upper GalileeUpper GalileeThe Upper Galilee is a geographical-political term in use since the end of the Second Temple period, originally referring to a mountainous area overlapping the present northern Israel and southern Lebanon, its borders being the Litani river in the north, the Mediterranean Sea in the west, the Beit...